The Ordway new era., 1907-08-30
EDITOR OF WEEKLY NEWsPAPEA
Is KILLED IN HIS HOME
TOWN BY RANcHER.
TRAGEDY sTIRS KERSEy
BUT FOR TIMELY INTERFERENCE
THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN
COMMON LAW HANGING.


the Kersey Enterprise, through the
heart Lewis fell dead on the spot
I've got you now" said Simonsen
| with n curse. and replaced the gun
in his pocket. Excited crowds gath
cred about him. some clamoring that
he be strung up. Disdainful OF
threats. Simonsen stood with folded
| arms until a constable arrived and
placed him under arrest.
The shooting was the result Of .
publication In Lewis paper. in which
the name OF Mrs. Simonsen. a woman
of striking beauty, was connected by
innuendo with that Of J. l.. Ewing. .
wealthy ranchman. SimonseD.
though himself fairly well-to-do. is .
tenant on Ewing's ranch, and the two
men. as far as known. have been on
good terms.
The innuendo against Mrs. Simon
sen is said to have been repeated q
number of times in various issues OF
the Enterprise the last ten days ago.
and Simonsen had gone to the editor
and protested. Bitter feeling grew mp
between the two men, and Simonsen
came TO kersey with the purpose. ap-
parenuy. OF ending the affair through
procuring the arrest of Lewis.
II. p. Hill. the Justice of the peace
at Kersey, to whom Slmonsen applied
for the warrant. insisted that the mat
ter be carried to the prosecuting at
torney. Simonsen did not have pa
tience to await this action. He was
drinking and. arming himself with n
revolver. started out on man hunt
for Lewis.
Found Victim on Street.
Simonsen found his man on the
main street. ut s O'Clock. an hour
when the thoroughfare was crowded
with townspeople and farmers doing
their Saturdays shopping. He walked
up to Lewis. without a word OF warn
ing. and. whisking out the revolver,
fired Mt close range.
I've got you now, you - -
he exclaimed, the sound of his voice
half drowned by the pistol report
Lewis. shot through the heart, threw
up his hands. whiried around to the
""Pas!,siS sa,isS SSiresliqnnes nesses aAa teb cold
b,ooded 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!
about Simonsen.
In the 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 az
though 1t might end in trouble. when
Constable James Loustelet succeeded
in pushing his way through the crowd
to where Simonsen was being buneted
about. The officer drew his revolver
and threatened the crowd. forcing
every one to withdraw to distance
from his prisoner.
The constable stood his ground un-
til Under Sheriff Fred Williams. who
had been notified of the shooting by
a 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 m
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, Do
gan to appear in the Enterprise some
time ago. Simonsen, each time, WEN
| to Lewis, it is said, and protested
but apparently without effect. The
publications continued to appear, ano
they finally goaded Simonsen to the
point where he sought legal remeoy-
Failing to procure a warrant iof
Lewis arrest, he went to his home to
secure his revolver, determined -
take the law into his own hands.
Mrs. Simonsen, a blonde, has never
failed to attract by her beauty. Sne
| 10 stylish In appearance, always wen
dressed, and with fondness for 3ev-
elry. Simonsen is thirty-seven years
old. a native Of Sweden, but has lives
| in Kersey for the past ten years. To
couple have no children.
style Of Journalism.
The style Of journalism followe0
by Lewis has aroused much advereo
| criticism, On several occasions, It -
said. he was warned that his papef
would be refused transmission through
the mails unless its tone was chanso1
He followed a policy Of dealing win
topics usually disregarded.
| Here are types of his utterances:
/ .If a certain old stiR from GreeIey
doesn't keep away from certaf9
woman's house in Kersey. the eitisens
will treat him to = coat Of tar 90
feathers" and IN that son Of -
known a. Brother -, who cin1u1
to be Z worker in the Lord's vineyard
don't ret out Of town pretty Qu1e4
and mend his ways, . rope and TO-