Dallas News, 5 May
1904 Page 7
Two men killed in difficulty
with patrolman and deputy sherriffs.
Both victims left families
officers involved admitted
to bail, many mortal wounds-bystander was injured.
Special to the News;
Sherman, Tex. ,May 4 - A double killing
occurred at John Stevenson's place of business
here, known as the Frisco, this afternoon about 2:30. The fusillade of
which the tragedy was the result were John Stevenson, proprietor of the
Frisco, and M.R. White, a bartender, Patrolman
Bob Parsons, Deputy Sheriffs, Dee
Burris and Oscar Kirk. Stevenson and
white were almost instantly killed. Neither of the officers was hurt.
During the exchange of shots, which
were fast and continuous, a young man, Fletcher Harrison, an employee of
the Van Noys News Company, was accidentally shot in the left cheek. The
wound, while painful, is not serious, and was given prompt surgical attention.
Harrison's home is in Fort Worth and this is his first trip on the Sherman
division.
White fell and expired on the Avenue
K side of the building, and Stevenson died on the sidewalk immediately
in front of the Mulberry street entrance.
A large crowd gathered in a short while
and it was impossible to find an eyewitness to all the tragedy outside
of the participants, but from the best information obtainable from reliable
sources the affair began and ended as follows;
Deputy Sheriffs Dee Burris and Oscar
Kirk went to Stephenson's place with twenty warrants for the arrest of
two negro men, charging them with violation of the local option law. The
officers failed to find them there and were just about to leave, when Stevenson
came in from a side room and accosted Burris and it is stated, displayed
a knife. Deputy Kirk stepped between the men, and later on Patrolman Parsons,
who was with the deputies, intervened with the remark, "We did not come
down here for trouble, let's go."It is stated that the three officers then
walked out on the sidewalk on the Mulberry Street side and Stevenson followed
them to the door.
Eyewitnesses say he had his hand on
his pistol and was making a demonstration with it at Parsons and Burris
when the shooting began. Two shots were fired almost simultaneously, the
shooting became general and Stevenson sank down.
Just about this juncture, or just before
Stevenson fell, White emerged from the Avenue K entrance and, it is stated
by eyewitnesses, fired in the direction of the officers, who returned the
fire, and White retreated, but after taking a few steps fell and expired
almost immediately.
Immediately after the shooting the
officers engaged in the affair went to the Sherriff's officed, stated the
occurrence and surrendered to Sheriff Russell. They did not enter into
any detailed statement of the affair, but their versions of it in no particular
varies from the general trend of the statements of other eyewitnesses to
parts of the occurrence.
Both dead men have leved here several
years. White was for some time proprietor of a liquor house here, but had
been, up to the time local option went into effect, employed as a bartender
at several places. He is a married man and leaves a wife and a family of
small children.
Stephenson who is also married, has
spent nearly all of his life in the county. He has been engaged in the
liquor business at various times and places, and was at one time a peace
officers at Van Alstyne.
The bodies of the dead men were taken
to morgues and later on to their respective residences.
Justice of the Peace Towers, acting
for Coroner Reece viewed the bodies, but has not gone into the investigation
of causes and circumstances of the tragedy.
Officers Parsons, Burris and Kirk all
made their appearance before Justice Towers, waived examination and were
admitted to bail in the sum of $3000. each, said amount being agreed upon
by counsel for State and defence.
A numer of prominent citizens made
voluntary appearance in the court room and signed appearance bonds.
Tonight it was state at the Frisco
Bar that the officers did not call for the negroes from whom there were
warrants charging violation of the local option law. The officers on this
point in their statement say they failed to find the negroes there when
they went to the Frisco Bar to look for them. Subsequently both negroes,
Jim Saull and Hardjoe
McKinney, were found and placed in jail.
The wounds upon the bodies of the dead
men were all of a mortal nature and were as follows;
On Stevenson, one entering about eighth
rib on the left side, one entering about fifth rib under the heart and
the other entering about the bridge of the nose and coming out under the
left ear. Both body wounds passed entirely through.
On White, two shots entering within
an inch and a half of each other to the left of the back of the head and
boring their exit near the crown. From this would nearly all the brains
oozed. Another bullet entered the left thigh and passed directly through,
boring its exit in the right thigh. There was another bullet which entered
the left breast and ranged diagonally, coming out in the right shoulder.
The pistols of both dead men were found
near them where they fell. All the weapons used were of heavy patterns.
Fron glass and fixtures about the bar show marks from bullets. About twenty
shots were fired.
No state death certifates can be found
on these men.
Grayson
County TXGenWeb
