St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-09-03
Shooting Done by Joseph
Rias, a Spaniard.
Was the Renewal of an
Old Quarrel i'm Saloon.
Woman i'm the Case Was a
Cook for RiaS.

was last night shot twice in the body
one shot passing through the righ,
| lung, while the other evidently
struck the kidneys, while his brother
John, saloon-keeper OK St. Ann anl
| Decatur street, was wounded in the
| rieht chest.
Joseph Rias, a supposed Spaniard
| of 1923 Royal street, is being hunt.
ed for the tragedy, which is said tc
have been caused by woman
While the name of Joseph Virgets
wife figures in the matter, the
wounded husband says little or moth
Ing, and it will be some little while
before all the facts are clearly devel-
oped. However, Rias and John Vir-
gets have clashed several times, and
only few days back the men had
battered away at each other on Madi-
son and Decatur streets.
Last night Rias, with Valentine
Manson, of 517 Dumaine, picked up
one of Cookies taxicabs ON Contf and
Marais, and asked Chauffeur Gum
to drive them about. They went in
to several saloons and then gave the
order to 60 to the French Market.
They wanted to call at Hindelwood' s
saloon on Madison and Decatur
streets, and it happened that at the
time, little after 10 O'Clock. the
Virgets brothers were at the bar TAX
ing drink and playing little game
with two friends for the liquor. Just
how the trouble started in that place
is hard to say, Manson tells one
story, while the brothers give an
other, and the saloon keeper happen
ed to be chopping ice at the moment
and was unable to see what had oc-
Cured.
John Virgets declared that Rias
pushed up against him and he re-
sented that, and as a result there
was a clash. Manson holds differ
emily and remarked that John Vir-
vets shot out his fist without warning
and struck Rias full in the face and
then the men locked in struggle,
and he put his hand between them
and declared that he and Rias had
not called at the place for a fight
The struggle was brief, and it soon
had the two combatants on the Deca-
tur street sidewalk. There Paul Vir-
gets got mixed up in the row, and
Mansions says that he was hit by the
smaller of the brothers, who seemed
to get the worst of the whole affair,
being seriously wounded when the
pistol was brought into play.
"That fellow Rias," remarked
wound in the right chest-a super
fetal hurt-"ran away after the tilt
in the saloon. He could not have
gone lone, for he came back and be-
gan shooting. My brother was
peacemaker, and had had no trouble
with Rias. Myself and my brother
were not on the best of terms lately,
but we got together. Oh, no, our
difference was nothing serious-a
little business affair. Rias and my
self have had the trouble. 1t was
business affairs with him. He kept
saloon not far from the place l
keep. 1t seemed that every time we
met there was trouble, and Rias al
ways started it.
AS for Paul he would give little
or any story. He was asked over
and again how the trouble began,
and what part he played in it. Final
ly, when Chief of Detectives Rey-
nolds and Special Cane, of the Dis
trict Attorne':; office, spoke to him,
he said that the trouble was between
his brother and Rias. Just what 1t
was he would not say. They tried
to get an ante-mortem statement
from him, but Paul said that he
thought that he would survive, and
left it for his brother to tell every
thing
When the word was given to the
police that there was shooting on
Madison and Decatur streets, Serge
ant Conrad and Corporal Trenchard,
of the Jackson Square Station, with
force of men, rushed to the scene,
and were soon followed by Captain
Boyle and Sergeant Anderson, of the
Saratoga Street Station.
The taxicab driven by Gum re-
NAMED in front of the place. Soon
all the witnesses were had, but Rias
was gone. Some say he ran down
Decatur street.
From the Rias party it was said
that the Virgets brothers began the
trouble, and even called out to them
before the taxicab stopped in front
of the place.
we ulu Hot huo" tHey were
around" said John Virgets, until I
heard Rias say something in Spanish.
He hardly finished the remark he
made in his language when he and
his friends entered the saloon where
we were. Then he showed up against
me, and that Is just how things start
ed"
They said that Mrs. John Virgets
was the divorced wife of Rias, and
the story went around that the
trouble was about her. They gave