The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-02-23
Henry Cornett Stays Faunt DOwney,
His Brother-in-Law, al Verden
-Bystander is Injured
by Bullet
REMARK ON LAND DEAL
HEARD BEFORE SHOOTING
Fatal Feud May Date Back Several
Years Three Bullets Enter
the Victim Both Parties
Respected Farmers

Details Of the killing of Fauat Dow.
ney al velden Saturday afternoon by
his hrother-in-law. Henry comett,
abont 8 o'clock are as yet very meagre.
aud practically the only facts known
are chose actually connected with the
tfagedy at the immediate moment
The homicide occurred in front Of
The Ellis grocery store. where Henry
cornett accompanied by his brother,
I'd met Downey and short argument
ensaei, Immediately following which
three shots were fired. resulting in the
death OF Downey.
The usual gathering Of farmers in
Nerden on Saturday evening had be-
qua to disband. the farmers. with their
families, departing for their respective
homes, owing TO which fact. only
there we're a few eye-wi,nesses to the
Milling despite the fact that the loca.
tion was in the heart OF the Verden
business district.
The facts leading up TO the shoot
ing. win be brought out only at the
,rlal and Il Is expected that the origin
Of il will date back several years. This
conclusion IS drawn from scrap Of
oclyersation that passed between the
men just an Instant before the first
shot was fired. 70 was relative TO
land deal in which Cornett had sold
farm TO Downey some time ago
Corneti's statement TO Sheriff John
g. Lewis was that when he fired the
first shot. Downey was. holding to the
barrel Of the gun The bullet entered
the head and plowed It's way uader the
fcaip. Cornett further stated that he
then jerked the gun free from Dow
ncys grasp. ana fired the two remain.
Ina shots. one taking effect in the
body. just below the right nipple aaa
uaklng an exit al the back just below
the ieft shoulder blade. and the other
taking effect in the arm. The ball pass.
ins through the bc5y was fatal. The
sun used was a - Calts. double action
special.
That the Cornett brothers were ex-
psctng trouble with Downey was eyi-
dent from the result Of later investiga
ticns. Il was learned that Saturday
afternoon they called upon Jim Candy
IA restaurant man. and asked him if he
had gotten a gun away from Downey
Candy told them that he had Downeys
gun in his possession and they told
him not 20 return t.
A later statement 70 John Lewis by
Hcary Cornett was 10 the effect that
Immediately preceding the shooting he
had seen Downey come out Of the rest
aurant, and he thought he had gotten
his gun from Candy. and was armed
when the quarrel at the grocery store
started
Whether three or four shots were
fired is not positively known. Some OF
the eye-witnesses thought there were
three and some four Some Of them
say If there were four. two Of them
we're simultaneous. This is thought
to be further substantiated by a bullet
wound in the leg OF c. A. Hullet, by
stander. who later found the ball in
his boot. It had penetrated the fleshy
part Of the leg. and had worked down
to the bottom of his boot. A rumor.
though not confirmed as yet. is to the
effect that this ball was OF a different
size from that used in the gun Of
Henry Cornett. that Il is a steel jacket
ball, while.those used in Cornett's gun
we're lead. If this is true. oDvioasiy
some one other than Henry Cornett
had unlimbered his artillery.
It is stated further that Ed cornett
was standing by the side, or near his
brother, holding a gun in his hands
while the shooting was in progress
and that he ED was the first man ar
rested by the town marshal, but wheth
er or not Ed had anything to do with
The actual shooting is not known at