The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-01
SHU HIM UEAU,
Albert De Moss Kills Charles
Andrews Instantly.
Men Quarrelled Over a Debt of
Five Cents.
BOTH WERE ARMED.
De Moss Proved to Be the
Quicker on the Trigger
Shooter Gives Himself Up After
Running Away.

Chided because he had not paid
debt of five cents which he owed to AL
bert DeMoss. Charles Andrews became
1ncensed and threatened to wipe De
Moss out of existence and in his at
tempt to do so was shot and instantly
killed by a discharge from a shotgun in
the hands of DeMoss. Andrews body
was taken to the Stonestreet and
Hamilton undertaking rooms and De
Moss awaits the coroner's formal in
quest in the county Jail. Both are col
ored.
Albert DeMoss and his brother, CIar-
ence. have been living in little hut at
1884 North Madison. A small crowd.
consisting of the two DeMoss boys,
Charles Andrews. Quincy Level Ike
the house Joking when Albert said to
Andrews: Say, Andrews, you had bet
ter give me that five cents you owe
me- and Andrews became angry.
What the five cents were for is not
known. 1t was supposed to be the bal
ance in a settlement of a game of craps
but all have denied that there was any
game. Clarence DeMoss said he in
tended TO see that no harm befeH his
brother and Andrews jumped up
angrily saying: so you are going to
two time me are you? Well I'm going
home now and when I get back neither
one of you better be here
Albert DeMoss Immediately got his
shotgun, a double barreled one, and
1405 North Jefferson and was not gone
long, returning with double barreled
shotgun. The inmates of the house
heard him coming and Level ran out
of the house telling Andrews he would |
better not make a disturbance around |
there but Andrews only pulled up the !
gun and said: 'tAh. go on whereupon |
Level fled around the corner of the |
house.
But just as he rounded the corner he |
heard a shot fired behind him. DeMoss |
had followed him to the door and met
Andrews face to face. DeMoss shot |
first. both barrels being discharged into |
Andrews breast, but who in spite of
the death wound ran fully twenty 1
yards from the door and fell face down
on his undischarged gun. DeMoss fled
east in the direction of his fathers |
home four miles east of the city.
When Andrews had gone for his gun, |
Frank Simmons who lives at AL |
North Jefferson, somehow learned that
murder was in the mind of Andrews |
and hurriedly phoned the police that
Andrews was out with his gun and
there would probably be somebody
killed The chief Immediately ordered |
the patrol out and he, Sergeant Ross,
and Detective Summers were just going
out of the door on the run when an
other phone message said that the man /
had been killed. All the officers who |
were to be seen on the run to North |
Topeka were picked up on the way and |
a good load of officers were on hand
there was no further trouble and the |
patrol drove east out to the fathers |
place, after the chief and Ross had |
gotten out to telephone Sheriff Wilker- |
son.
The patrol drove clear out to the |
farm. A mile this side they saw the
two little sisters and a brother of De
Moss and tried to ask them about their |
brother but they fled toward the city
to an uncle's place a mile and a half
from town. The father told Detec-
tive Summers that Albert was going to
give himself up but was not there, so
they turned back At that time Albert
was in the cornfield beside the road
and heard the wagon as it had passed
while the little sisters were on the
run to inform the uncle of the shoot |
ing and that Albert would be there
later.
and had just passed the Three Bridges |
when they were overtaken by Sheriff
Wilkerson and Mitchell Bundy. the Jail
er, with the bloodhounds. The four
Gle, where after a few words, Albert
DeMoss came out and gave himself
up to the officers.
He talked freely of the murder as
he told of how he jerked up the gun
and fred, supposedly at the mans
head, and watched him run and fall in
the doOryard.
but 1t was self-defense," he says
"As 1 looked out the door looked
right down the gun barrels pointed at
my face and there was no time to think
of aim, I just shot. 5till looking down
those two barrels of Andrews stuck up
into my face"
One discharge tore through the right
side of Andrews abdomen and the 9TH
er entered the left side of the chest,
tearing the heart to pieces. The shots
were fired at such close range that even
the wads from the shells were found
this morning by the chief in the pool of
blood where Andrews fell, having been
flushed out by the flow of blood.
The fact that Andrews was looking
for DeMoss with a loaded weapon will
do much to aid the defense of DeMoss
which will that of lf-defense. But
the quarrel must have been of some
standing other than simply a nickel.
for Simmons knew in a minute that no
ordinary feud of words was in progress.
DeMoSs is a bad man anyway
though only 1S or 20 years old. Last
summer while working down at Grant
willie he split the head of another man
open with a blow with a rake he was
using The man did not die and De
Moss was cleared.
DeMoss and his brother both were
employees at the Wolff packing house
and lived at the little hut where
crowd of the young negroes frequent
ly met and gambling was suspected
but always denied and never proven.
Andrews worked on an ice wagon. He
has been a visitor at the DeMoss house
quite frequently.
Coroner Keith called as soon as the
man was shot, sent the body to the
undertaking establishment and will
hold an inquest today when he can get
all the witnesses together.