The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-12-12
TWO DEAD IN AWFUL TRAGEDY.

| lNO DEAD IN AWFUL | RA6EDf.
EJohn and Warren Cannon Killed II
I Shooting ARRAY at Brittany
Joe and Edward Bayham Charged
with Shocking Crime.
/ One of the bloodiest tragedies that
has stained the criminal annals o.
| Ascension parish was enacted De
tween / and 2 o'clock last Sunday
afternoon at Brittany, in the sew
enth ward, resulting in the death OF
John Cannon, aged sixty, and war:
rem Cannon, seventeen years old
/ father and son, and the serious
| Wounding of William Cannon, twenty
years of age, another son of John
Cannon Joe Bayham and his eigh,
| teen-year-oId son, Edward Bayham
are in jail here, charged with the
double killing, and Henry SeVarlo is
also held as an accessory.
While it is said there has been
bad blood between the Bayham and
Cannon families for some time, the
direct cause of the awful tragedy
was a fight between two little boys
about seven or eight years old, sons
respectively of Joe Bayham and John
Cannon, which took place Saturday
afternoon and was repeated the fol
lowing morning. In the first encoun-
ter the Bagham boy, who was fe-en-
forced by a younger brother, is re-
ported to have bested the Cannon
lad, but the latter, meeting his OPP
ponent alone Sunday morning, adj
ministered a sound thrashing to the
Bayham youth, SO the story goes.
Young Bayham told his father OF
what had happened, and the elder
Bayham and his son, Edward, arm
ing themselves with shotguns, start
ed for the home of John Cannon
early Sunday afternoon. They were
accompanied by Henry Sevario, who
also carried shotgun.
Arriving at the Cannon home, the
Bayhams called to the Cannons to
come out. accompanying the invita-
ton with a series Of vile epithets ap-
piled to the Cannon family in gen
eral. John Cannon answered the
call in person and approached the
Bayhams with a shotgun in his hand,
closely followed by. his son, Warren.
Another son, William, was some dis
lance behind. Neither of the Can
non boys was armed.
Is Walter Bodley, an old negro whose.
house is near that of John Cannon,
and who is the only living eye-Wit-
ness to the deplorable affair apart
from the principals, testified before
the coroner's jury that John Cannon
carried MS shotgun as though he
was walking up on something and
that all the men were cursing
Both Cannon and the elder Bayham
raised their guns to their shoulders
at about the same time, but Bay
ham fired first and John Cannon fell
to the ground with a load of buck
shot in his abdomen He halfway
arose and fired both barrels of his
gun at once, when Joe Bayham shot
at him again, killing him instantly.
Seeing his father fall and lay still,
Warren Cannon rushed to his rescue
and perhaps made an attempt to
secure the gun carried by. the elder
man. when he was shot down by Ed
ward Bayham. The latter fired
twice, both loads striking young
Cannon in the abdomen, causing in
slant death. Edward Bayham then
shot William Cannon, but as the
latter was somewhat farther off
than the other participants iii the
and as Bayham had used all
us backshot cartridges, Cannon was
not killed, but fell to the ground
dangerously wounded, with load
Of fine shot in his chest DR.. D.
G. Brumffeld, coroner of the parish,
who held an inquest over the bod
les of the dead men, gives it as his
opinion that while William Cannon is
seriously hurt, death will not ensue
unless complications set in.
The Bayhams, having exhausted
heir supply of cartridges, returned
o their home and later in the af-
,ernoon surrendered to Deputy Sher-
If Ed. Smith, of Gonzales, who con-
Keyed them to Burnside, where the
party was met by Sheriff b. C. Han
son. The latter brought the prison
srs to Donaldsonville and placed |
hem in jail.
Henry Sevario was arrested Tues
lay by Constable Louis Gaudin, |
charged with being an accessory to |
he crime. The evidence adduced at I
he inquest showed that young Sc
fario, before the shooting COM I
nenced, laid his weapon on the rail-
Dad track and walked few feet
way. He did not participate in the T
lctual bombardment, but was present I
turing the melee, and in view of I
he fact that he had engaged in a
PERSONAL encounter with one of the i
Cannon boys a few weeks ago and I
$ thought for that reason to have
a grudge' against the fam
~, an affidavit was sworn out charg-
ng him With being an accessory to
he killing of the Cannons. He was
'rought to Donaldsonville Tuesday
.fternoon and lodged in Jail.
At the inquest held by Coroner
5rumfield Sunday evening, it was
established by the testimony of VII.
lam Cannon and the old negro. Bod
ey, that when John Cannon came
ut of his house with shotgun.
oe Bayham placed himself behind /.
n oak tree, while Edward Bayham
ook refuge behind tool house
longside The track of the E. r. ,&
I. Railroad, which passes directly in
ront of the Cannon home. The
'ayhams did all their shooting from
a 1n1a so ~, s45s /