"I was standing in the doorway of Sam French's
cigar store as Brann and Ward reached it. They had
just passed the doorway, going toward Austin Street,
when Davis appeared with a gun in his hand. He fired
at once. I could not see Brann at this time. Davis
fired the first shot and immediately I heard another shot,
I suppose from Brann, and almost simultaneously a second
shot from Davis. As the latter fired the first shot Ward
jumped and grabbed the muzzle of Davis' gun. He let
go as the shot was fired. He did not have a gun. I
backed away from the door. The shooting was thick and
fast. Davis fell back at the door of French's as Brann
fired the last shot and his gun dropped from his grasp.
John Williams, who appeared quickly, grabbed it, and
screening himself with the door-facing of the cigar store,
tried twice to shoot it and then somebody grabbed him."
W. W. Dugger, employed in the feed store of J. P.
Nichols, on North Second Street, said:
"I was talking with Policeman Sam Hall at the alley
next to the Cotton Belt ticket office when the first shot
was fired. We were close to the scene. I glanced
instantly in that direction and saw Tom Davis with a
smoking pistol in his hand. At the same time I saw
Brann turn around and face Davis, from whom he appeared
to be distant about fifteen feet, I should judge.
He fired and fired again almost at the same time. In the
meantime, the man with Brann, whom I learned afterward
was Ward, had rushed up and caught Davis and it
seemed as if he struggled with him a moment. When
Brann fired a second shot, Davis fell. Ward had turned
him loose at this time. Davis rolled over and over on
the sidewalk and fired, I think, two shots while he was
down. While he was rolling over, Brann kept shooting at
him as fast as he could work the trigger. Mr. Ward did
not fire a shot. I saw the whole affair and know that
he did not and he did not exhibit a weapon of any kind.
He slipped back close to the building when he let go of
Davis, and when the shooting was over walked up the
street. I saw a man come out of Williams' place and
make an effort to get Davis' pistol. I can't say whether
or not he got it. I don't know where he went. Policeman
had reached the scene and arrested Brann."
Policeman Sam Hall said:
"I was standing in front of George Willig's office at
the alley and Fourth Street on the same side of the street
and say forty or forty-five feet away from the place
where the shooting took place. I was talking to Mr.
Dugger and was standing out on the sidewalk. Some
four or five minutes before the shooting occurred I looked
across the street and saw Brann and Ward standing in
front of the haberdasher store of L. Krauss, and at that
time Davis passed them and went on a couple of doors
and stepped inside of the storeroom at that point. I
then looked away, not having any idea at all of any
trouble, but just happened to see them. The next thing
I noticed was the men were close together in front of
French's newsstand with Davis between me and Brann
and Ward. The first of the trouble I saw Davis had his
pistol in his hand and instantly fired. Brann whirled and
commenced firing at Davis. I immediately started to
them, but had to work my way in and out of one door to
the other and work my way along the wall of the building,
as Brann was shooting directly toward me all the
time. I hallooed several times at them to stop shooting,
and just before I reached them Davis fell on the sidewalk
and Brann was still shooting. Davis attempted to
rise and Ward caught Davis by the shoulders and pulled
him back down on the sidewalk. Davis turned with his
face towards Brann and kept trying to fire, but his pistol
snapped. I jumped over Davis and caught Brann and
took the pistol out of his hands. Brann's pistol is a
Colts .41, latest improved, and was loaded all around
and all chambers were freshly fired. When I caught
Brann, Ward was standing up by the wall holding his
hand that was shot. I saw Ward fire no shots and I saw
no pistol in his hand. I then started with Brann to the
city hall, and as I crossed the street towards the Citizens
National Bank, Police Officer Durie came up and assisted
me in taking Brann on to the city hall."
* * *
BRANN'S DEATH.