A Desperate Shooting Affray

I have a photo copy of a partial account of a news paper article found in James T. Claiborne's bible by his granddaughter after the death of her father. The bottom of the article is torn off and deteriorated. The following is what can be read:

A Desperate Shooting Affray. Two Men Killed And Two Men Wounded. On last Monday Evening - July 19 about an hour by sun a desperate shooting affray occurred in the north west part of the county between Jim, Tun, Ben, Doc Winters and John, Buck, and Pat Claiborne in which John Claiborne was killed dead on the spot, his brother Buck shot so bad that he died on the following Thursday; Pat shot through the left sholder; and Doc Winters shot in the side, the ball passing around and lodging in his back. As near as we could learn the facts were briefly as follows:
Some time before the shooting Mr. L.E.Johnson had lt the contract to build a certain portion of the Abbey Pasture fence to the Claibornes and after hearing or believing that they had thrown up the contract, he let it to the Winters boys. The Claibornes had already cut out about a mile of the right-of-way for the fence and were still cutting on the Monday spoken of. The Winters boys began on this Monday in the cut out right-of-way to dig holes and set posts. The Claibornes heard they were down there at work and in the evening on their way home went by where they were. Dick Ellis (Pat and John Claibornes brother in law, they married sisters) and his boy Bill Ellis, and another boy, Charley Linney (sic- Lindsey) were with the Claibornes. When the Claiborne party reached the Winters (Missing) __________________ two boys , Bill Ellis and Charley Linney did not stop but_________________ John and Buck Claiborne ______________________ le in advance of Dick ___________-Claibornes comming_____________________ down smoking_____________ Two _________________ up and went down to where ________-were laying on the side________________-

No more can be read. I was able to locate John and Buck's grave in a cemetery at Big Foot in Frio County. I believe this happened in Frio County. I have located an Abbey Hill and an Abbey Mill in Frio County but not an Abbey Pasture. Would there be a newspaper morgue going back to July 1886 in Frio County. There was a L.E. Johnson listed as a land owner, 2000+ acres as well as lots in Pearsall in 1888. If a news paper is available it would have the rest of the story.

Contributed by Harold Claiborne

TXGenWeb, Frio County - A Desperate Shooting Affray updated on 08/10/2005

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