The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-05-13
DEACON CALLAHAN DIES
/ Of ASSASS|N'S WOUND
Famous Kentucky Gun Man
Tells Family Who He Thinks
Fired Fatal Shot.
KILLINGS LIKELY TO GO on
Final Obituary Of Man Who Be-
gan Being Fatally Wounded
Way Back in 1897.

lEAINUTON. ny, May '-Lu NaIhnuu
who was shot last Thursday morning while
In his store at Crockettsville. died Of his
wounds last night at the Witherspoon
Hospital at Buckhorn. in Breathitt county.
Callahan was shot through the left lung
and at first it was thought that he would
recover. The ba II passed entirely through
his body and tho wound drained we'll
On Friday pneumonia set in and he
grew rapidly worse. The famous feudist
made his will and gave a statement Of
his belief as to the identity of his assassins
10 the members of his family gathered
about him The names he divulged to
them. however. are kept secret.
A year ago last July Callahan was shot
In similar manner. That time he was
about to unlock his store door when a
volley from the hillside across the branch
felled him to the ground. This last time
the assassins fired through a window as
Callahan stood reading letter.
Bloodhounds failed to find the assassins
although they were traied for several
miles. Detective Mulliken. who con-
Quoted the man hunt. says he is positive
that three men shot at Callahan and Mrs.
Wilson Callahan. daughter-in law OF the
dead feudist. says several shots were
fired and that she emptied revolver in
the direction of the reports "a soon as
she could get to the door.
This is an obituary that has been writ
ten many. many times.
Deacon Ed Callahan, sometime Sheriff
Of -bloody Breathitt. child of the feud
and first class fighting man. began TO be
ofatall. xrn,,nlnI- hapl. ,p
times since then he has been shot down
and left for dead Three times he re-
covered to prove himself very much alive
He had faced juries five times charged
with murder. to leave the court room free.
He was farm owner. store keeper and
church deacon. and if we are to believe
that which is written he first saw the
light of day in qlnet side street in of
all places in the world for such one to
be born Philadelphia.
mir. Edward Callahan" as the papers
of 1897 called him. first came to the effetey
delighted attention of the East in a little
affair near Ameca. Mexico. Mr.. Callahan
was referred to az a millionaire mine
owner and the tale runs to the effect
that he and his partner were on their
way TO their Ameca mine with the payroll
and found bandits in the path. After re-
ceiving twenty knife wounds" saws the
correspondent. MIR. Callahan fell across
the wagon seat weak from loss OF blood
Lying there helpless. he witnessed a ter.
rible sight" Ii was the stabbing to
death Of his partner that he saw, the
stabbing by dirked bandits. who left
Mr.. Callahan to die after emptying their
revolvers into him. But without effect, /"
ns the despatch of tina. oatc reads lacon-
ically
IL you turn over what has since been
written of the high adventures Of the
deacon the similarity of the style Of the
chroniclers of Mr. Galatians" maiden
imbrogho with that of his later historians
will leave little doubt in your mind az
to who "Mr Callahan" really was
In Breathitt county. Ky. the old timer
links as Damon and Pythias the name
of Deacon Callahan with that Of Judge
James Hargis. Tall, mild eyed and de-
liberate. with a dropping mustache and
the slouch hat of the country, Judge
Hargis lorded il over all Breathitt with
quiet voice and steady trigger finger.
and where he rode there AT his side was
the deacon. Hargis came to his power
az Democratic boss. He had little
store in jackson where he waxed pecu-
lisrly fat. as did Lieut. Callahan. The
Hargises began their feud after the war
In bloody origins now unknown and their
secret slayings and being slain did not
become the property Of the country AT
large until DR.. b. ID. Cox, a matter of
fact. heroic little man. came tragically
into the Cockril-Hargis feud as guardian
OF one of the Cockril children left father
less by the feud. There came to him
many times those who told him that il
would be best to leave jackson and the
range Of the Hargis rife. but the doctor
would wipe his eyeglasses look shyly
up and reckon that he would stay where
he was. He was shot in the back on the
street coming from visit to sick man
Hargis was brought to trial and four
years later was acquitted. Lawyer James
b. Marcum had brought about action
TO prosecute the Judge and the deacon
for the killing Of the physician.
In May 1903 Marcum was killed by
some one who fred from a window OF the
jackson Court House. As the lawyer lay
with his head in his wifes lap Deacon
Callahan loped across the street and
Stot" VII VIC etoop VI tnc SOuTJ HOUSE
with his gun in the CROOK OF his arm. He
closed and locked all the Court House
doors, and SO great was the fear of the
man that no one dared 60 after tho as
sassin inside. 9At night they smuggled the
killer away.
Three men had seen the assassin and
knew that he was Curt Jett. a henchman
of the Judge and the churchman. Curt
camc back three days later to shoot down
Jim Cockrill, who had reck oned that he
would hev to take a hand" Jett is serv :
ing "A life term in the State I,enitenti iary.
both Hargis and Callahan were tried for
the murder of the lawyer and both got
of. The trial took place in out OF the way
Sandy Hook. The Judge and jurymen
from the open Court House window look ed
out upon road patrolled by armed
friends of the two prisoners
In 1906 after his last trial Judge Harpis
let it be known that he had retired to breed
horses. Tho deacon tended to his store.
his lumber cutting and his church n work
ON February g. 1908. the Judge was shot
down and Killed by his drunken son in
MS own store, Mrs. Hargis Immediately
sat down and wrote this telegram to al,
undert aking firm:
Express to-day casket selected by
Judge Hargis. as he is dead"
In the spring of that year the deacon
was standing behind hia counter when
his brother in law, John Spicer. came in
with knife The Deacon clambercd
oyer the counter 10 get az his relative =
throat Wilson Callahan thu naacnn =,