Violent Saloon Dispute Leaves Man Wounded
A gambling argument at a Newcastle saloon ended in gunfire, highlighting the lack of law enforcement presence in the mining town.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At 10 o'clock Friday night a shooting scrape took place in Kennedy's saloon at Newcastle, in which Robert Buffington, aged about 30 years, was shot twice—once in the neck and once in the body. Reports as to the cause of the affair are conflicting. One story is that Buffington, an educated, industrious half-breed who has worked at coal mining for several years, proposed to play a game of 'seven up' with any man in the house. Thomas McManmee, a teamster at the mines, took up the challenge and laid $2 on the table. Upon turning back, his $2 had vanished, and he accused Buffington of taking it. Hard words ensued, and the men came to blows. McManmee got the worst of it, left the saloon, but returned shortly after with a revolver and fired three shots at Buffington. Although this affair took place in the presence of the local constable, no effort was made to arrest the would-be murderer, who was permitted to walk off. Sheriff McGraw later telegraphed Deputy Sheriff James McGuire to proceed to Newcastle, but the chances are McManmee has already skipped town.
“Although this whole affair took place in the presence of the constable of the precinct, no effort was made to arrest the would-be murderer, who was permitted to walk off unmolested.”
Newcastle was a significant coal mining hub in the late 19th century, a dangerous and rowdy environment that eventually transformed into the modern residential community it is today. The incident reflects the frontier-era struggles with lawlessness and the difficulty of administering justice in isolated industrial company towns.
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