FATAL SHOOTING AFFRAY.—An affray occurred, last evening, in a billiard saloon on C street, between Deputy Marshal Jack1 Williams and Wm. Brown, which resulted in the immediate2 death of the latter. There had been some difficulty between the parties for several months.
Officer GEO. BIRDSALL, sworn, says:—I was told Wm. Brown was drunk and was looking for Jack Williams; so soon as I heard that I started for the parties to prevent a collision; went into the billiard saloon; saw Billy Brown running around, saying if anybody had anything against him to show cause; he was talking in a boisterous4 manner, and officer Perry took him to the other end of the room to talk to him; Brown came back to me; remarked to me that he thought he was as good as anybody, and knew how to take care of himself; he passed by me and went to the bar; don’t know whether he drank or not; Williams was at the end of the billiard-table, next to the stairway; Brown, after going to the bar, came back and said he was as good as any man in the world; he had then walked out to the end of the first billiard-table from the bar; I moved closer to them, supposing there would be a fight; as Brown drew his pistol I caught hold of it; he had fired one shot at Williams; don’t know the effect of it; caught hold of him with one hand, and took hold of the pistol and turned it up; think he fired once after I caught hold of the pistol; I wrenched5 the pistol from him; walked to the end of the billiard-table and told a party that I had Brown’s pistol, and to stop shooting; I think four shots were fired in all; after walking out, Mr. Foster remarked that Brown was shot dead.
Oh, there was no excitement about it—he merely “remarked” the small circumstance!
Four months later the following item appeared in the same paper (the Enterprise). In this item the name of one of the city officers above referred to (Deputy Marshal Jack Williams) occurs again:
ROBBERY AND DESPERATE AFFRAY.—On Tuesday night, a German named Charles Hurtzal, engineer in a mill at Silver City, came to this place, and visited the hurdy-gurdy house on B street. The music, dancing and Teutonic maidens6 awakened7 memories of Faderland until our German friend was carried away with rapture8. He evidently had money, and was spending if freely. Late in the evening Jack Williams and Andy Blessington invited him down stairs to take a cup of coffee. Williams proposed a game of cards and went up stairs to procure9 a deck, but not finding any returned. On the stairway he met the German, and drawing his pistol knocked him down and rifled his pockets of some seventy dollars. Hurtzal dared give no alarm, as he was told, with a pistol at his head, if he made any noise or exposed them, they would blow his brains out. So effectually was he frightened that he made no complaint, until his friends forced him. Yesterday a warrant was issued, but the culprits had disappeared.
This efficient city officer, Jack Williams, had the common reputation of being a burglar, a highwayman and a desperado. It was said that he had several times drawn10 his revolver and levied11 money contributions on citizens at dead of night in the public streets of Virginia.
Five months after the above item appeared, Williams was assassinated13 while sitting at a card table one night; a gun was thrust through the crack of the door and Williams dropped from his chair riddled14 with balls. It was said, at the time, that Williams had been for some time aware that a party of his own sort (desperadoes) had sworn away his life; and it was generally believed among the people that Williams’s friends and enemies would make the assassination15 memorable—and useful, too—by a wholesale16 destruction of each other.
It did not so happen, but still, times were not dull during the next twenty-four hours, for within that time a woman was killed by a pistol shot, a man was brained with a slung17 shot, and a man named Reeder was also disposed of permanently18. Some matters in the Enterprise account of the killing19 of Reeder are worth nothing—especially the accommodating complaisance20 of a Virginia justice of the peace. The italics in the following narrative21 are mine:
MORE CUTTING AND SHOOTING.—The devil seems to have again broken loose in our town. Pistols and guns explode and knives gleam in our streets as in early times. When there has been a long season of quiet, people are slow to wet their hands in blood; but once blood is spilled, cutting and shooting come easy. Night before last Jack Williams was assassinated, and yesterday forenoon we had more bloody22 work, growing out of the killing of Williams, and on the same street in which he met his death. It appears that Tom Reeder, a friend of Williams, and George Gumbert were talking, at the meat market of the latter, about the killing of Williams the previous night, when Reeder said it was a most cowardly act to shoot a man in such a way, giving him “no show.” Gumbert said that Williams had “as good a show as he gave Billy Brown,” meaning the man killed by Williams last March. Reeder said it was a d—-d lie, that Williams had no show at all. At this, Gumbert drew a knife and stabbed Reeder, cutting him in two places in the back. One stroke of the knife cut into the sleeve of Reeder’s coat and passed downward in a slanting23 direction through his clothing, and entered his body at the small of the back; another blow struck more squarely, and made a much more dangerous wound. Gumbert gave himself up to the officers of justice, and was shortly after discharged by Justice Atwill, on his own recognizance, to appear for trial at six o’clock in the evening. In the meantime Reeder had been taken into the office of Dr. Owens, where his wounds were properly dressed. One of his wounds was considered quite dangerous, and it was thought by many that it would prove fatal. But being considerably24 under the influence of liquor, Reeder did not feel his wounds as he otherwise would, and he got up and went into the street. He went to the meat market and renewed his quarrel with Gumbert, threatening his life. Friends tried to interfere25 to put a stop to the quarrel and get the parties away from each other. In the Fashion Saloon Reeder made threats against the life of Gumbert, saying he would kill him, and it is said that he requested the officers not to arrest Gumbert, as he intended to kill him. After these threats Gumbert went off and procured26 a double- barreled shot gun, loaded with buck-shot or revolver balls, and went after Reeder. Two or three persons were assisting him along the street, trying to get him home, and had him just in front of the store of Klopstock & Harris, when Gumbert came across toward him from the opposite side of the street with his gun. He came up within about ten or fifteen feet of Reeder, and called out to those with him to “look out! get out of the way!” and they had only time to heed27 the warning, when he fired. Reeder was at the time attempting to screen himself behind a large cask, which stood against the awning28 post of Klopstock & Harris’s store, but some of the balls took effect in the lower part of his breast, and he reeled around forward and fell in front of the cask. Gumbert then raised his gun and fired the second barrel, which missed Reeder and entered the ground. At the time that this occurred, there were a great many persons on the street in the vicinity, and a number of them called out to Gumbert, when they saw him raise his gun, to “hold on,” and “don’t shoot!” The cutting took place about ten o’clock and the shooting about twelve. After the shooting the street was instantly crowded with the inhabitants of that part of the town, some appearing much excited and laughing—declaring that it looked like the “good old times of ‘60.” Marshal Perry and officer Birdsall were near when the shooting occurred, and Gumbert was immediately arrested and his gun taken from him, when he was marched off to jail. Many persons who were attracted to the spot where this bloody work had just taken place, looked bewildered and seemed to be asking themselves what was to happen next, appearing in doubt as to whether the killing mania29 had reached its climax30, or whether we were to turn in and have a grand killing spell, shooting whoever might have given us offence. It was whispered around that it was not all over yet—five or six more were to be killed before night. Reeder was taken to the Virginia City Hotel, and doctors called in to examine his wounds. They found that two or three balls had entered his right side; one of them appeared to have passed through the substance of the lungs, while another passed into the liver. Two balls were also found to have struck one of his legs. As some of the balls struck the cask, the wounds in Reeder’s leg were probably from these, glancing downwards31, though they might have been caused by the second shot fired. After being shot, Reeder said when he got on his feet—smiling as he spoke—“It will take better shooting than that to kill me.” The doctors consider it almost impossible for him to recover, but as he has an excellent constitution he may survive, notwithstanding the number and dangerous character of the wounds he has received. The town appears to be perfectly32 quiet at present, as though the late stormy times had cleared our moral atmosphere; but who can tell in what quarter clouds are lowering or plots ripening33?
Reeder—or at least what was left of him—survived his wounds two days! Nothing was ever done with Gumbert.
Trial by jury is the palladium of our liberties. I do not know what a palladium is, having never seen a palladium, but it is a good thing no doubt at any rate. Not less than a hundred men have been murdered in Nevada—perhaps I would be within bounds if I said three hundred—and as far as I can learn, only two persons have suffered the death penalty there. However, four or five who had no money and no political influence have been punished by imprisonment—one languished34 in prison as much as eight months, I think. However, I do not desire to be extravagant—it may have been less.
However, one prophecy was verified, at any rate. It was asserted by the desperadoes that one of their brethren (Joe McGee, a special policeman) was known to be the conspirator35 chosen by lot to assassinate12 Williams; and they also asserted that doom36 had been pronounced against McGee, and that he would be assassinated in exactly the same manner that had been adopted for the destruction of Williams—a prophecy which came true a year later. After twelve months of distress37 (for McGee saw a fancied assassin in every man that approached him), he made the last of many efforts to get out of the country unwatched. He went to Carson and sat down in a saloon to wait for the stage—it would leave at four in the morning. But as the night waned38 and the crowd thinned, he grew uneasy, and told the bar-keeper that assassins were on his track. The bar-keeper told him to stay in the middle of the room, then, and not go near the door, or the window by the stove. But a fatal fascination39 seduced40 him to the neighborhood of the stove every now and then, and repeatedly the bar- keeper brought him back to the middle of the room and warned him to remain there. But he could not. At three in the morning he again returned to the stove and sat down by a stranger. Before the bar-keeper could get to him with another warning whisper, some one outside fired through the window and riddled McGee’s breast with slugs, killing him almost instantly. By the same discharge the stranger at McGee’s side also received attentions which proved fatal in the course of two or three days.
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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2
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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4
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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5
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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6
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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7
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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10
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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11
levied
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| 征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税 | |
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12
assassinate
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| vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤 | |
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13
assassinated
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| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
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14
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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15
assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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16
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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17
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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19
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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20
complaisance
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| n.彬彬有礼，殷勤，柔顺 | |
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21
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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22
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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23
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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24
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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25
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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26
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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27
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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28
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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29
mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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30
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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31
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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32
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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33
ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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34
languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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35
conspirator
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| n.阴谋者，谋叛者 | |
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36
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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37
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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38
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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39
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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40
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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