Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1891 — TOO TOUGH TO KILL. [ARTICLE]

TOO TOUGH TO KILL.

JOHN ULREY EMPTIES HIS REVOIK ER INTO BEN SMOOT WITHOUT MUCH EFFECT. An inexplicable shooting affair occured last Sunday afternoon at the little station of Julian, about 8 miles 8 out Invest of Rensselaer, and in Newton county. The parties were John ITlrey. ex-sheriff of Newton county, and bis, brother-in-law, Ben Smoot; both being as well known in RensseTaer as the majority of our own citizens. - The affair took place in Ulrey’s house, the parties present being Ulrey, Smoot and Ulrey’s wife, who Is Smoot’s sister. : According, to the story told by Mr. Smoot and confirmed by Mrs. Ulrey, Smoot came to Ulrey’s house on “the Jatter’s invitation to play a game of 'cards, and that a few minutes after Smoot’s arrival and without there having been any altercation or quarrel of any kind, Ulrey went into an adjoining room and returning with a revolver immediately opened fire on Smoot, at a distance of only : i few feet. Five shots struck Smoot, and that he was not killed outright is a most astonishing fact. He was struck once on the back of the neck and twice in the head, but all the bullets happened to strike in such a manner as not to penetrate deeply, but passed on through just under the skin, or a little deeper as was the case with the. neck wound. He was also hit Twice, in. the hand, either by different bullets or the same ones. Neither of the hand wounds were at all serious. Aftei- Ulrey’s pistol was einptied,~ lie appears to have -beaten Smoot with t.-1 yC! "tV € l 111 (311 over tire head, the hammers cutting several holes in the scalp, such being the statement of Dr. A . E. Loughiidge, who was called to assist in dressing the injured man’s wounds. Sinoot was able to walk to the house of a neighbor, and by them he was assisted to his own house. He is not confined to his bed. and says that nothing less than a G pound cannon can kill him. Smoot had a small breech loading* rifle with him, a weapon which he had been carrying constantly, for some time past, even when awav from home, as at Rensselaer. He

is also said to have had a revolver with him. Ulrey has a bullet hole in his hand, and says Smoot shot him. He also says that Smoot shot several times, after he had got outside the house. His rifle, however, was left inside the room where the shooting occurred. After the shooting Ulrey remarked to his wife that Smoot had threatened to kill him, and that he had to shoot first to save his own life. There are rumors that Smoot believed an undue intimacy existed between his wife and Mr. Ulrey, and there is good reason to believe that Smoot had made many mysterious threats and demonstrations which had led Ulrey to believe that Smoot was watching his chance to kill him. After the shooting Ulrey went to Kentland and was put under SSOO bonds to appear before the circuit court, by Justice Heilman. Mr. Ulrey has always, heretofore, borne an excellent reputation as an industrious and peacable man, and tnat he has often rendered valuable assistance to Smoot, there is good evidence. His deadly attack seems inexplicable except upon the theory that Smoots mysterious. threats and demonstrations had kept him in such a state of fear as to partly unbalance his mind.