Clark County Clipper, March 11, 1898
A Shooting Scrape.
A rather serious shooting affray took place on the street of our city
yesterday in which James Murphy and S. P. Mitchell were wounded. Murphy was
shot in the right leg just above the knee and also received a flesh wound across
the abdomen. Mitchell received a flesh wound in the left forearm and a shot
through the upper part of the ear. Every one will sympathize with Mr. Murphy,
as he was the messenger of peace, and was endeavoring to reconcile the
assailants when shot.
On Tuesday evening Henry Montgomery came up from Englewood on business and
during the evening stepped into Mayse Bros. store, when Mitchell met him and
began talking about a business matter which brought on hot words and resulted in
blows. Mitchell inflicting a rather ugly wound near Montgomery's eye.
Montgomery swore vengeance and returned yesterday, and as usual, soon the air
was full of all kinds of talk which was carried back and forth to the parties.
About dusk Mitchell was standing in front of Mayse's store when Montgomery
passed along and stopped in the next stairway north where Murphy and others were
trying to effect a reconciliation when Mitchell suddenly walked up and the
shooting commenced with above results. The question of who fired first, as
usual seems to be in doubt.
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Clark County Clipper, March 25, 1898
James Murphy Dead.
We announced last week that a telegram had been received on Thursday
by parties here, stating that James Murphy, who was wounded in the battle
between Montgomery and Mitchell on the 10th. inst., had died at the hospital in
Wichita on that date. The report was true and the lifeless body of James A.
Murphy was brought in on the Friday evening train and borne by sympathetic
friends to the family residence to await interment. The body was kept in state
until Sunday morning when it was conveyed to the M. E. church and Rev. Mr. Bess
preached a funeral sermon to the largest crowd assembled at the church for many
months. The address was certainly a model under the circumstances. Whilst it
was a touching tribute to the godly, an eloquent admonition to all, yet it was
devoid of anything touching on the misfortune that lead up to the demise of the
subject.
After services the body was conveyed to the "silent city" on the hill and laid
to its eternal rest while the loving ones poured but their sorrow in tears above
it.
From what we can learn it seems that after arriving at the hospital the surgeons
obtained permission from the deceased to administer an anesthetic and probe for
the shot. In probing for the shot the main artery was fractured and amputation
above the knee was made. The patients awoke from the anesthetic sleep
apparently in good condition, when soon he was apprised of the amputation and
turning his face out he was a corpse in a few minutes.
The community sympathizes with the bereaved ones and especially with the wife
and four little ones.
Contributed by ~Shirley Brier~ October 3, 2005.
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