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tfuamutectl to Give HnfiiifartioiiytrCAUi OTRteaTHE CLISViAX.SAMUEL STEWART SHOT DEADBY ALEXANDERKEYES.A Terrible Termination of a Long Series of Social Out-r- r' ' ‘rages.SIKH KING OHSEKVATION OF THE SABBATH HAYA Day of Great Excitement in tho Pleasant Fountain City.PartlruUrsef the Terrible Crime And h lVnrll Sketch of the Participants*VOL. XXXV.t'lfon Ur;p. Will 1m* Atip.IpiI l(»ln To nod f’onfronl ’loro I'onHlfp F.fl*itnic,About five o'clock on Hu no ay evening our city wan startled by the new# ofthe murder of Samuel H. Stewart by Alex It eyes, at Flora, and the Information was noon sustained by the appearance in town of Countable Ferguson with both Alex and his father,Cleon, In custody, whom he immediately turned over to the Sheriff.The particulars of the case are substantially and briefly as follows: Siuce the marriage of Alex Keyes to Stewart’s daughter, the latter gentleman had on several occasions made efforts to have the parties live together. To this Keyes steadily refused to agree, and on Sunday afternoon, Stewart and Keyes met near Trick’s restaurant and had some words over the subject and Keyes left highly enraged. He went at once to the residence of bis father, Cleon Keyes, remarking to an acquaintance that he would get his father to stand byhim. In a few minutes, the Keyes, father ami son, returned, and the former, on approaching Stewart, who was Hitting in a ehuir, said: “ What in the trouble lutween you and A lex T* To this Stewart replied “that there was nothing particular in the matter, but if I»« (Keyes) wanted to take Alex's part, lie (Stcwait) was ready for them. Keyes responded that lit* didn't come to flglit, but he was not afraid of 8t«w-art. Stewart made some remarks whenAlex Keyes called him a d— liar, and Stewart said for him not to coll him such a name. Alex Keyes repeated bis remark with emphasis, calling Stewart a O — d— liur, Stewart then rose up and taking the chair on which he had been sitting, undertook to strike Alex, but the chair fell to pieces and it is a matter of guess work whether he was struck by the chair or not. At this Juncture the senior Keyes struck Stewart and made an effort to repeat it when the Jut ter turned in defense, and as he turned, tho younger Ktyes fired the fatnl shot, the ball striking Stewart near the heart, penetrating that organ and causing death almost instantly. AmStewart fell, Ed. Bowera caught him, laid him out upon the porch in front of tho restaurant and be expired immediately without uttering a word furtherthan the exclamation : “I am shot!’'The tragedy took place between three and four o’clock ou Sunday afternoon and in thopreaeiioe of perhaps a dozen men none of whom expected or were able to prevent the terrible calamity.Immediately after shooting, both thecourse of people lined tho Hidewalk aud filled the Court Houm yard, acuated by a morbid curiosity and a desire to obtain a look at tlu* prisoners. They were in charge of Sheriff Karlin and City Marshal Hteelo and as they entered the court room they were followed by the curious crowd and in a few minutes the spacious room was filled to suffocation and quite a number of ladies were observable. The eider Keyes looked pale and troubled, and the deep wrinkles on bis brow aud tlie painful gleam In his eyes told plainly that the desperate straits Into which his incorrigible son had Mr him were proving a burden not easily borne. Alex bore the same determined, devil-may-care look which has always characterised him and there cam© from his eyes a fieroe glare of Indifference and defiance, while a sullen and obstinate expression gathered over his countenance, and he poetivcly seemed to enjoy the notoriety his shocking crime had produced. The witnesses were called In a body, sworn, or affirmed, and dismissed from the room with tho Injunction from Esquire Leonard not to leave tho Court House yard. After some preliminary wrangling among the attorneys they pronounced themselves ready to proceed and the first witness was called..fOSTAIf woon.I itto In Flora and am acquainted with the defendant*, Alex Keyes and Cleon Kefs; I w»* sitting fifteen or twenty feet from the scene of the tragedy when I heard some loud and angry eonvor-xttUou ui Trick’* rcatauraat between Stewart and Cleon Keyes; the first of the converaaUon I didn’t understand aa I did not pay much attention to It; I didn't see Alex at that time; heard Stewart tell Reyea he had come there to take Alex'a part, that I hod stood all that I ran stand, hut if you want to fight 1 ran whip you. They were at the northeast corner of Frank Trick’* rewrruranl on the corner of Main and--street*; Keyes *ald thatlotha told fi there were and i! and h n canto thlt;rep! 11 Alex itf rahAtest!defethatwaschatHU i uquo# root let ureatlwasown and tin d brat folkhe wasn't afraid of Stewart; Stewart then sat down on a chair; they were about thirty or forty feet from Stewart'* house which t* about three or four feet from the restaurant. Alex was then standing a little behind hi* father; Stewart repeated that be had stood *11 he could stand; Cleon Keye* replied that he (Mewnrt) couldn't whip him, and ran his fist funder Stewart’* nose; don’t know where Alex was at this time; Stewart aaid something I didn't bear,and Alex aaid he wa» a d— liar; Stewart said don't call me a liar and Alex repeated his assertion that Stewart wa* a d—- liar; Stewart then got up, picked up hi* chair and made a motion as if to strike Alex when the latter stepped back eight or ten feet and Cleon Keyes either struck Stewart or caught him, couldn’t aay which, atid turned him around and just aa Stewart was turning so that he fully faced Alex, Alex shot him, I whs within twenty-ftve feet of them. Just after the shot was fired Cleon took the pistol uw*y i from Alex and Stewart said 1 am a dead man, ant down and die*!. Then both the Keyes attiried toward home; several men were nearer than I was; Stewart frequently sat in front of the reataurant us it was convenient to both his house and liverystable.\ Fit AN K M ( was the second witness called aud Id* testimony corroborated tlmt of Mr. Woods so far as it went and contained •some additional points which were given its follows :Alex Keyes and John Elktluberry canto to my house olmut two o'clock and Alex said he wanted to aw me, and a*k».d where my revolver wa# and told mo about a racket bu had had with Stewart; he said Stewart told him that If he didn't live with bis wife ho would ao«n be ready for burial and * Alex aaid that was something two could work at.1 told him tuy revolver was in my overcoat pocket up-stairs and went hack In the house; pretty .-toon they went away, Keyes saying let’s go up town. Alex told me Stewart had threnloned to kill him, and thought killing wan a game two couldplay at. ? * . I * 'Hero the witness was shown the revolver with which Keyes hat! continued the murder and indentified it as hisowu. V l|; \THOMAS J. L'RAPKB*was t he next witness called aud testified that ho was standing ou the porch ut Heppeto’s old store when the quarrel began and corroborated the evidence of Mr. Wood in every particular even to tho statement that the elder Keyes first made violent manifestations by running his fist in Htewart’s face.JOHN FERGUSON,the Constable who arrested the parties, was put on the stand and indentified the revolver shown as the one which he received* from Mrs. Keyes, the elder Keyes having taken tho weapon to his house and placed it in a bureau drawer.CORON ER SH ULTZ t Jwas then called and testified as follows:Ihsvii intei came hearl ami l art hgo d of J(Alex put I him, marl his « port! true; not jsftei shot mot Inot l»‘W]liesup?1IOf ( the Mr.ins!rabQbf\sai»twlt;waa i hamcolwilwafeeswh)•ebuandhotlifewftteilolotsmyshuha*IadtieabofanyaMwistian w itsaiClsathitlt;S(ill*htthabe♦nowifallifutdi
Newspaper Details
Delphi Weekly Times
Delphi, Indiana, US
Fri, Jul 27, 1883
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Anonymous
IN, USA 03 May 2019
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