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Show poffardly Murder at! I I Trinidad, deputy Sheriff Shoots and m Kills Well-Known Colo- ) radoan. I j Ij Attempt to Lynch tho Slayer Frus-' Frus-' I trated by Sheriff Races "With Mob for Train. i Ml i 'i TRINIDAD Colo., April S. The nssa-$ nssa-$ i,tntlon of John II. Fox by Deputy Shcr-t Shcr-t ,j Joseph Johnson, and an attempt nt VirnchlnrT. frustrated by Sheriff Dick $ ? Davis nnd posse, and later a raco heal he-al ''. Wfcn tho Sheriff and pce5se with tho fed prioner for a special train and an angry r3 ', J excited mob of 2000 peoplo bent on vMSMiice. were tho wild scenes enacted Jf ; n Trinidad this afternoon. ,' Was Gruel Murder. ' j The assassination of Fox was tho most pi 1 rt'd-bloodwl raurder ever committed In ii Ijj Animas county Fox was standing at -'ticM; In tho lobby of the postofflce rcad-a rcad-a h-c a newspaper, with his back to tho "N tfivr Johnson entered, six-shooter In " 1 bnd and without the least warning. fttaked up behind 'Fox and llrcd. j Victim Falls Dead. '. k bullet entered behind the left oar arj enmo our of tho forehond, passed m' Uftplh n F'ncs ('nor '"to elevator I rbl'Jr prazlng the bond of a man stnnd- in the elevator. Fox foil backwards ill j tod, and Johnson, coolly walking from IW ! lb postoffip. started toward tho county f i'Jtll. when ho was arrested by another VI iWutv sheriff and placed In tho county f I JUL ' '; Rush for Jail. dp 'I The newfi of the shooting spread like i ttlUflre nnd soon a mob of 10CO people Mj 'i Mthercd In fronL of the postofflce. mnk-BI mnk-BI fop threats of lnchlng. When the body 2(M ot ?ox was carried by the mob and placed H in an undertaker's wngon, tho sight III j tKmcd to turn them to frenzy, and a I i rash was made for the county jail nmkl 3 ' kJjd cries of "lynch tho murderer." ) tj ' Sheriff "Wns Game. ij I In the meantime the Sheriff swore in S t filly deputies, who surrounded the Jail, 3 I I ind when the mob reached within half a s I Moot Sheriff Davis halted them and said: ij J "As Sheriff. lam sworn to protect my 'i 1 jiriMnore. I will kill the llrst man who itiempts to cmo up those steps. If you ! set Johnson It will bo over my dead ,j ! Checked tho Mob. if I This had tho effect of checking tho mob, 1 iH Tho lacked a leader, and after mutlor-k mutlor-k Irp vengeanco for an hour the mob left 2 4 ind reformed In front of the postofflce, j V Then plana of lynching were openly dls-'J dls-'J ccsstil. Several prominent citizens nd-S nd-S irsd the mob and during this tlmo V (Sheriff Davis secured a special train on ' ! lie Colorado &- Southern. , Race for n Train. j Later Johnson, surrounded by deputies, started from the Jail on a dead run for tho waiting train, three blocks away. This news reached the mob, who started pell-mell after tho posse, growing In numbers on route, until fully i00 peoplo had gathered- Tho Sheriff succeeded in getting his prisoner on board, but when tho train started the mob was Ices than two yards away. Thrilling Experience. A thrilling experience occurred after the train had started, leaving the excited mob cursing and throwing rocks, but fortunately for-tunately no shooting was done. After the train 'had run about 300 yards a coupling broke When the mob saw the cnglno leaving the caboose they rushed forward again, yelling llko mad. and paying no attention to tho command of tho posso to halt, when the engine was again coupled and made a successful daah. "When the mob saw It was foiled It dispersed. About the Murderer. Joseph Johnson was a deputy sheriff an It bad been proposed to send him to California with the requisition for :dal Shoblo. who has been arrested there on tho charge of having embezzled ?1C00 of the county's funds when a clerk in the Treasurer's office. Objected to Selection. Fox had made an objection to sending Johnson on this errand, on the ground that ho Is related to Shoblo. This angered an-gered Johnson, and 13 supposed to have been his motive, for killing Fox. Johnson placed a revolver at Fox's car and fired, tho bull?t passing clear through Fox's head and dropping on the floor. Mrs. Mary Alton witnessed tho killing. Dead Man Prominent. Fox was a prominent politician and had manv frlonds. Ho served thrco terms as Treasurer of I.as Animas county nnd was a candidate before tho Democratic Demo-cratic State convention last fall for nom-lna.tIon nom-lna.tIon for State Treasurer. Declines to Make Statement. Johnson refused to make p.ny statement state-ment after giving himself up. Ho acted as bodjgjard for Senator Caesar Barela during tho campaign last fall, and whlla the legislature was In session at Denver. Barela was a Democrat for many years, but was re-elected State Senator last year as the Republican candidate. |