Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-08-21
STABBED BY A NEGRO.
Charley MOffett in a Serious Condition
as the Result Of an Ugly Wound In
flicted Saturday Night.

ing his home since the death Of his par
ents with Mr.. and Mrs. Mathews, was
badly cut by negro at the mery-go-
round Saturday night. Louis Neil is the
negro charged with the cutting and he
was hurried of to jail by Sheriff Nc
Cracken none too soon to save his life for
as soon as it became known how badly
Charley was hurt excitement ran high
and Neil was nearer to lynching than
many people suppose. but in the course
of few hours things quieted down,
good counsel prevailed and all are salts
fed to let the law take its course. In
this crisis Sheriff McCracken proved to
be the man Of the hour. His good judg-
ment, his courage and his fair treatment
of all together with his stern declaration
that the law must be respected averted
what might have been local calamity.
Immediately after the cutting. Charley
Mofett was carried to DR.. Coleman's S
Office and his wounds dressed. The in
cision was ten inches long, extending
from the left shoulder, curving and end
ing near the spine short distance above
the hip. One rib is exposed. The
wound had an average depth of about
an inch and a fourth. Thirty Stitches
were required to close the wound and
the patient went through it all without
taking chloroform or other opiates.
AT the Jail Neil was searched but
nothing was found on him but a small
pocket knife. He denied everything
said he did not cut Mofett and was en-
tirely innocent. There is abundance Of
testimony, however, that Neil did the
cutting. When Sheriff McCracken saw
the fuss he hurried to the scere and just
before he got there he noticed NeilTs
right hand suspended above the crowd
holding some kind Of a weapon and
when the negro saw the sheriff advanc-
ing he dropped it. When the sheriff
got hold Of him he asked him what he
had In his hand and he replied that he
didn't have anything. At this time Sher-
if McCracken did not know that any
one had been hurt. He simply knew
that there had been fight and the ne
gro was in danger Of great violence and
he hurried him off to jail. The supposi-
tion is that the cut was made with raz-
or and that other negroes or bystanders
got the razor and concealed it after the
cutting.
On Sunday Ollie Glass and Charley
Lewis were arrested and put in jail a:
possible accompEces in the crime. 1t i:
believed that if they did not actually as
sist Neil, they were eye witnesses anc
know all about the circumstances. Al
first both denied any knowledge Of the
facts but after sweating" until Monday
evening they unbosomed themselves, gave
the sheriff and county attorney the infor.
nation they had and were released.
On Monday Sheriff Nc Cracken found
the razor used by Neil. 1t was in the
possession Of Mrs.C. Lewis. MIR. Lewis
gave the information that led to the find
ing of the razor. Lewis stated to the off.
GERS that Allen Edwards picked up the
razor after the fight. gave it to Mrs Lew.
is and that she intended to give it to Mrs
Neil. After the sheriff got the razo
and confronted Neil with it he weaken
ed and admitted it was his and that h.
did the cutting, but now pleads self de.
fense.
The cause Of the fight. IN the first in
stance, as near as can be gathered out o
the confusion, is as follows: The Carni
val ground was mass Of people. Busi
ness was especially brisk at the merry
go-round and everybody was striving t
get on the horses at every stop. Addee
to the general confusion it was confetti
night and everybody was throwing con.
feti. In the jam and push Neil srucl
Edgar Mofett. for what reason It ha
{ not been learned, and Charley Mofet
took it up. Charley rushed up to Neil
and struck him IN the face and Neil