Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1914-10-23
'HEETS' HENLEY KILLS
STRANGER N SALOON
jsssph l. Gee Of Grand Rapids, mIch.
emplsys Of Circus Advertising
Car 10 Victim Of Bartender.
BemLEv RELEASED ON sowo


| S~ooPh 10 0cc, al ctupioye Ou uO
vance advertising car No. 2 Of tn,
Barnes circus, was shot and killed
about 7:40 Thursday night by W. T
"Skeets" Henly in the Palace bal
on Silver avenue.
Gee was shot once, the ball Of q
.38 caliber revolver entering the left
side Of the neck cutting the carotid
artery. A post -mortem examination
BY DR.. 8. d. Swope at the Mahoney
undertaking rooms, where the body
was taken, showed that the bullet
was fred at close range as there were
powder stains on the flesh. Death
was not instantaneous, but the dead
man did not regain consciousness.
Justice Of the Peace C. c. Rogers
Immediately called a coroner's Jury
consisting Of DR.. M. j. Moran, Jack
Tidmors, T. J. Clark, Roy Lester,
W. W. Phillips and W. s. Clark and
an inquest as held in the Offices
Of DR.. Swope. There were several
witnesses to the shooting. The first
witness examined was Charles Schei-
digger, who testified that the dead
man with a companion was drinking
in the Palace bar and got into an
alteration with Boyd Chapman, a
local electrician and that the two men
attacked Chapman. Schsidigger sep
arated the men and shortly after.
they again attacked Chapman and
Henley separated them and ordered
the two men out Of the saloon. Schei-
digger further said that the dead
man went into a storeroom in the
rear Of the saloon and came back
with beer bottle in each hand in a
threatening manner and that Henley
picked up a revolver from behind the
bar and went toward the storeroon,.
Gee retreated into the storeroom and
stood just back Of screen door.
Henley advanced toward Gee and the
two men met and a scuffle ensued.
followed quickly by a pistol shot and
Gee fell mortally wounded.
D. 8. German, in testifying said,
II was in front Of the saloon and
heard men quarreling, when ! went
in the dead man and his partner were
ordered out by Henley, who cursed
the men and threw two whisky glass;
es at them. Gee, the dead man. went
into the rear Of the saloon and got
some bottles and came into the sa-
loon with his hands upraised as to
throw the bottles. Henley said, I'll
make him put those bottles down or
I'll kill him. He advanced toward
Gee, the two men grappled and I
heard shot and saw u man fall"
jeff Fordyce, g. c. Nunnally and
L. B. Hanson, all told Of the trouble
in the bar room but did not see the
Boyd Chapman testified that there
were two strangers in the saloon
when he went in and the smaller Of
the two was rather drunk, but that
the larger one, Gee. who was killed,
was not so drunk and seemed to
know what he was doing. "They both
jumped on me and commenced to beat
me up," said Chapman, "when Schei-
digger took them of. Henley order
ed them out and when Gee came in
with bottles in his hands, Henley
started after Gee and l heard the
shot fred"
Deputy Sheriff John T. Kelly said
before the coroner, ~ was standing
In front Of the hotel and someone told
me that there was trouble in the Pal
ace saloon, went up to the front
Of the saloon and looking in the win
dow, saw Henley 20 toward the rear
and heard shot fred just as l was
entering saloon"
Up to this time there was no infor-
nation as to tie idsatity Of the dead
man with the exception Of letters
Found on his body. A. J. Hotchkiss
was called and be testified that Gee
was employed as small bill circulator
and porter on one Of the advance ad-
vertising cars Of the Barnes circus
which is to show here the 29th Of
October. Hotchkiss said that Gee had
joined the working force Of the cir
rus at Grand Rapids, Mich, some
months ago.
The companion Of Gee. who was
drinking in the saloon with him, is
known as Teddy Miner. He was
taken to jail and was not brought
before the coroner's iurv IN testify.