Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1901 — Goes Gunning For Gundy [ARTICLE]

Goes Gunning For Gundy

But Gundy Gives the Gunner the Gun. various parties at Rose Lawn charged with having a part in the general fight there on Friday night, Aug 1 . 9th, had their preliminary hearing last Friday, Aug. 16th. It seems that the boozers in the town had been loading up' all day, preparatory to a night of trouble, but the first violent symptoms occurred in the evening at Billy Eight’s saloon. John Mellinger, otherwise ‘‘Seven Pints John,” who keeps the other saloon, was at Eight’s place, and after a quarrel went home and got a revolver and a shot-gun. When he got back he found Reub Gundy, trying to open the front door of Mellinger’s saloon, to obtain something to alleviate the long drouth in his throat. Mellinger drew his gun to shoot Gundy, and the latter seized the gun with one hand arid knocked Mellinger out with the other. Just then John Bohi, so-called, who has been in j our jail here, entered the game; all he did being to take Mellinger’s remaining weapon, the revolver, away from him.

Gundy then started away taking the shot gun. Just then Peter, or more properly Levi Hancock, made his spectacular entrance, by running up with a big knife in his hands. He flourished this, and shouting to Mellinger to “stay with the something or other, and made at Gundy with the hnife. Gundy swung the shot gun around and let Hancock have it on the head, and the gun may have been a “repeater’’ in that line of work, and have landed on Hancock more than once, but no one is certain on that point. The justice having heard the evidence concluded that Hancock and Mellinger were struck in self defense, and all the accused parties were dismissed. Hancock is still in a bad condition but his chances for recovery are now thought better than they were. C. W. Hanley, of our city, assisted Prosecutor Sink in prosecuting the case. Attorney Ibaoh, of Hamtnond defended them.