Tombstone Hearing, Jekyll Island and The Federal Reserve Bank

Continue excerpts Spicer hearing..

After District Attorney Price finished questioning Allen, defense attorney Fitch stepped forward.

Tom Fitch’s first question in his cross-examination of Billy Allen was, "When you first got to Fremont Street, where was the Earp party?"

"Between Fly's building and the next house. The Earp's had already passed down Fremont Street when I got there."

"What were the first words you heard spoken between the two parties -- the Earp's and Holliday and the Clanton,s and McLowry’s?"

"I heard Tom McLowry say, ‘I haven’t got any arms."

“Where were you at that time?” Tom Fitch asked.

“I was standing about ten feet away, in front of Fly’s building.”

“When Tom McLowry said he hadn’t any arms, did he make any kind of gesture or movement?”

“He held the lapels of his coat open.”

"Did anyone other than Tom McLowry say anything?"

"Billy Clanton held up his hands and said, 'I don't want to fight."'

Doc nudged Wyatt and whispered, "Allen just said Billy Clanton held up his hands. Like hell he did. He was holding a six gun and was pointing it at either you or Virg."

Wyatt nodded and pointed to himself.

Tom Fitch stared at the witness. "Did you see the first shot -- who fired it?"

"The first shot came from the Earp party, the smoke came from Doc Holliday."

"I don't understand." Tom Fitch looked directly into Allen's eyes. "Are you saying Doc Holliday fired the first shot?"

"Well, I saw Doc swing his hand up and then I saw the smoke come from him and hearing the shot and seeing the smoke I just think it came from the Earp party."

"But you did not see Doc Holliday fire the first shot. You just think because some smoke swirled around at that time that it was Doc Holliday who fired the shot. You were behind the Earp party and couldn't see a thing. Maybe it was Billy Clanton that fired the first shot." Tom Fitch then said neutrally, "Who fired the second shot?"

"I did not see it, but I know from the sound that the second shot was fired from a shotgun. When the shotgun went off, Tom McLowry threw his hands up to his breast."

"What did you do when the firing commenced?"

"I ducked between the buildings, I got out of the way, quick!"

Wyatt turned to Doc. "Sounds to me like he used pretty good gumption, ducking in between the buildings."

"He might duck well, but he can't count for beans." Doc grinned. "If I'd fired the Parker when he said I did, the horse would have caught the buckshot, not Tom. And something else, Tom had already fired at Morg and was lining up another shot when I unloaded on him."

Tom Fitch softened his approach and gently said, "Now, when you were back on Allen Street with Mr. Coleman. You say he walked away and gestured you to come along and you said, 'I don't want to see it."' Then the attorney snapped. "You didn’t want to see what?"

"I didn't want to see the quarrel, I knew there would be one."

"Quarrel?" Tom Fitch said mockingly. "No. It was not a quarrel you were concerned about. There was to be a gunfight and you were privy to that information. You knew the cowboy's plans didn't you?"
"I object. I strenuously object, Your Honor." The district attorney blurted out, "Mr. Fitch is badgering the witness."

"Calm down, Mr. Price." The judge gestured toward the overwrought attorney. "Objection sustained. Mr. Risley, strike Mr. Fitch's last remark from the record."

Tom Fitch grinned. "I have no further questions for this witness, Your Honor.”

Excerpts from Judge Spicer's hearing.
(To be continued).

Jekyll Island Club Part 2

The charter members of the club didn't want a palatial and socially suffocating Newport. As a matter of fact a few years later when Palm Beach was in it infancy they scoffed at the p retention of it.
What the members wanted was a place to get away from the rigors of the business world.

Originally the Jekyll Island Club was a hunting club. They imported English phesants and legend has it that Italy sent them several dozen wild boar. The island already had turkey's, deer, alligators, spiders, snakes, scorpions, ticks and an especially pesky bug called the sand fly.

There were no roads across the great salt marsh that shields Jekyll Island from the outside world and it was just as well because that's the way the millionaires wanted it. At both ends of the island were posted armed guards and patrol boats on the river kept out strangers.

On March 20, 1899 President McKinley arrived on the island to enlist the millionaires support for his reelection. He arrived as a guest, but because the president was not a member of the club he was considered a stranger to the island. And according to strict club rules the president could only stay two weeks.

Few Georgians even knew McKinley was in the state, although one of men he talked to was Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of a chain of very influential newspapers. Of course Pulitzer kept his mouth shut because of another club rule forbidding any personal or hard news from leaving the island.

The members desire to socialize only among themselves did not necessarily mean that they were always friendly toward one another.

These were powerful men and they had powerful enemies. One member that William Rockefeller absolutely detested was his next door neighbor John Pierpont Morgan, and Mr. Rockefeller didn't care too much for his son junior either.

But all in all the millionaires got along with about the same level of acrimony as any other large family.

There was a beautiful inter faith chapel where the members worshiped, gave their children in marriage and they had at least one funeral. Two English bus boys were drowned in the surf and they were buried on the island.

Probably the most valuable treasure left over from the millionaires era were two stained glass windows in the chapel. One was crafted and signed by Louis Tiffany and the other was done by Maitland Armstrong. They were stunning pieces of art given to the club by members and are considered priceless.

But even with that beautiful chapel and its stained glass windows social life on Jekyll did not center around the church. Most social intercourse between the millionaires and their families centered around the bridge table, club house, billiard room or a stroll through the gardens. Talks in the parlor were about children, servants, friends and fashions.

But despite the informality of life on the island a sense of money was always present. And to put that into perspective, we are reminded that a number of the members of the Jekyll Island Club would also play a psrt in the founding of The Federal Reserve Bank

(To be continued)

Writers Notebook:

Inside the front flap of my writer’s notebook are several notes and among them is one that always makes me stop and think.

‘What is the single most important piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about writing?’

I’m not quite sure, but this note contained in that same flap is high on the list. Stephen King once said, ‘I write about four hours a day – first draft – just write. Let it all hang out – don’t stop for misspelled words – punctuation – nothing. Let the passion and heat of the moment take charge. And don’t rewrite that same day. Write in am and rewrite in pm – no, no, no. Leave it alone, at least overnight.’

About the Author

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com