River Pirate Killed at Warsaw While Resisting Arrest

The Officers Well Known in Carroll 

Our usually quiet little town was thrown into a state of excitement Sunday morning by the report that a man who went by the name of J. W. Jones, alias C. O. Williams, etc., and who lived in two little shanty boats then lying at Clore’s Landing, just below town, had been shot and killed while resisting the officers of the law, who had gone there to search for stolen goods.  

The particulars of the affair are as follows: 

Sunday morning Capt. J. H. McDanell missed a set of double harnesses, a lap robe, a horse blanket and a fine bridle, and on coming to town he notified Deputy Sheriff Nelson of his loss, and they went after Clore, the town marshal, and having deputized Dr. Geo. F. Gaines, the three officers went to the boat to search it, having suspicioned that the things were there. On arriving at the boats (there were two, a white and a blue one, tied side by side) they knocked and were told to enter by one of the women within, and in doing so they found Jones still in bed.  They told him they were officers and came to search the boat fort stolen goods.  He got up and dressed and told them he wanted to show them something – that he wanted to show them who he was and what he was.  Dr. Gaines replied: We don’t care if you’re President Harrison, we are going to search the boat, and if the things are here we want them, if not it is all right.”  Jones claimed that the boat lying on the lower side did not belong to him and the owner had gone over the river.  Marshal Clore and Dr. Gaines went to the lower boat and took Jones with them, while Nelson was left to search the boat into which they first entered.  They found the lower boat to be locked and Jones returned to the first boat under pretext of getting the key, and came upon Nelson unexpectedly with a large 45-calibre Smith & Wesson leveled at him, telling him to get out of there.  Nelson realized that the robber on him and could do nothing other than obey.  On coming out of the little door he met the other officers coming from the other boat, and Jones, who had followed him, leveled his pistol on Dr. Gaines, when Marshal Clore grabbed his arm and clinched him.  In the struggle that followed, Jones shot Clore in the shoulder.  Prompt action was necessary and the brave deputies, on realizing that Clore was wounded, drew their revolvers and saved Clore’s as well as their own lives and freed the public of an enemy.  Three shots from the deputies revolvers took effect, one ball entering the heart. 

Jones claims to have been an authorized detective from a Wichita, Kansas, Agency, and a certificate issued to C. O. Williams, a pair of handcuffs, and a badge was found among his effects.  How he obtained them is not known, but it is not improbable that he is murderer of the lawful owner.  At the inquest held over his body, the evidence of his wife and sister-in-law (the two female occupants of the boat) corroborated that of the officers and they were found to have acted in self-defense.  On searching the boat the stolen goods were found and many other things doubtless stolen from other points.  Jones had three revolvers in his possession, two of which were self-acting.  The largest of the three was a 45-calibre Smith & Wesson.  He was a well-built man about 6 feet high, with brown hair and eyes, blonde mustached, fine set of teeth and weighed about 175 pounds, and was apparently between 30 and 33 years of age.  Parties who have read the description of Tascott, the murderer of Snell, the Chicago millionaire, thought that he answered the description, and telegrams were sent the Chicago Detective Agency to gain further information. 

The boats, revolvers, etc. were sold at public sale Monday, at the court house door, and what remained after the expenses of burial was given to his wife, to return to Cincinnati, from whence she claimed to have come.

from the Carrollton Democrat, April, 1889, reprinting an item from the Gallatin Democrat.