Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-08
SHOT TO DEATH
AFTER QUARREL
OVER A FENCE
IRVING G. HOBART KILLED AT
LAMkNDA FARK
CLINTON BURRlS FIRED FATAL
SHOT AND is IN JAIL
Tragedy Was Sequel to Row That Be.
gan When Hobart's Horses Nib.
bed Vegetables In Burris'
Garden

DAsADENA, Aug. 7.--As the result
of quarrel over the depredations
made on his vegetable garden by
two horses, Clinton Burris, SO years
old, shot and instantly killed Irving G,
Hobart, 2S years old, at his home near
the corner of Daisie street and Railroad
avenue, Lamanda Park, about O'Clock
this afternoon.
Hobart was shot through the heart
failing dead at the entrance to the
front yard of his slayer. After firing
the fatal shot Burris went into his
house and telephoned to Deputy Con-
stable John Goodhue, telling him that
he had killed Hobart and that he
would wait for the officer at his home.
Burris was arrested and taken to the
city Jail. on the way to the Jail, while
on the Lamanda Park car, he joked
as the constable paid fares for two,
saying: This is one time ! don't have
to pay my fare"
Deputy Coroner Williams has set the
time for the inquest at 2: 80 o'clock to-
morrow afternoon at the undertaking
parlors of Ives, Warren & Salisbury,
where the body is held.
Many Quarrels Reported
The story of the shooting is the cul-
mination of a long series of small quar-
with Hobart, who runs a small trans
fer business in Lamanda Park, but with
others who have occupied the premises
adjacent to the lot on which stands his
house.
The corral and barn which shelter
Hobart's outfit are on the corner of
Daisie street and Railroad avenue
Burris' house is just east of the corral
on Railroad avenue. wire fence
runs right to the side of the Burris
flower and kitchen garden, and Ho-
bart's animals have, 1t IS claimed,
pushed against this wire until they
could reach over and nibble the succu-
lent vegetables Last night their
depredations were particularly severe
and this morning. unable to find the
owner OF the horses himself, Burris
went to the father and obtained per-
mission to remove the corral wires
with the understanding that the next
fence constructed should be more sub
stantial in nature and further back
from the grade boundary.
Hobart, the elder, aided i'm the work
and left when there remained but the
finishing touches. The younger Ho-
bart came home Mt 4:30 o'clock this
afternoon and found Burris at work
finishing the job Burris declares that
Hobart threatened his life and then
when the young man advanced upon
MN WITH Two hammers TdiStu dDONt MS
head, he shot in self-defense
Burris Tells His Story
In cell No. of the lower tank OF
the Pasadena city jail last night Clin-
ton Burris told the story of the shoot
ing.
ut is necessary to go back into
ancient history of the affair to under
stand how it all happened" said Bur-
ris. Hobart and myself had been hav-
ing trouble for about three weeks. 1t
started when he commenced to lead his
horses down the sidewalk in front of
my house. I asked him to quit. but
he paid no attention to my request.
"His horses would reach over the
top of the fence dividing my property
from the property of his father, which
he was using, and the animals would
nibbie off the top OF our flowers |
asked him to stop that but he would
do nothing about it. Then I put an
1S-inch wire netting along the top of
my paling fence so that the horses
could not reach over, but the animals
continued to stand by the fence hardly
ten feet from my house and the smell
was something terrible"
Father Comes to Rescue
"I asked Hobart to clean up the yard,
but he did nothing and then went to
see his father at Sierra Madre villa.
His father and l are old friends. His
father said: IN show you how We'll
fix that young man. 'and so he came
down Saturday and he and L tore out
the front fence to the yard so that
Irving hobart would have to put his
horses in the two corrals back of the
barn.
my house fronts on Railroad ave
nue., which runs along the Santa Fe
tracks. On the corner of the main
street and Railroad avenue is the post
office, then there are two houses and
then mine. Just east of my place is
the lot belonging to Hobart, ST. There
is nothing but barn upon it, and this
Irving Hobart has beer using.
"When Hobarts father and I had
finished tearing ont the front fence
there was no longer need for the net
ting / had put along the top of my
property line fence and so / was tear
ing it out. To tear it out had to go
on the Hobart property for the staples
were driven in from that side.
Hobart Armed with Hammer
az was working with claw hammer
drawing out the staples, with my back
toward him, when Irving Hobart drove
in with a load of hay. I suppose he
unhitched the team and went into the
barn for hammer, for when l noticed
him lie WAS COHl4lS toward me anu
was so near that he could almost have
reached me. He said: L suppose you're
satisfied now that you've got your way,
YOU - --! I'm going to smash
your head in, and don't care if kill
you.
'With that he struck at me with q
claw hammer he had in his hand. Now
used to be something of boxer and
so | parried his first blow. l don't
know whether that was when his ham
mer hit me on the shoulder or not.
81 parred seven or eight blows and
was getting pretty tired. All the time
/ was backing toward the front side
walk. Finally he caught the hammer
still held in my hand and wrenched it
from me and then he raised both ham
mers and 1 expected that he would
brain me.
"Before the blow could fall / had
time to reach around to my hip pocket
and draw my pistol, l shot just once
and then Irving Hobart Strengthened
M. dropped the hammers. began to
cough and walked away toward the
sidewalk, the edge of which we had al
most reached. He walked west along
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