Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1922-03-02
TWO KILLED, THREE WOUNDED
IN GUN FIGHT At M|zE
Warren Ashley and Walter Sullivan Die; Mrs.
Ashley, Town Marshal Lack, and Dolphus
YelvertOn Shot in Gun Battle Following
Basketball Game i'm Smith County.

jackson, Miss, Feb. 25.-Two mer
are dead and one man and one woman
and boy wounded as result of a
gun fight which came at the end of a
basketball game in Mize, Smith county,
yesterday afternoon. The dead are
Warren Ashley, 35 year old citizen of
Mize, and Walter Sullivan, 80 years
old, farmer residing near Mize. The
wounded are Town Marshal Albert
Lack, Mrs. Warren Ashley, vile of one
of the dead men, and Dolphus Ielver-
ton, Is year old school boy. The boy
was shot in the chest. He was taken
to Laurel hospital in very critical
condition. The man and the woman
were not dangerously hurt, it was be-
lieved.
Ashley entered the baseball court
when the referee called the game be-
cause of an alteration over a point
of play. Marshal Lack had ordered
that no one come on the court and un-
dertook to remove Ashley VINO drew
his pistol and began firing at the Of
fcer. Lack returned the fire with his
pistol and both men emptied the cy-
linders of their revolvers. Ashley
died in three minutes, shot in many
places. At the same moment Walter
Sullivan was found dead nearly 70
yards away, having been killed by a
stray shot from one of the weapons
firing. Lack received wounds in the
leg and side which were not consider
ed dangerous.
Mrs. Ashley was with her husband
an dwas wounded in the leg. None of
the killed or wounded were concerned
in the game except as witnesses.
Ashley is reported to have been
drinking and wild with blind-tiger
whiskey. 1t was asserted that he was
betting on the game. His wife clung
to him, it is said, trying to keep him
out of trouble. Ashley has been re-
garded as a dangerous man when
drinking.
The game was played between the
team of Smith County Agricultural
High School, located at Mize, and the
visitors from Magee High school. A
suuabble arose over a technlcallty,
which occurred when the Magee team
was leading. This alteration caused
the calling of the game BY the ref
cree but there was no sign OF vlo-
lence among players or officials OF the
game.
AS the players and spectators, num-
bering 800 were leaving the court
Ashley resisted the efforts of the
marshal to keep him off the court and
drew his revolver. Judge Hughes, of
the circuit court, of Smith county, was
one of the spectators and being nearby
seized Ashley in an effort to disarm
him. He was unable to prevent him
from firing every bullet in his revolv-
er Ashley was a vigorous man
weighing ITO pounds; the judge IS IS
about the same size but IS perhaps oo
years old.
Dolphus Yelverton, who received a
chance bullet in the chest. was pupil
of the Taylorville school. He had
come to Mize on visit to relatives
and attend the basketball game In the
afternoon. He is a cousin of Misses
Sallie E. and Bernice Yelverton of this
city. Dolphus was thought to be in a
very critical condition at the hospital
in Laurel last night.
The principals of the two schools
were present at the game and the
tragedy. They are Prof. S. II. Nc
Donneil. of the Mize school, and Prof.
G.. C. Hamilton, of the Magee schooi.
These gentlemen with the students
and athletes of the school were pro-
foundly shocked and concerned over
the terrible event. The Magee team
returned to their home town at once
without changing their playing UNI
form for civilian wear.
Mize, the scene of the. tragedy, is
a small town in the southwest corner
of Smith county, on the Laurel branch
of the Gulf & Ship Island railroad, 20
miles south of Jackson. Magee is a
town of similar size, just across the