Year: 1879

Mr.. Samuel W. Piercy. of San Francisco. the wen
known actor, is stopping the Hoffman House in
this city. and as he was known to have been OF
the witnesses to the which followed the shoot
ing of the Rev. !. S. Kalloch bp Mr.. Charles De
Young in San Francisco, reporter of the HERALD
called upon him yesterday to get statement OF the
facts Mr.. Piercy expressed his surprise that the
fact Of his being eyewitness should have been
known to the HERALD saying that he had not talked
about what he had in Frisco lest he should be
detained there q witness in the case. and that he
desired to avoid he did not feel that he could do
any good in that capacity, and. moreover being just
married he was anxious to come East. He talked,
however, with perfect freedom, and told most in.
teresting story, which differs in important partcu.
lars from the accounts which have heretofore been
received. These accounts. he declares. were very
much exaggerated and untrue in many important
particulars.


Mr.. Piercy said he not a witness OF the actual
shooting, but was on the spot within less than .
minute after the second shot fired. He was
walking along Fifth street at the time. near Jessie
street and heard single pistol shot. This. he says
must have been the second shot that Dc Young fred
but he did hear the first one. and only knows by
hearsay that there were two. He started involun.
tarily, a man will when he hears pistol shot,
and looking around he three or four persons
running around the into Jessie street. Judg-





taken place he too, but stopped the Of
Jessie and Fifth streets, opposite the doors Of the
Temple. He went no nearer thinking that weapons
would probably be drawn, and not caring to mix in
quarrel he knew nothing about. he renamed on
the corner and all that happened afterward from
a distance of sixty seventy feet When he arrived
at the Kalloch had already inside Of his
Office in Jessie street. just off from Fifth and oppo-
site to the Temple. and De Young was inside the
coupe, that ali he could group Of six Oh
eight citizens and two policemen. The citizens
seemed to be workngmen and storekeepers who had
gathered at once, and one OF them had seized the
horses attached to the coupe and held them firmly
by the reins. that the driver was unable to urge
them on, although he piled his whip vigorously.
ner, but all that could be dlstingu uished were the
words, Hang him!' Kill him!" and they were
men were keeping them off. This continued for at
least five minutes without any result, while the
crowd grew larger minute by minute. None Of the
new comers, however, were able to learn any moro
than Mr.. Piercy had learned what the matter
really was. those who had seen too excited
"whats the matter? What's happened?" but no
one stopped to answer. To this fact. Mr. Piercy
thinks De Young his life, for, he says IL the
crowd had known the truth De Young would cer-
tainly have been killed on the spot. although the
around the coupe Mr.. Piercy declares positively
did not number more than hundred and fifty
or two hundred persons at the outside, and only
the two policemen mentioned were there in uni-
form.


POLICEMAN IN DE YouNG's coupK.


For five minutes at least the scrimmage went on
before the coupe overturned, and while it was
going man suddenly opened one OF the coupe
toned to the driver to drive ahead. This, however.
the driver unable to do although he redoubled
what was said by the man who alighted from the
coupe but he is absolutely certain from his motions
that he was trying to get the coupe away. This man
Mr. percy says he knows and he declares that he is
policeman He does not know his name. though
he knows him by sight and has frequently spoken
with him. He cannot say what his rank in the de-
partment is. but he knows that he is special police
clothes


"was he in the coupe at the time the shot was
hred?" asked the reporter.


he not he must have got in and shut the door
within ten seconds Of the time of the second shot.
for he certainly did not get in after got to the
ner. After he got ont he mingled with the crowd
and saw no moro OF him..


IN THE HANDS OF THE MOB.


''After about five minutes" he continued, "some
of the crowd took hold of the coupe and tipped Il
over rolling De Young the opposite side from
where stood first saw De Young rising from his
hands and knees. and. although knew him well by
sight. did not recognize him"


"that. although knew De Young and Kalloch both
by sight had no personal acquaintance with either
or them and that have not tine slightest prejudice
in favor of either of them. personal feel
ing one way or the othcr.


De Young rolled out Mr.. Piercy knew nothing Of
what had happened. excepting that shot had been





of the quarrel between De Young and Kalloch and
knowing where Kalloch's Office was he supposed
affray between the two men. De Young. however,
altered in appearance when he saw him arise
that he could not recognize him, and he was still
without q clew.


"How was he altcred?" asked the reporter.
by fear" said Mr. Percy. ''He had been hearing
the crowd outside for at least five minutes aud when
he thrown out he seemed paralyzed with fright.
He was the most abject looking creature ever saw
when he got up from the crowd. No other word will
IL. He perfectly abject.'
"When he got up from his hands and knees" said
| Mr.. piercy, continuing the story, 'some up
to him and struck HIM a tremendous blow in the
face. knocking him down again. He arose the second
time, and somebody else ran up to him and struck
him. and then after another struck and slapped
and kicked him. heaping every possible indignity
upon him After minute or so saw who 1t was.
and, although had most profound contempt for
him, couldn't help being struck with pity tor him
when saw how that crowd treated him. l never
expected to see him get away with his life. GER
tainly wouldn't have given hve cents for his chances
of living at that time"


"Resistancel No, he was utterly helpless, and
crouched and crnged under the blows like fright
ened dog. Even women came up and slapped hie
face, and he covered like child"


Were no weapons drawny


mot a single one OF any kind. I thought there
would be. aud for that reason stood ut some dir
tance."


''Only the two that saw at first. They got hold
of him after he had been hustled about bit. and
took him. one on each side, and dragged him OF


BLOW STRUCK YOUNG


''rhcn there was fight at all ?'


None. excepting the attack on De Young. Yes,
there was, too. One knocked down. I
think he had Just struck De Young. tried to
strike him. and big bury fellow over six feet
high. struck him a tremendous blow ana knocked
him at least twenty feet, l should think. don't
know who he was. or who knocked him down, but
that was the only show made of lighting for De
Young. After the policemen took hold of him.
while they were dragging him off, they made no
effort to save him from blows. although they had
tried to shield him before. They had all they could
do to drag him along. They took him around
through Fifth street into Market and hustled him
into another coupe and drove of at full speed. OF
course, the crowd followed him into Market street,
and then 1t grew into crowd of thousands. Up to
that time there were certainly not two hundred
persons in it,"


Mr.. Piercy then told of the subsequent excitement
substantially as ii has already been told. When
asked what the sentiment of the citizens was, ho
said. "If De Young had met kalloch openly taco to