Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1920-09-18
PRISONER KILLED
IN COURT HOUSE,;
AGED MAN IS HELD
J. O.. PIERCE. BEING iihiD ~
STATt TORY CHARGE. SHOT
~ GILBERT
FOUR SHOTS ENTER BODY
Descendant bring Carried 10 DisiriCl
Court Room For IIabcaS
Corpus Hearing at
Time

Janlrs Louis Pierce, ~. bring
Ite.d on u statutory charge against
the ls.ycar-old daughter oi Il. !.
tsilbert. was shot aud Instantly
Killed ri i.3O O'rlock yesterday ait.
ernoon, In the lobby oi the court
Iou,e, while in the cusiody of
deputy sheriff. who was taking him
io the district court room. where
hahras corpus proceedings were o.
he heard. Four shots were ilred
into thr body 0i pirrcr frOm behind
by lsilberi, according 60 Statements
oi eyewiinesses.
-Four liulirts Enter bOd,
One bullet came out above the
l-ii hip. another above the right
uipple, and two under the lett
shoulder blade. AN examination by
physicians showed.
The shooting grew out Of q com
plant rnarsi.g q statutory oiten>r
having been filed by Gilbert against
Pierce early Sunda, morning With
sheriff BuIton Roach. Pierce Was
then arrested aud PLACED In jail.
Deputy Sheriff 7. .. cobb entered
the court house lobby through the
south entrance. and had turned To the
lett. preparatory tu going up th- ilighi
uf stairs with the prisoner tu the dis
trict court roam tor the proceedings
before Judge Henry :. Bishop.
Followed Prisoner
Cobb stopped a moment Ia Cunicr
with District Attorney T.. i. Miller
Gilbert was sitting ON "A bench Ia the
south entrance hall, and he followed
Cobb and Pierce. As Cobb started 10
talk to Miller. Gilbert stepped to the
left of him and began firing at Pierce,
u Is said.
The court house lobby was well filled
with pcrsuns including Less Whitaker,
W. n. CaildcTs. l.. NJ. Pittman. A. NJ.
Mund, J. %. Gulcke, &. u. Gustavus,
and others. The shots were fired to
ward the west part OF the court house,
Pierce b,.ing Just In front of the en-
trance tu Tax Assessor Whitaker's 81
fire. \ large pool Il blood formed on
the fluur there from the wounds of
Fierce
lilies in Fathers Arms
T. !. pirrrv. the father. was on tho
s.,Y,nd fluur. IN thu district court room.
awaiting the beginning of thu hearing.
~ soon as he heard the shots. he
rtish,N downstairs and his son expired
in his arms The killing unncrved the
father ~ much that he asked officers
tn take him to his home AT sol Houston
street. while the body was carried a.
the murguc uf the Griggs tndcriakin;
company.
Seeing that Young Pierce hal been
killcSl. 4 p,puty sheriff Culih to1k Gii
bert In custody. and immediately tod.
him tu tail
\ r,wd of '~Vcral hundrrl p'rsuus
eath-r'.l around the court h"us" hV
the time the body VAS carried iu tho
unicruk"is
iugtic" uf the Peace Airhcar'. - cor.
un"r. viewed the hplv. and announce
that an inquest by jury would hc held
~ . u'clITk this morning.
Relative at Pierce wcr" prusiraic'l
over the shuu,ing last night IN addi
ti"n iu his father and mother. hc u
sur, i,sd bv three hruthrrs and fouI
firters. all II Amarillo They are l..
NJ. Mil1gr and Jrff Pierre: oh Nav,
N.lmar. i.urcnc and Roe Grace Pierce
Mnlag" rirr~, .s IN Hobart. Okh. for
few l',s. and messages were sut u
him =" inform him ~ the shooting.
Relatives had M ilca last night ~
tu what funeral arrangements would
q" u,pls