Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-08-30
EDITOR OF WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
is KILLED IN HIS HOME
TOWN aV RANcHER.
TRAGEDY sTIRs KERSEY
GUT FOR TIMELY INTERFERENCE
THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN
COMMON LAW HANGING.

| GNelty. SOiOs-tHufieh SiHohhrus
Ia ranchman living at kcrscy. Satur-
day night shot e. II. Lewis, editor Of
tho Kersey Enterprise. through tho
heart. Lewis fell dead ON the spot
1--WE got you now" said Simonsen
with a curse. and replaced the gun
In his pocket. Excited crowds gath
cred about him. some clamorin. that
he be strun. up. Disdainful OK
threats. Simonscn stood with folded
arms until n constable arrived and
placed him under arrest.
The shooting was the result Of .
publication In Lewis paper. In which
the name OF Mrs. Simonsen. woman
of striking beauty. was connected by
irnuendo with that Of J. L. Ewing. =
| wealthy rnnchman. Simonscn.
though himself fairly wcii'to'do. In u
tenant on EwinI's ranch. and the two
men. ns far as known. have been ON
good terms.
The innncndo against Mrs. Simon
sen In said tn have been repeated u
| number of times In various Issues OF
the Enterprise the last ten days ago.
and Simonscn had gone to the editor
and protested. Bitter feeling grew up
between the two men. and Simonscn
came to kcrscy with the purpose. APP
parcntiy. Of ending the affair through
procuring the arrest Of Lewis.
| II. y. Hin. the Justice Of the peace
at kerscy. to whom Simonscn applied
for the warrant. insisted that. the mat
ter be- carried to the prosecuting nt-
torncy. Simonscn did not have pa-
ticncc TO await this action. He was
drinking and. nrming himself with u
revolver, started out on u man hunt
for Lewis.
Found Victim on Street.
| Simonscn found his man on tho
main street. at O'Clock. nm hour
when the thoroughfarc was crowded
with townspcopic and farmers doing
their Saturdays shopping. lie walked
up to Lewis. without n word of warn.
Ing, and. whisling out the revolver.
fired mt close range.
| I've got you now. you - -.
he exclaimed. the sound Of his voico
half drowned by the pistol report
Lewis. shot through the heart. threw
up his hands. whirlcd around to tho
opposite direction. and fell. face down.
ward. on the street.
Excited witnesses to the cold
b'oodcd shooting came thronging from
all directions.
Hang him! hang him!" shouted
some in the crowd. Bring "a rope.
quick!"
NO you won't. That man got only
what he deserved. Don't touch HIM"
cried others. forming n body guard
about Simonscn.
In tho middle OF two struggling and
about evenly matched mobs. one cry
Ing for his life, the other determined
to defend him, Simonsen. the only
collected person In the crowd, was
pushed back and forth over the body
OF his victim. The outcome OF this
strife was doubtful and looked rs
though II might end In trouble. when
Constable James Loustelct succeeded
In pushing his way through the crowd
10 where Simonsen was being buneted
about. The officer drew his revolver
and threatened the crowd. forcing
every one to withdraw to n distance
from his prisoner.
The constable stood his ground un-
I'll Under Sheriff Fred Williams. who
had been notified OF the shooting by
n phone message. arrived, after COW
ering the ten miles from Greeley In
, record time. Under Sheriff Williams
took charge OF the prisoner and placed
him in the Greeley jail.
Two Factions In kersey.
The removal of Simonsen. however.
| did not serve to allay excitement In
| Kersey. The crowd instead collected
| about the morgue where the body OF
Lewis lay, and fought the controversy
over anew.
The alleged slanderous publications..
| in which the name of Mrs. Simonsen
! and Ewing were connected in man
ner that left little to be inferred. be-
gan to appear In the Enterprise some
time ago. Simonsen. each time, went
to Lewis. 1t is said. and protested.
but apparently without effect. The
publications continued to appear, and
they finally goaded Simonsen to tho
point where he sought legal remedy.
| Failing to procure warrant Tor
Lewis arrest, he went to his home to
secure his revolver, determined to
take the law into his own hands.
Mrs. Simonsen. n blonde, has never
failed to attract by her beauty. She
Is stylish in appearance, always well
| dressed, and with n fondness for Jew
| elry. Simonsen is thirty-seven years
| old, a native of Sweden, but has lived
| in Kersey for the past ten years. The
couple have no children.
style Of journalism.
The style OF journalism followed
by Lewis has aroused much adverse
criticism. On several occasions. 1t is
said, he was warned that his paper
would be refused transmission through
the mails unless its tone was changed.
He followed a policy of dealing with
topics usually disregarded.
Here are types OF his utterances:
"If certain old stin from Greeley
| doesn't keep away from a certain
| woman's house in Kersey. the citizens
will treat him to coat Of tar and
feathers" and III that son OF h
known as Brother -, who claims
| to be a worker in the Lords vineyard.
don't get out of town pretty quick
and mend his ways, rope and a tele-
| graph pole will be his fate"