Delp - Pleasant
PLEASANT DELP
Once again we are called upon to cronicle (sic) and establish as a matter of history so far as The Star is concerned the facts as near as we could learn them in a shooting scrape which occured at the McIntire coal mine about 11:30 last Saturday forenoon when Robert Homas, aged 22 and son of John Thomas shot and almost instantly killed Pleasant Delp, an uncle by marriage. Delp was superintendent of the mine and was in the act of paying the men all when the two men engaged in a quarrel. Delp had told Thomas that his services were no longer needed at the mine and that he should bring out his tools. In the argument which followed numerous accusations were made and abusive words were exchanged by the two men. Thomas declared that Delp had insulted his wife which Delp asserted was untrue. After exchanging "liar" a few times, Thomas drew a .32 caliber revolver and fired two shots. The first shot,a ccording to the corner's verdict struck Delp near the pit of the stomach passing through the liver and right kidney. Placing his hand on his stomach, Delp stooped slightly and turned as if to walk away when a second shot was fired. THis one struck in the left should, ranged down passing through the left lung and heart and lodged in the right lung. The shooting took place in the boiler room in the presence of a number of other miners. Delp then attempted to walk but was compelled to call for assistance exclaiming that he had been shot in the heart and would soon die. Several of the miners hurried to his assistance while his pocket (?) and walked away. Delp and his assistants started to his home, which is only a few feet away, but only got across the samll creek when death came. Eye witnesses declare that it was a pitiable sight when the lifeless form of a once strong and hearty father and husband was carried in and placed on the bed in the little cottage. A mother screamed in terror while 7 small children, ranging in age from 14 down to a seven month old babe scrambled about the bed, clinging to their father's hands and feet. Thomas left the scene of the shooting immediatley and was later apprehended at Montezuma by marshall Wheeler of that place and held until the Parke County sheriff arrived when he was taken to Rockville and placed in jail. Delpt was 35 and was a member of the F&AM Lodge at Sylvania, the K of P lodge at this place, which organizations had charg eof the funeral which was held on Monday interment was made in the new fraternal cemetery north of this place. A story to the effect that Delp once killed a relative of Thomas' has become circulated and is being given as the cause of the shooting but this is a false report, doubtless being misconstrued with the Bryant murder of a few years ago when John Bryant was killed by Chauncey Delp a distant relative of the deceased man. At the preliminary hearing before, justice Bryant yesterday Thomas waived examination and returned to jail to await the investigation by the grand jury. - kbz