Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-08-12
TOO FREE WITH GUN
Puts William Robinson in Hospital
and Maybe in Grave

and Maybe in Grave
On last Saturday night there was a
well attended lawn party at Sherando
which was held on an open space III
front of Mr.. Balsey's store. Whilst
the people were enjoying themselves,
one William Robinson and brother
whose given name we could not ascer-
tain, came upon the scene, from their
home in the huckleberry brush near
the foot of the Blue Ridge. These
gentlemen, it seems, had come for the
purpose of Installing little life and
probably unusual enjoyment, into the
festivities, which probably at the
time of their arrival had grown
slightly tame. William, who had a
gun on his person Of about 40 calibre
with about six chambers. pretty
well filled with lead, leaped into the
center of the lot and into the midst
of the crowd, gun in hand and pro-
ceeded to flourish it, using some lam
guage not usual at lawn partie1, and
ordering the crowd to retire about
fifteen PAGES, which the crowd rather
rliedly did. He stood there point
ing the pistol in the faces of the cir
Gle that surrounded him for some
time, terrifying the women and chill
dren and to some extent unnerving
most of the men. It SO happened how
ever, that there was at least one per-
son in the crowd not entirely given
to dismay in the presence OF guns,
though no body exactly knows who
it was. This gentleman. however,
went in on Mr. Robinson in rather
rough sort of way with what is usu-
ally known as ''Dirk knife" if not
of that style, possibly of the butcher
knife order, and proceeded to carve
him up, down and across, to re-
markable degree, indeed he seems in
the use of the knife to have disem-
boweled Mr.. Robinson then and
there. Robinson fred his pistol dur
ing the melee, but the ball evidently
went toward the surrounding noun
tains, as it inflicted no injury on
those attending the lawn party. Rob-
inson cried out dnring the carving in
tones indicating great bodily suffering
and in his cries, stated that he had
been cut by one James Patterson.
This, however, ended Mr.. Robinson's
xun practice and he became very
calm and submissive, indeed quite
docile as he lay upon the ground call
ing for aid. There was no doctor
present, but DR.. Erasmus Balsley, a
veterinary surgeon, proceeded to
operate on Mr.. Robinson, and to re-
store him as nearly as possible to his
condition before he encountered the
knife of Mr.. James Patterson. or
whoever was the owner and operator
thereof. DR.. Balsley found Robinson
is desperate shape. and proceeded to
sew him up, and as soon thereafter as
could be conveniently done he was
sent to the University Hospital at
Charlottesville where he now lies in q
critical condition, with no earthly
desire to attend another lawn party
at Sherando. No arrests have been
made. because it was proven that
James Patterson, accused Of doing the
cutting. was on the outside, and not
on the inside of the circle of which
Mr.. William Robinson was the center.
There used TO be good deal of doubt
about who struck William Patterson
there is still some doubt about who
cut William Robinson. but there Ii
no doubt. that he was badly carved.