SHOCKING AFFRAY AT A PRAYER MEETING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5439, 21 July 1879, Page 3

SHOCKING AFFRAY AT A PRAY ER MEETING.

A prayer meeting held the other day" aft the house of Mr 'J. P. Holloway, iv. Erath County, Texas, was interrupted by a few unpleasant incidents. It seems that Deputy-King, accompanied by three citizens — Ro^s, Kesh, and Robertson — went to Mr Holloway's house late in the evening, Avhile the prayer meeting was going on, to serve some papers on tlie occupier's son, Mr Rush Holloway. Taking advantage of a " lull in the devotions," the Deputy-Sheriff stepped up to Mr Holloway, jun., and explained his business. That young gentleman arose at

once from a devotional posture, as did also his brother John, who at the same time drew a pistol and covered the deputy. Ross, one of the Sheriff's party, feeling nervous at this ominous action on the part of John, threw up his hands and called for peace. Hush Holloway, however, paid no attention to this request, and immediately began shooting. The Sheriff and Robertson, seeing that the affair had taken an akward turn, ran round the house. Just as they turned the corner a bullet struck Robertson, who staggered a few paces and fell dead. The fight now became furious, and the voice of prayer was drowned by the whiz of bullets. The two surviving assistants of the Sheriff, Kesh and lioss, took to their heels amid a shower of bullets. Ross, as he reached a small tree, fell pierced by a ball ; but, with his sixshooter still in his hand, he rose to his knees, and, clinging to the tree' by one hand, tried to shoot with the other. At this juncture Mr Holloway, sen., much annoyed at the disturbance, and approaching Ross, angrily demanded the surrender of the six-shooter. Ross told him he could have it, provided he would let him take out the one remaining cartridge. Old Mr Holloway, however, declined to acquiesce in this arrangement, and, wrenching the pistol from Ross's hand by force, discharged tho contents into his body and killed him. Deputy-Sheriff King, with Kesh, managed to escape. The bodies of Robertson and Ross were shortly afterwards found where they fell by a posse of citizens. Mr Holloway and his sons were arrested, and the prayer-meeiing was thus brought to an abrupt conclusion.