The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-07-21
SELF DEFENSE PLEA MADE FOR
MAN WHO SHOT GEORGE CONWAY

George Conway, the man who was
yesterday, lies in st. Joseph's hospi-
tai with a bullet wound through his
body. The bullet entered his back
and tore it's way entirely through
the body, and in it's course passed
through the intestines. The doctors,
yesterday afternoon, found ten per-
forations of the intestines and four
of the messentery, or membrane that
surrounds the intestines The con-
tents of the intestines had filtered
through the perforations, into the
peritoneum, and this is expected to
cause an inflammation that will re-
suit in peritonitis and death. 1t does
not seem possible that the man can
recover, and his death is expected
in a few days. He recovered con-
seriousness last evening.
Hunt for Man Unavailing.
The hunt for the man who did
the shooting has been unavailing.
Every clue has been run down, but
the man seems to have slipped
through the meshes of the net laid
for him. The officials in all of the
villages and cities around have been
notified to be on the lookout for him,
and the farmers have been notified,
and unless he has left the country
on train there is still possibility
of apprehending him.
Conway is a Scotchman, and his
pal remarked to the other wayfarers
after the shooting, at Lake Crystal,
that he was sorry the Scotchman
had been shot, for he had lot Of
money that was coming to him."
Was An Automatic Gun.
Sam Dickson, one of the men in
the box car where the shooting took
place, stated to The Free Press re-
porter that the revolver with which
the shooting was done seemed to
be a 32-calibre, as near as he could
Judge. 1t was black in color and was
an automatic, and the man who held
it fired two shots in quick succession
at Conway as the latter turned
around to beat retreat from the
car. The first shot did not strike
Conway, for he was unaffected, but
at the second shot he put his hands
to his back and groaned, but did not
stagger or fall. He was able to get
out of the car, and walk two or
three car lengths before he fell.
Shooter Is a Youth.
The man who did the shooting is
said to have been youth and some
what. smaller than Conway, The
three men who were in the box car
with him all stick up for him, al
though they claim that they never
saw him until yesterday morning.
Dixon and Wilson are pals and have
been working at times in the har-
vest field and elsewhere and beating
their way around the country, and
were in the north end of the car
together, while Robertson and the
man who did the shooting were in
the south end. They say that the
one who did the shooting was alone
when he entered the car at st.
James, the other three already being
in it. They all got along we'll to-
gether, and the man who did the
shooting, showed pleasant DISPOSE
ton, according to his companions.
Conway Was Ugly.
Dickson, Wilson and Robertson
agree that Conway showed a bullying
disposition while he was in the car,
and that after leaving it he went
back to his two pals and got one of
them and came back to the car ready
to have fight. Conway and his two
companions were preparing to build
a fire near the stockyards to cook
their dinner, and as they could find
nothing dry to burn Conway entered
the freight car and began tearing
pieces of boards from the inside of
the car, and when he pulled one off
just over the shooters head the lat
ter cautioned him to be careful or
words, and Conway dared the shooter
to get up and fight, but the chal-
lenge was not accepted. Conway then
left the car, got his big pal and
came back. and called on "the bad
guy" to come out and fight AS the
shooter did not come, he entered the
car, leaving his companion outside,
but looking in. Conway, according
to the three men in the car with
the shooter, went up to the shooter,
grabbed him by the coat collar with
one hand and slapped him hard
across the face with the other hand,
at the same time putting one foot
on his breast. At this, the shooter
got over on his left elbow and pulled
the gun from his inside coat pocket
with his right hand and pointed it at
Conway. The latter had evidently
not expected such a reception, for
he Immediately turned around to-
ward the car door, and at this in.
slant the shooter fired twice at HIM.
The point of the revolver was not
more than four or five feet from Con-
way at the time of the shooting, ac-
cording to the three witnesses.
Talk of Self-Defense.
Dickson, Wilson and Robertson