DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Reuben Gaines' memoir, undated

Transcribe
Translate

Page 8

PAGE 8. Buxton
rear ankles and had to be destroyed. On this same evening we were in our yard and noticed that a strange comottion was going on in the first house North of where we lived so we moved closer to find out what it was all about. The woman that rented the house was Mrs. Chocklet; she had a son 21 years old; a daughter of 18 and another son of 10 but she lived with a man named Britt for several years but in celebrating this day he had drunk too much and got abusive and totally mean; calling her by names other than the pet name of "Mollie" when he was sober. She said later that since it looked as if there might be violence with her being the victim; she sent for her son who was at Union town which was only four or five blocks away to come and try to calm Britt down but this only complicated matters and made things worse. Her son Willie brought his 32 caliber revolver with him thinking perhaps he may need it for protection; then what we first saw was each one moving around each corner of the square house so as not to give either an easy target. Now Willie is at the Northeast corner and Britt is at the Northwest corner but Willie must have stepped out a little too far for Britt with a 22 rifle must have made an accurate shot that is if he were aiming for the head for the bullet struck Willie about the middle of his chin or lodged or was deflected down by his neck. This seem to make him only more angry and caution was over so he stepped in the clear and fired once and Britt fell away from the corner out into the yard so Willie with gun in hand walked to him and fired another shot into Britt; took another step and another shot and kept circuling him until the gun was empty so they took Britt into the house ; undressed him and placed him on the bed and I could plainly see that he was shot twice through the upper part of each arm; through each leg between the hip and the knee and once through the right lung and once through the left lung. The six cylinder revolver had placed every slug into the body or gone through it. This took place about four o'clock in the evening and he lived until one o'clock that night. Willie was convicted for manslaughter which should have been about eight years by Oskaloosa Court but he never served anything near his sentence even down to time off for good behavior for he was parolled and later had to report to the parole Board. I might add that Willie, unfortunately had a cork leg. 
The year is 1905 with payday over on a Saturday afternoon; people are moving about freely in all directions. There was a building just North of the railroad that Reuben Gaines Sr. had built for a shoe and clothing store and he was associated with Bill Shelton as pardner in the business with Charley Shelton of 21 who was a brother of Bill Shelton as manager. He fitted into this clerical work perfectly for when there was a groduation at school a few years ago, in a class of 20 there were only three that got diplomas; Charley Shelton; Liza Bates and Ulysses S. Carey. This Shoe Store was directly across the road in front of

Saving...

PAGE 8. Buxton rear ankles and had to be destroyed. On this same evening we were in our yard and noticed that a strange comottion was going on in the first house North of where we lived so we moved closer to find out what it was all about. The woman that rented the house was Mrs. Chocklet; she had a son 21 years old; a daughter of 18 and another son of 10 but she lived with a man named Britt for several years but in celebrating this day he had drunk too much and got abusive and totally mean; calling her by names other than the pet name of "Mollie" when he was sober. She said later that since it looked as if there might be violence with her being the victim; she sent for her son who was at Union town which was only four or five blocks away to come and try to calm Britt down but this only complicated matters and made things worse. Her son Willie brought his 32 caliber revolver with him thinking perhaps he may need it for protection; then what we first saw was each one moving around each corner of the square house so as not to give either an easy target. Now Willie is at the Northeast corner and Britt is at the Northwest corner but Willie must have stepped out a little too far for Britt with a 22 rifle must have made an accurate shot that is if he were aiming for the head for the bullet struck Willie about the middle of his chin or lodged or was deflected down by his neck. This seem to make him only more angry and caution was over so he stepped in the clear and fired once and Britt fell away from the corner out into the yard so Willie with gun in hand walked to him and fired another shot into Britt; took another step and another shot and kept circuling him until the gun was empty so they took Britt into the house ; undressed him and placed him on the bed and I could plainly see that he was shot twice through the upper part of each arm; through each leg between the hip and the knee and once through the right lung and once through the left lung. The six cylinder revolver had placed every slug into the body or gone through it. This took place about four o'clock in the evening and he lived until one o'clock that night. Willie was convicted for manslaughter which should have been about eight years by Oskaloosa Court but he never served anything near his sentence even down to time off for good behavior for he was parolled and later had to report to the parole Board. I might add that Willie, unfortunately had a cork leg. The year is 1905 with payday over on a Saturday afternoon; people are moving about freely in all directions. There was a building just North of the railroad that Reuben Gaines Sr. had built for a shoe and clothing store and he was associated with Bill Shelton as pardner in the business with Charley Shelton of 21 who was a brother of Bill Shelton as manager. He fitted into this clerical work perfectly for when there was a groduation at school a few years ago, in a class of 20 there were only three that got diplomas; Charley Shelton; Liza Bates and Ulysses S. Carey. This Shoe Store was directly across the road in front of