St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-01-01
A BLOODY CHRISTMAS
NIGHT VAS THIS one
Two Men Klll Each ether in AraudylIIs...Ons
Killed ana Ons Wounded In PaIRsiis.
The RESULT OF TATTLERS
Caused 0as Of iha Blaodisst ana Flsrasst
HaRd-ta-Hand Encounters in
annals Of ihs Parish.

/ Wade Higginbotham, ward con
stable of the Arnaudville ward, and
0zeme Roy, a saloon-keeper, shot
each other to death in a desperate
| hand -to-hand encounter in the lat
ter's saloon, on the st. Martin side
of Arnaudville, at eight o'clock Christ
mas night.
In another affray near Palmetto,
this parish, Charley Carroll was killed
BY Ernest Soileau, the latter the
ward constable of that ward.
The Arnaudville affray was as fierce
as it was fatal. The men stood at
arms length and poured lead into
each other. and when Roy had emptied
his pistol, and after having been shot
through the heart, be felIed his adj
versary with the butt end Of his
weapon, and bent over the prostrate
man and beat his head into pulp.
He then started for the home Of his
brother-in-laW, remarking that he did
not believe he was fatally shot. In
ascending the steps, he fell on the
gallery a dead man.
Higginbotham, with two fatal bull
let wounds and crushed skull, lived
but few minutes after the occur
renee.
And this tragedy was caused by
either tale-bearers or liars.
It appears that Notwithstanding
there had been bad-blood between
Higginbotham and Roy, they had
made friends, and seemingly bore no
animosity towards each other. Two
men, who, it appears, had had some
difficulty with Roy that day, knowing
the feeling that had at one time ex-
listed between Roy and Higginbotham,
met the latter on the streets and
told him that Roy was in his saloon
cursing him (Higginbothan). Arming
himself, Higginbotham proceeded to
the saloon. He took a drink at Roy's
bar, and afterwards asked for Roy.
remarking that he had been told that
Roy was cursing him that day. When
Roy, who was in an adjoining room,
heard this, he came to the door and
told Higginbotham that bis informa-
tiOn was wrong, that he had said
nothing about him. Higginbotham
advanced to Roy, and telling him he
was liar, slapped him. Both men
drew and shot until their ammunition
was exhausted. Roy was shot through
the heart and in the abdomen. Hig-
ginbotham was shot three times
through the abdomen.
The tale-bearers are in Jail in st.
Martin, charged with accessory be-
fore the fact to murder. They were
denied bail.
Both dead men leave large families.
THE PALMETTO AFFAIR.
The shooting at Palmetto, in which
Charley Carroll lost his life and John
McGee was wounded, is shrouded in
considerable mysterey, and it will
take the trial to throw light on the
matter.
It is, however, the result Of an old
feud. McGee was party to a royal
battle pulled off at Palmetto some
years ago, in which three men were
killed, among the killed being Tom
Carroll, a brother of Charley Carroll. |
and Ferges Soileau, a brother to the
man who killed Charley Carroll Christ /
mas nigh.
The best information that can be
obtained of this last affair, is that
Charley Carroll attended a ball at
McGee's house, a few miles from Pal
metto. Trouble arose between him
and MeCee, in which McGee struck
Carroll with stick. Carroll went
home and got his shotgun and return
ed and shot MCGEE. Earnest Soileau.
q brother-in-law of MCGEE, who is
ward constable Of that ward, claims
that he tried to arrest Carroll and
that he had to shoot. Carroll was
shot some distance from McGee's
house.