Swaim - Mose - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Rockville Tribune: Mose Swaim was shot last Saturday afternoon and will probably die. All our readers are familiar with the family feud, which has time and again caused bloodshed. Last Saturday Preston Lane, who works for Lafayette Swaim, was hauling oats out of the field claimed by both Mose and Lafayette—the same field in which Gabriel Bryant was killed a few years ago, which was the beginning of the serious difficulty between the two brothers. According to Lane’s story, Mose had started in a buggy, as if he was going to Rockville, but when he saw Lane going in the direction of the field warned him not to go to it, or even pass along the road leading to it. Mose afterwards drove home and got his rifle. Lane had a double barrel shot gun. They met in the road, and Mose knelt in the buggy with his rifle poised, and said, “Now, God damn you, Press Lane, shoot.” Lane immediately fired one barrel of his gun, and snapped the other, which missed fired. Most of the charge took effect in the abdomen, but some of the shot—No. 3’s—struck the horse hitched to the buggy, and slightly wounded a boy who was in the vehicle with Mose. A report of the shooting was brought to town, and Sheriff Hanger proceeded to the scene to arrest Lane. The latter had come on to surrender, but was missed by the sheriff, who went out of town on another street than that taken by Lane. Deputy Sheriff Thompson arrested him in F. M. Howard’s office, where he went for legal counsel. Doctors Morris and Vancleave were called to attend the wounded man, who they report in a dangerous condition.