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MILLER, WINTER El-A.M’S OFFICE, Where the Nhooting iK’ciirivil,1 -Chair where Mr. Bruning sut.2—Where Mr. Harris stood.;i—Mr. Winter’s clmlr.4—Where the shooter stood.5— Where Copeland was overpowered.East Market street. The firm occu-pies a suite of three room on the second floor. The front rooms looks out into Market street. In this room, at 12 o’clock, were seated Ferdinand Winter, William II. Bruning and Charles A. Korbly. Mr. Winter was dictating a letter at his desk when some one came in. He turned and saw that the new-comers weie Mr. Harris and Win. M. Copeland.All of the persons were concerned in a lawsuit which involve*1, incidentally, personal differences between Mr. Copeland and Mr. Bruning. As a consultation on the suit.had been appointed, no surprise was created by the entrance of Mr. Copeland.Mr. Winter extended his hand to Mr. Copeland, who responded with his hand, but said nothing, and was intently looking beyond Mr. Winter to the-other persons in the room, toward‘the windows. Immediately alter shaking hands with Mr. Wi liter Mr. Co|teland drew;a pistol and began tiring. Mr. Bruning was seated in a chair in the Southwest corner of the room. Mr. Harris was standing near him. The shooter was nervous but the first two shots struck Mr, Bruning. The latter changed posi-. tion and Mr. Harris seized him and received a shot in the left arm, below the elbow. One of the shots struck Bruning near the mouth, in the check, the other in the arm. Still other shots went wild and left their mark on the wall.Hearing theshooting in the front room, W. II. H. Miller, who was in the rear room, ran toward to the front room. Bruning was then attempting to escape from Copeland by running into the middle room.Copeland was using his pistol as a club, and was beating Bruning on the head or wherever he could get in a blow. Mr. Miller grappled with Copeland. Copeland was so intent upon destroying his foe that heat-tempted to shoot any and all who interfered. There was still one cart-ahead and went up to shake hands with the defendant. At that moment my client ran ahead, drew his pistol and began to tire. He tired one shot. I threw my hands around him from behind. I had his arms tightly down but with nis right hand he fired and shot me through the arm.‘‘I was afraid the other man would be killed. I knew there was feeling, but did not know the defendant was in the city at all. I am glad I saved the other man from being killed.Mr Winter’s Account.Ferdinand Winter, in whose office the shooting occurred, said: “Thetrouble, of course,does not come from anything that was said or done by either side today. I’ll see if I can give you the story from the beginning. We (Mr. Miller and myself) are associated with Mr Korbly, of Madison, in defending a number of suits that have been brought by Mrs. Clara Copeland against William II. Bruning, a merchant who lives in New York. The cases were brought in Jefferson county, and as Mr. Bruning lived in a foreign State, they were transferred to the United States Court at his demand. Mrs. Copeland (the plaintiff) is the wife of W. II. Co|eland, who did the shooting. Mrs. Conoland is a sister of Mr. Bruning. They are thechildien of John F. Bruning, who died m Madison in 1881. Mr. Bruning, the father, has been in partnership with his son, Wm. H Bruning, in carrying on a general merchandise business in Madison and Evansville. They sold coffee, spices, and such stuff.After the death of Mr. Brunning 181)1 Mrs. Copeland brought these suits against W. H. Bruning, in which she claimed that the partnership between her father and her brother had been continued up to the time of her lather’s death. One of the suits brought by her was lor the settlement of the partnership account. In another suit she claimed a piece of ground at Evansville, which has been in her name before 1885, and which at that time she had conveyed to her mother. She said that she had been forced to make the deed. In another case she sued for the partition of an estate that her father owned at the time of his death. The father left a will, and Mrs. Copeland has a suit pending at Madison to contest this will.The immediate occasion of the shooting I don’t know. Mr. Brun-ingand Korbly met me in the post-office building immediately after the adjournment of the United States Court, and I went up to my office with them. After I had got into my room I sat at my desk to sign some letters. 1 had hardly got seated before the door opened and Mr. Harris, who is Mr. Copeland’s attorney,came into the room, followed by his client.?5UK:UtV 11 lulling itliui*.know about the affair.”M r. Korb i-y’s St at km ent.Mr Korbly, gning a brief history of the shooting, said: “Mr Bruning formerly lived at Madison, but now lives in New York city. He is a member of the Union Coffee Company (J F Bruning Son), which has coffee and spice mills in New York city and at Evansville. Mr Winter and myself are his attorneys. I came here to make arrangements for taking testimony in the case, and the shooting took place in Mr Winter’s office. Copeland came here from Madison on the morning train, and my client arrived here this morning from Evansville. Cojiefiind just walked into the office, pulled his revolver, and opening fire, shot five times. Mr Bruning was wholly unprepared for the attack. We have known there was bad blood on Copeland’s part for some time. I remembered this morning that I thought he was dangerous. I judged this from the manner in which he acted toward me at Madison. Wm M. Copelan d is a lawyer and represented Jefferson county in the legislature in 1885.”M R. CoP ELANI) INTE R VI F-W E D.Mr Copeland was soon placed in jail, and during the afternoon very reluctantly made the following statement:“My name is William M. Copeland I am a junior member of the law firm of AllisonCopeland. W. H. Bruning is my wife’s brother, a wholesale dealer in spices. On September 28, 1885, I married Bruning’s sister. Before our marriag she was on a visit to relatives at Mt. Pleasant, la. Bruning, learning I was to marry his sister, went to Iowa and forced her to deed away a piece of projierty in Evansville. He told her that if she refused to make a deed to the property before she married me, she would be a widow in a very few days after we wore married. He held his hands up, and swore that he would make her a widow. She asked him if he intended to kill me,and he said that he dirl unless she made the deed, and she made it. I did not know about that transaction until after my wife came from New York, in February, 1892, when my mother-in-law died Bruning completely robbed my wife by having his father, who was eighty four years old.almost blind, deaf and entirely iueompetent, make a will disinheriting my wife. Within live days from the date of the funeral of my wife’ mother, Bruning had his father enter into a dissolution of partnership of the firm of J. H. Bruning Son. He had his father also make a deed giving him all the partnership interest. Everything was kept, from my wife.“Then we went to law over theiiuiiMicii iiicuniiimtiuiidin m unership matters.”Mr. Bear’s Story.Perry E Bear, one of Mrs Copeland's attorneys, started for Indianapolis on the morning train. Arriving at North Madison lie was met with a telegram from Mrs. Copeland, announcing that Mr Copeland was out on bail and that both would be in Madison this evening.Inquiring of Mr. Bear what lie knew of the case he said: “I wasbut recently engaged in the case. There are three suits by Mrs. Copeland against her brother, Mr. Bruning. One is to wind up the partnership she claims existed between the defendant and her father at the time of the filter’s death, and claimed by defendent- to have ceased to exist some years before; another is to set aside a deed to property in Evansville, defendent hail coerced her into signing when on a visit to friends in Iowa, and a third is to compel a division of the estate.The cases are in the U. S. States Federal Court. May 1st had been set by the court when evidence should bo in on the two former cases. vV. P. Fish buck had been appointed by the Federal Court to come to Madison and take depositions on behalf of the plaintiff, Mrs. Copeland, and yesterday had been agreed between the lawyers on both sides, in Indianapolis, as the time to take the depositions.Monday at L p* m. 1 was in Mr. Copeland’s office consulting him on the case when Mr. Korbly came to 'jhe door and opened it excitedly. He was livid white and in a great rage.“I want to see you, Mr. Bear,” he said. I followed him to his ottiee where lie cursed and raged at the fact of the time having been set for the depositions and said he would not attend; that he had not been notified, and that he had business in Indianapolis and intended to leave on the afternoon train. He said Judge Allison had agreed with him that the timo would be extended. He also remarked, excitedly swearing at the same time, “We will make trouble for you folks yet.”After arguing with him to no effect and assuring him that the attor-neyson his side had been notified and agreed on the time, I went back to Mr. Copeland and advised him to go to the Court House and see Judge Allison and ascertain if an agreement to extend had been made by him .He soon returned and informed me that Judge Allison denied having made any such agreement or arrangement.Mr. Korbly was by this time half way to the depot to catch the afternoon train.Mrs. Copeland was then sent for and came to the office. She was greatly incensed against Mr. Korbly*uuvu mm smcc uiu cases nave oeenpending in court she has been annoyed on several occasions by her brother. who several times disguised him-selfand lurked about her home. She said that cn one or tw o occasions he attempted to break into the house and once succeeded in doing so, but she locked the door and kept him out of litr private apartments.She said she never really understood what his object was, but supposed it was for the purpose of compelling her to sign certain papers deeding her share of the property to him. She said the Mt. Pleasant story told by her husband was true in every particular and that when the case came to trial relatives would go or. the stand and swear to its truth.Bail was Hxed at $5000 which was secured by Mrs. Copeland this morn-insr and her husband released. Bruning is in St. Vincent’s Hospital. He is not dangerously wounded.Wm. Copeland Home.Wm. M. Copeland, w’ho shot his brother-in-law, Wm. H. Bruning in Indianapolis Tuesday, arrived in N. Madison last night and remained over night at the home of his brother. This morning he came to the city and was seen by a representative of the Democrat, but, while ready to answer any of our questions preferred to make no further statement until he had time to consult W'ith his attorneys. The report that his bond w as $5000 he said was incorrect, the bond being in one Court $2500, aud in the other $1,000 making a total of $8500. Mr. Copeland looks about as usual, excepting a little paler and he has a plastered up cut on the forehead. He said that Mr. Bear’s story in yesterday’s Democrat was corret The trouble w ill have no effect on the pending cases between his wife and her brother. The time of his ow n trial has not yet been set.Mr. Copeland’s bondsmen are C. R McCleland and Dr. John Chambers, of this city and Cluis. Pfau, the commission merchant of Indianapolis.Representative Jason Brown has introduced into the House a bill to establish an army post at Clarksville, Ind. The bill provides that upon the transfer and conveyance to the U. S. of a good aud sufficient title not less than 80 acres of land, without cost to the U. S., situated in or near the town of ClarksviUo in Clark county, Indiana, and on or near a railroad, and constituting an eligible and suitable site for an army post there shall be established a U. S. army post there.For the construction of quarters, barracks, hospital, etc, $50,000 is appropriated under Repre-sentative Brown’s bill.J E. Abraham of Ripley county, is in the city.i
Newspaper Details
Madison Twice a Week Democrat
Madison, Indiana, US
Fri, Apr 20, 1894
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
John N.
USA 31 Aug 2023
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