Manhattan, Ks., August
22, - "Happy Jack," Marshal of Ellsworth, shot and killed Capt. Cad. Pierce, a large cattle dealer and
gamester, in Ellsworth, yesterday.
This murderous affray grew out of the shooting
of Deputy Sheriff Whitney, last Friday, by the Thompson brothers. Bill Thompson and another gamester were gambling,
when a quarrel arose, Thompson striking the gambler a blow in the face. As soon as struck, the gambler rushed out
to get his revolver. Thompson, expecting blood, armed himself with a Remington rifle and a shotgun loaded with
buckshot, and a pair of navies. His opponent, hearing how well Thompson was armed, kept shady. Thompson's blood
being up, and having a grudge against "Happy Jack," he sallied out to find him. Jack, hearing of it,
kept out of Thompson's way, concealing himself in Thobe's store. Finally, wishing to see if the danger was past,
Jack stuck his head out of the door. Thompson being on the alert, instantly fired upon him with his rifle. Jack
dodged back and the ball lodged in the casing of the door, and he made his escape out at the back way. Thompson,
failing in putting an end to Jack's existence, strode down the street thirsting for blood. He met Deputy Sheriff
Whitney, who was engaged in conversation with a friend, not dreaming of harm from Thompson, who immediately pulled
up and fired a full charge of buck shot into his side tearing a terrible hole and frightfully shattering his arm,
from the effects of which he died last Sunday. Thompson, after shooting the Sheriff mounted his horse, and accompanied
by his brother Ben rode up and down the street of Ellsworth defying the authorities and looking for more victims.
These two desperadoes, after cleaning the streets when to Notch town, a disreputable adjunct of Ellsworth, spent
some time and then mounted their horses and lit out for Texas. They were followed by a posse who were unable to
overtake them. "Happy Jack," learning that Capt. Pierce had offered these Thompson boys if they would
kill him, one thousand dollars, went to Pierce's establishment and demanded if it was so. Pierce denied it, but
made a motion as if to draw his revolver, when Jack fired, killing him instantly. The town is now under martial
law. All the gamblers and roughs are ordered to leave instantly, fifty going down on the express last night.
Pierce's body was brought to Junction City last
night, attended by one hundred and fifty Texans on its way to Texas.
Pierce was the owner of seven thousand head of cattle. The Texas are breathing vengeance and threatening to burn
the town. Lively times are looked for. All is now quiet in Ellsworth. (The Standard, August 30, 1873, Page 2)
Note: Whitney, well-known lawman
and scout who had participated in the Battle of Beecher Island in 1868, became sheriff of Ellsworth County in 1871.
Billy Thompson, buffalo hunter and general frontiersman, tried to start a fight over a card game. Whitney stepped
in to stop the disturbance and Thompson shot him with a double-barreled shotgun. Thompson was quoted assaying,
(when asked why he would shoot someone like Whitney), "I would have shot if it had been Jesus Christ."
FIVE ARE SLAIN IN
BEDS BY AX BLOWS
Kansas, His Wife and Three Small Children Victims
of Ghastly Murder
Room Blood Splattered
No Motive Can Be Ascribed for Killing of Family
- Crime Undiscovered for 24 Hours - Bodies are Beaten Featureless
Ellsworth, Kan. Oct. 16, - Slain as they slept
Sunday night, the bodies of Wililam Showman, a chauffeur, his wife and three small children were discovered today
in the Showman home by a neighbor who chanced to call and entered the house when no one responded to his knocks.
The features of all the victims were battered beyond
recognition by the blows of the ax. The youngest member of the family, a baby, had been beaten until its head was
severed from the body. All three of the children were under 5 years of age.
Although the crime was committed last night it
was not discovered until 6 o'clock this evening. The authorities have failed to find anything pointing to a cause
for the murders of a clew to the guilty person.
The names of the victims are:
William Showman, aged 33
______Shoman, his wife
Lester Showman, aged 5
Fern Showman, aged 4
Senton, aged 1
The two latter are girls
The Showman home is a small two-room cottage in
the outskirts of Ellsworth 300 or 400 yards from the nearest house.
The bodies of the five victims were found in one
room. The father, mother and baby on one bed, and the two other children in a second bed.
The room looked like a slaughter pen. There was
blood on the walls, ceiling, floor, beds and every article in the room. In this room also was the bloody ax which
the murderer had used and which he had left in his flight.
Last night all the members of the Showman family
visited at the home of Mrs. C. W. Snook, a friend living a few blocks away. They left the Snook home about 9 o'clock.
This was the last time any of them were seen alive. (Oregonian, October 17, 1911, page 4)
