The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-11
TRAGEDY AT A CLUB
GEORGE H. FoNTAINE KILLED
 IN COLUMBUS, GA.
Young Man. Was Acting as Peace. maker When He Received Pls- tol Wound That Resulted
 in Instant Death.

| rolunbus. Ga, Feb. 19.-(Special )- ! Early this morning. news circulated over | the city that a tragedy had been enacted at the Muscogee Club during the night, in which George H. Fontaine had been ac- | cidentally shot and killed and Thomas A. Williams and Charles D. Hunt slightly | wounded.
 Mir. Fontaine was one of the most popu- | lar men in the city and 1t was generally known that he had no warmer or closer | personal friends than MT. Hunt and Mir | Williams. It seems that the latter two had a quarrel in room at the Musco- | gee Club, resulting in fight and that | Mir. Fontaine was accidentally shot while | trying to make peace between them Messrs Hunt and Williams both declined to discuss the unfortunate affair. So far as can be ascertained the three men were alone in the club room, and | there were no other witnesses to the | tragedy. The facts, as ascertained by The Advertiser correspondent are as fol- | lows:
 This morning, about o'clock, George H. Fontaine, c. D. Hunt and T. A. Wil- | Hams were in a room in the club alone, | other members, and employees having left the place and gone home unt It seems na ; that Hams, followed by hot words and an alter cation.
 In the fight. Mir. Hunt received a blow on the side of the forehead, with some l or three inches long. but infiicting no seri- | ous injury MT. Williams received a slight cut on the forehead and was shot in the left side; making flesh, flesh wouna aa | is in no way seriously hurt. | George Fontaine, a friend to both, at- tempted to stop the fight by jumping between the combatants and calling upon tangled in a scuffle. during which a pistol
 was accidentally discharged, the ball striking MT. Fontaine in the breast and proving instantly fatal. MT. Hunt and MT. Williams realized that | the affair had assumed the proportion or a tragedy, and after he was struck, not
 blow was passed or shot fired. Both
 to their friend, who was lying upon the floor. As quickly as possible, other friends were summoned, and a surgeon
 was hurriedly called. He reached the place a short time later. but found thai MT. Fontaine was dead.
 1 Dozier Pou was also summoned to give directions concerning the body, which was
 conveyed to the Fontaine home on Front Street.
 As soon as friends had ascertained the facts connected with the affair, Mir. Hunt
 and MT. Williams went to their respective rooms and early this morning sent Woro
 to Chief of Police Williams and Sherif1 Roberts to come to their apartments | where each would surrender himself into the custody of the law.
 | A physIcian was summoned to attent Mir. Williams and found that he was only slightly hurt, although the shock Of tht affair had unnerved him and he was con fined to his bed. He was given the neces
 sary attention and the doctor ordered tht patient kept as quiet ! as possible.
 MT. Hunt was found in state oi almost complete collape. For man,
 years, MT. Fontaine had been his devoted friend. The two were almost insepera ble while Mir. Hunt was in the city ant 1 Mir. Williams Is also a close friend tC Iboth. The three were often seen together
 on the streets and at the club and thei friendship and devotion to each other wal
 a matter of general comment among then
 Mir. Hunt Is in the cotton business a
 Troy, Ala. He came to the city to con lseveral weeks with malarin. His brother
 Captain T. J. Hunt. says he has beer
 quite uneasy about his health for som'
 time. MT. Hunt expected to return t'
 Troy yesterday afternoon, but the rail
 caused him to decide to remain in th' city during the night. His regard fol
 Mir, Fontaine coupled with his veal
 state caused a practically complete col
 lapse of his nervous system. He IS oefnl
 attended by his physician.
 Both men are held under arrest, t'
 await any investigation that may be con
 sidered necessary by the authorities. morning Dozfer iPou declined to be quoted in connection with the tragedy, furthe than to say that he was fully convinced that the death of Mir. George H. Fon
 taine was purely the result or an acci dent.