The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-03-24
TERRIBLE AND TRAGIC.
Hon. Jefferson D. Mclean Is
Shot to Death.
GAMBLER KILLS OFFICER.
An Effort to Raid an Alleged Gam
bling House Results In the Death of
County Attorney, Fatal Wounding OF
Slayer and Shooting OF Another.

Fort Worth March ga terrible
affair took place here in which County
Attorney Jefferson D. Mclean. was
shot and almost instantly killed
Former Deputy Sheriff Hamil P.
Scott. now claim agent of the Denver
Railway. was mortally wounded and
hand and that his left, was riddled
with bullets by the police, who sur
rounded him In lumber yard, whittier
he had fled after the shooting. and has
little chance of recovery.
All this came about as the result of
raid made on gambling hall over
saloon by County Attorney Mclean,
Sheriff Wood and a large froce of dep
uties
Five men. 1t is charged. were found
playing poker and faro They were
arrested and the paraphernalia EaS
hauled off in a wagon The deputies
departed to raid another sus yected
place and Mr.: Mclean crossed. tbs
street to request his wife. who was
seated in her buggy, to remain there
until his return. He retraced his steps
to follow the officers and as he reach.
ed the front of the Stag saloon Thorn.
ason stepped from the interior and ac-
costed him, uttering an oath. Thoma.
son had been running the games in
the rooms above. but ~Sas not present
when the raid was made
Mclean paused when at the foot of
the stairway leading to the gambling
hall. AS he did so, Thomson fired.
the bullet striking the county ator-
heavy bullet striking the county attor
ney in the Adams apple. passing
through his neck and producing death
In ten minutes. He was picked I'D
and carried into Anderson's drugstore.
where he expired in the presence of his
wife, physicians and friends. AS he
was being moved he smoke to those
who were carrying him. saving:
handle me carefully bows, | am chok-
Ing. These were the last words he
uttered.
Immediately after Mr.. Mclean had
fallen Thomason made his escape
through the saloon into an alley. and
thence toward Throckrnorton street
He hid behind billboard and among
a pile OF dry goods boxes in the alley.
Hamill P. Scott, who had joined in the
chase, was the first to locate him there.
Ihomason opened fire from behind
cover, and Scott fell face downward
after the third shot, and was unable
to rise. the blood squirting from two
severe wounds. His pistol being now
nearly empty, Thomson rushed for
ward and seized SCOTS weapon. from
which no shot had been fired. He then
cut across the vacant block. crossed
IhrockmortOn street and ran into a
lumber yard In ten minutes 5000
people and twenty policemen and sher
IFS had surrounded the lumber ward.
A detachment of police with revolvers
drawn entered and began the search
Tor the fugitive. Among the tall piles
OF lumber Officer Denny Lloyd discov-
cred Thomason crouching close behind
TWO stacks Of biard. He opened fire
and drove him out
The pistol taken from the wounded
deputy refused to work rapidly and
the fugitive found himself at the mer-
cy of the policemen. He continued.
however, to fight, and fusillade Of
shots was fired. Three bullets struck
him. One penetrated his bladder and
lodged in his back against rib An
other shattered his leg above the knee
and third broke his sholder. He tum-
bled to the ground still clutching the
pistol taken from Hamil Scott, and
which had failed to work properly at
the critical moment
Five thousand men surrounded the
officers and the wounded man, and
1t was only by threatening the crowd
with drawn revolvers that the police
were enabled to load the bleeding
body into the patrol wagon and haul
1t away. Tse horse were dashed into
run and several thousand persons fol
lowed to the police station, where, aft
er Thomson had been placed in the
hospital, every available deputy sheriff
ard policeman was thrown about the
building to guard it and prevent posi- |
bic mob violence, for by this time ex.
element ran high and the people were
In an ugly frame of mind
Jeff Mclean had suppressed gam
bling in the city and had enforced the
Sunday closing and the destruction of
his life was not looked upon with IA
yor by the many who had watched his |
course for years.