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Chase County Kansas Obituaries
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Shepherd,Guy A Chase County Killing
Guy Shepherd, colored, was shot
and killed by John Snelling, white,
near Cottonwood Falls Friday night, Aug 13, 1910.
The shooting occurred about 11:15
o'clock at the air-ship camp southeast of town, and the details are
hazy.
It is said that the party, composed of hangers-on about the camp,
had been drinking and gambling, and
that a dispute arose between Shepherd and Snelling.
The story goes
that Shepherd seized a sledge hammer and started for the white boy.
Snelling is said to have run a few
steps, and then turned, drawing a
revolver. He fired three shots, the
first two in the air with intention
of scaring his opponent, but the last
shot struck the negro in the right eye,
passing through his head, rising upward and coming out at the top of
the skull. Shepherd lived about
two hours.
Snelling ran after the shooting
and was not seen again until about
9 o'clock this morning when he gave
himself up to the Chase county sheriff. He is confined in the county
jail, and charges against him were
postponed until after the coroner's
inquest, which was held late Saturday, afternoon.
Shepherd was a jockey and rode
horses for Robert Wood. His home
was in Larned, and he came to Cottonwood Falls about a month ago.
Snelling is a step-son of Mark Wolcott
who has a share in the air-ship, and
came to Cottonwood Falls from Tennessee. He is 18 years old. He was
employed as night watchman at the
air-ship camp.
A party of men in an automobile
were in Emporia Saturday morning between 3 and 4 o'clock looking for
Snelling. Snelling said he spent the
night in a cornfleld near Cottonwood
Falls.
Emporia Gazette, Emporia, Kansas, August 16, 1910
Ganse to Defend Snelling.
Attorney H. E. Ganse went to Cottonwood Falls last night to look after the interests of John Snelling, the
17-year-old boy, who shot and killed
Guy Sheppard, colored, Saturday
night in the shed built for the
Cartter-Woolcott airship near Cottonwood Falls.
The murder was the
result of a card game and Mr.
Ganse will defend the young man
who claims the shooting was done
in self defense. After killing the
colored man Snelling disappeared
and hid in a cornfield near Cottonwood Fall.
He was arrested and put
in jail without being brought before
the court. No warrant had been
sworn out against the boy at the
time of his arrest.
Attorney Ganse
will immediately demand a preliminary trial, which probably will
take place at once.
Court Reporter
E. F. Wade accompanied Mr. Ganse
to take evidence. This will be one
of the most important cases on the
fall docket and there is a great deal
of excitement over the shooting in
Cottonwood Falls. The coroner's inquest was held yesterday afternoon.
Emporia Gazette, Emporia, Kansas, Aug 18, 1910
Quick Work.
Only seventeen minutes were taken
for a Chase county jury to acquit
John Snelling, of Cottonwood Falls,
who was charged with the murder of
Guy Sheppard, colored, Sheppard
was a jocky employed by Robert
Woods and was a friend of young
Snelling.
On the night of August
12, a "beer" party was given by a
number of older fellows of the town,
and the affair took place in the
Cartter-Woolcot airship shed. A
quarrel arose between Sheppard and
Snelling over the result of a crap
game and Sheppard became angry
and seized a sledge hammer and
started after Snelling.
Snelling retreated and procured a revolver and
warned the colored man not to hit
him. Sheppard, however, advanced
toward the boy, who fired his revolver in the air intending to frighten Sheppard. This shot did not
scare the colored boy, who kept up
his pace. When Sheppard advanced
after the first shot, Snelling pulled
the trigger and the bullet entered
the jockey's brain, killing him. After. being shot Sheppard dropped the
hammer and staggered around before falling. The body was found
fully eighteen feet from the hammer.
The trial lasted one and a half
days and Huggins & Ganse, of Emporia, Pat Norton, of Cottonwood Falls had charge of the defense. Dudley Doolittle, assisted by
Madden & Grisham, prosecuted
Snelling.
Emporia Gazette, Emporia, Kansas. Dec 01, 1910.
Submitted by Robert Caro.
by Lorna Marvin
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