The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1915-01-07
MORGAN VALLARUBlA OF NEW
ORLEANS INSTANTLY KILLED
HERE BY MON GRANT.
Shooting a Result Of Bill Stevens At.
tempting 10 Enforce Rule 10 Make
Prisoners Who Won't Work Stand
Without Coats


Yesterday morning shot and killed by
Mon Grant, assistant guard OF the
force which works the city prisoners
TIE shooting took place in the
gravel pit on Cedar street. where the
street working force was engaged in
taking ont gravel for the street work.
A ccroner's jury which heard the
investigation conducted by Deputy
Coroner Wood referred tse shooting
to the grand jury. and ordered Grant
held, City Attorney Leo MeLaug him,
was 10 neil later IN the defense by At
torney James f. Hogue. and they
made application for bend for the de-
PENDANT, which application was heard
before Judge Scott Wood. and bail Sc:
al $4,000 GRAFT promptly made the
bend and returned to his home.
Mon Gront, who did the killing, has
been resident of this city for more
than fifty years. He is 76 years Of
age
Little is known here of the dead
man other than that last Saturday the
police picked him up for vagrancy,
and ilaat he had stated to a fellow
prisoner that he expected to receive a
letter from New Orleans soon. He
told the fellow prisoner that he had
rheumatism, and that he had formerly
worked in a bank in New orleans.
He appeared TO be about % years OF
age and was evidently of Italian
descent
The shooting by Grant was an after
math OF trouble between Bill Stevens,
the head of the ehaiagang guard, and
Vallarubia, which had its beginning
when the day before the dead man
and four other prisoners refused to
work
Stevens testified before the coro-
ner's jury yesterday that it was the
custom when men were taken ont OIL
the street gang to work. and would
not work, to stand them up at some
designated place, with ball and chain
on them Vallaubia had ball and
chain on him when he was killed.
Not only was il the custom to stand
the men who would not work in line,
DuL II N1H Aiit tNHNbAlis nc StAiu W
make them pull off their coats and be
attlred the same as the men who
were at work.
The enforcement Of this latter rule
led directly TO the tragedy
Tuesday, according to Stevens, five
men Of the force refused to work and
were stood in line Yesterday morn
ing when the gang were taken out all
but Nallarubia Went to work. The
latter had made statement that he
was unable to do that kind of work,
and Stevens told him that he had no
other kind of work for him to do.
" hen Vallarubia refused to go into
the gravel pit Stevens told Aim he
would have to take off his coat The
man wore a sort OF rain coat which
ne took off. Later Stevens came mp
to him and told him he would have to
remove the top coat
"lH be damned if i do. 1t is too
cold I win die first" is the answer
attributed 10 Vallarubia.
Stevens then went up to Vallarlba
and attempted TO unbutton the coat
and take il off Of him. and Vallarubia
resisted The men clinched, and went
10 the ground. and it is evident from
the testimony that the prisoner was
on top.
Grant came up, and taking his PTS
~ "poked the man" as he himself
testified, to make him get up, and
lateA took the pistol and struck Valla
rubia in the head. 1t seems that Val.
lagubia had dazed Stevens some, and
that Grants pistol had dazed the
prisoner. Stevens got up, and later
DE and Grant assisted Nallarubia up,
and the latter brushed Off his
clothes, and then made a swing and
knocked Stevens to the ground. He
also then struck out for Grant, and
they grappled, and after a scuffle,
Grant shot him.
Mr.. Grant states that he does not
remember shooting the man, and that
he did not Intend TO shoot him, and
that the pistol must have been fired
in the scuffle.
Il never wanted to hurt a man in
my life" said Mr.. Grant, before the
coroner's jury. Il enlisted from this
county in the civil war in 81 and if
ever killed man in my life l don't
know ii. | certainly did not want to
kill this man"
The marks on the body of the dead
man show that he received a severe
cut on the top OF the head, evidently
from a pistol, that he had blow OF
some kind on The arm and there is
large black powder burned spot just
below the heart on the lett side
which shows where the pistol ball en-
tered that killed him. lie cried, on,
and fell. without uttering any other
cutlery
Harry Grennef, who resides near
the gravel pit, was the first witness
and a valuable one He heard loud
language, and his wife told him Uncle
Rill Stevens was having trouble with
the chaing2ng men lie went to a
wiodow and looking out saw the diff