Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-08-30
CASE OF MURDER:
Joe Fitzgerald Killed in Cold
Blood BY a Man Named
Dabney.
-.
Only Provocation That Latter
J. Was Called a Niger" by
the Victim.

row broke out between Two mencem.i
ployes of the railroad company and re-
cent Corners to the city, at work in the
material yards near the boat landing.
Both men had been drinking freely, and
finally rounded up at the Buffalo sa.
loon, where their differences resulted in
"a fist fight to the rear of the place, in
which the murdered man, Jos. Fitz-
gerald, seems to have got the best of it
against his murderer, George Dabney.
z After the fight was settled these two
and their friends went back into the
saloon, where Dabney set up the beer
to the few who had witnessed the scrap,
including his antagonist, and said he
was going to get a gun and kill Fitz.
gerald because the latter had called him
d "nigger," which was the start of the
trouble. Therefore he left his beer un
tasted on the bar and went across the
street, to Binder Il Boasts hardware
store, where he priced several revolvers,
but without purchasing. He then went
to Hatch s. Fishers, where he bought
gun suitable, apparently, for his pur-
pose-.a 80 calibre, ti7e-shot revolver.
The next scene in the tragedy was
where he appeared in the Buffalo sa
loon and found his late companions
and victim still ranged at the bar. He
walked up to Fitzgerald, and at five
feet emptied all the chambers of the
revolver into the latter's body, each
shot being fatal, and one at least, reach
/; ing the heart. Fitzgerald fell over,
welteping in his own blood, and quickly
expired, the assassin still pounding him
over the head with the empty revolver.
All ,this only took rev moments to
transYre, while the crowd scattered to
safe places Walter, the barkeeper,
grabbed a revolver back OF the bar,
Covered the murderer, held him at bay,
I'd ordered one Of the crowd to bring
the sheriff. chief Of police or any other
Notticersto be found In few minutes
Sheriff Logan and Chief of Police Old
field were summoned from the street,
handcuffed the murderer, bundled him
into dray before the crowd that had
gathered, and took him with all dispatch
4 tothe county jail AS he was thrown
/ into the wagon he remarked that he
hoped:he had killed Fitzgerald
Coroner Hollister was out of town,
but Justice McCoTd acted in his place
BeforeSthe eyes Of the murdered man
had commenced to glaze coroner's
j. jury had been impanelled, consisting
of Messrs. Walker, Quinn, and Griggs,
with States Attorney Stephens present.
} The witnesses of the deed were ex-
amined, and & verdict of murder was
returned against Dabney.
DR.. Robinson was summoned and
, after a. hasty examination pronounced
that four of the five shots had hit I he
! murdered man, any one of which might
i prove fatal. He has since made all au.
topsy to verify his statements. The
body was removed to Undertaken
Ruble's rooms, where it is held awaiting
word from the. relatives of Fitzgerald
who are said TO reside some place in
!, New Y DIRK.
\ Such.in brief, is the history of mos,
4 cowardly and brutal murder. Both
4 parties to it are strangers to Pierre
Both were more or less under the in
J: tiuence of liquor, but no matter wha
the cause, this county and the taxpay
! fr cfo nd n oh
costs in the prosecution OF the case il
the courts. This, of course, is justice
but it comes hard on the taxpayers
Meanwhile, some measures should b.
devised to prevent the crowd Of strang
. ers being brought to Pierre for work OF
the new railroad extension, and in tn
general boom that is coming, from dc
ing such untoward acts as this related
and piling upon the county excessiy
costs in the courts.
The preliminary hearing before just
ice McCord Tuesday proved that bot
the murderer and victim went .unde
two names. Dabney testified that hi
| right.name was Frank Smith, that Ii
, ~ ( ~ \ = - !.
had been under arrest before, in til
south, and that he confessed to tn
murder.
It also developed that Fitzgerald, th
murderer man was rightfully know
! as Jos. Barry, hut no track Of his rels
tiyes can be had, and in consequence
was buried in the potter's field yestel
day, at county expense. Smith CAV
the street address Of relatives in al
lanta. Georgia. His trial will be had 8
the November term, when, it is under
stood, lie will again plead guilty an
receive sentence for murder in the Ills
degree
Local News Notes.
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