The Complete Works of Brann, the Iconoclast — Volume 12 — John Shaqi
The Complete Works of Brann, the Iconoclast — Volume 12Brann, William Cowper
History
The Complete Works of Brann, the Iconoclast — Volume 12
Brann, William Cowper
Brann, William Cowper, 1855-1898; Essays; Reformers
Friday afternoon, November 19, 1897, marked a
street duel and tragedy in which two men were killed,
one lost an arm, and an innocent by-stander was injured.
Friday afternoon, April 1st, 1898, within an hour of
the time of the first tragedy, and within a half block of
the locality of the other, W. C. Brann and Tom E.
Davis engaged in a street duel in which each of them was
mortally wounded, and three others received slight
wounds. Four fatalities within five months of each other
are bloody records in the history of the city of Waco,
all of which can be traced to the same source, all of which
were born of the same cause. The publication last
year in the ICONOCLAST and the incidents following the
publication are well known. They have been published
far and wide, the kidnaping of Brann, the assault upon
him by the Scarboroughs, the Gerald-Harris affair, and
the hurried departure of Brann on one occasion. During
all these incidents Tom E. Davis was an outspoken citizen
of Waco. He denounced the author of the ICONOCLAST
articles and said he should be run out of town
and had continued throughout it all to condemn the
"Apostle." This caused bad blood between them, and
although Davis had remained in the city all the time,
and Brann had been on the street constantly, there had
been no outbreak or conflict. Each knew the feeling of
the other in the matter. Such are incidents preceding
the shooting and leading up to it.
. . .
To trace the movements of the two men during Friday
afternoon appears easy at first, but as the investigator
proceeds in his search for information he meets conflicting
statements. Tom Davis left his office on South
Fourth Street, No. 111, about 5 o'clock or a few
minutes later. Brann, accompanied by W. H. Ward, his
business manager, is alleged to have been standing at
the corner of Fourth and Franklin Streets as Davis
passed to the postoffice corner, en route to the transfer
stables. In his ante mortem statement Davis says that
he heard Brann remark, "There is the s----of a b----
who caused my trouble." Davis didn't stop or resent the
insult, but passed on. Soon after he called on James I.
Moore at his office in the Pacific Hotel building and
together they were discussing the city campaign. According
to Mr. Moore's statement, he was standing with his
back to the south facing the door and was looking toward
Austin Avenue. Davis was facing him, his back to the
avenue, and in a position which prevented him seeing
anyone approaching from Austin Avenue. Brann and
his companion approached coming south, and as they
passed, Mr. Moore says, Brann halted, looked him
squarely in the face and passed on. Davis did not see
the editor and his manager, as he chanced to turn
just as they came up and as it happened he kept his back
to the "Apostle" and his companion. From Mr. Moore's
office, Davis passed into the Pacific Hotel bar and thence
to his office. Brann and Ward soon after returned to
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