| Herman Pugh |
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Former Opelousas Printer Murdered by His Employer at Muncie, Indiana Slayer Indicted For Murder Murderer Prominent Businessman and Editor of Official Organ of the Improved Order of Red Men News has reached Opelousas of the tragic death of Herman Pugh, a well known printer who worked here in the employ of Bodemuller The Printer and of the Clarion, which occurred at Muncie, Ind., on July 22. Pugh was working for Joseph P. Williams, proprietor of the Crescent job printing plant, and the editor of the Indiana Red Man, fficial journal of the Improved Order of Red Men of Indiana. Williams, rendered frantic, as his friends believe, because he was called a "scab," and having other and worse epithets applied to him by Pugh, while the latter was intoxicated and demanding a settlement, reached into the drawer of the desk and drew out his pisto and deliberately shot to death the unarmed man. The bullet entered Pushs forehead, and death was instaneous. After the shooting, Williams, accompanied by a friend, who was an eyewitness to the trageddy, went and surrendered to the authorities, sayine after telling what he had done, "I must have been crazy." After sending for counsel, Williams became delirious and remained in that condition until the next day, when a visit to the jail by his wife and attorneys caused him to become partly rational. Physicians think that as soon as the acute effects of the shock wear off, Williams, who is of a highly nervous temperment, will regain his mental poise. Williams is said to be widely known in his home town, and highly respected as a business man and a lodge man. Recently he had considerable dufficulty with the typographical union, which culminated for a time in Williams operating an "open shop." It is said that he had been rendered nearly insane by labor troubles. He has a wife and two children. A witness to the murder-for it was nothing short of murder-says that while he and Williaams were discussing labor troubles, Pugh came in and demanded $11 wages due him. Pugh was then under the influence of liquor, and he was in a hurry to obtain the money, as he desired to leave town, and Williams was slow in paying him, desiring that Pugh should remain in his employ and wishing to persuedde him out of the desire to go away. At this point Pugh became angry and demanded all of his wages at once, and at the same time stepping behind the counter where Williams was standing. Williams told Pugh to get out from behind the counter and he would pay him. Pugh first hesitated, but finally stepped from behind the counter, at the same time calling Williams a "scab" and applying other epithets to him. Williams seemed paralyzed at the epithest and at being called a "scab," and went to a drawer and got out a revolver, at the same time taking one from his pocket. Pugh rolled up his sleeves as if to defend himself and said that Williams was afraid to shoot. Notwithstanding that the witness tried to prevent the shooting, Williams levelled onoe of the pistols at Pugh and fired, the bullet penetrating the brain. The grand jury of that county promptly met and found a true bill against Williams for murder in the first degree. Pugh was an exceptionally fine job printer, and outside of the failing which he had of getting on periodical sprees, he was conidered highly educated and evinced refinement and good raising in many way. His brother is tha pastor of the principal Baptist church of Little Rock, Ark. Following a quarrel with his rrelatives several years ago, he left Little Rock, and had been going from place to place ever since, working at his trade as a printer. His funeral was attended by his brother and sister, of Little Rock and the typographical union of the city in a body. |