"Poor marksmanship" --- Trial "scrape" kills only one

 There's a good deal of disagreement these days about when it is and isn't appropriate to carry a weapon, but most agree that guns and courtrooms don't mix well (unless you're the sheriff).

That evidently was not the case down in Wayne County back in late August of 1884 when a gunfight broke out during magistrate court proceedings in a schoolhouse some distance southeast of Harvard, in Wayne County, resulting in one death. 

I came across a brief report of this while reading back issues of Chariton newspapers, then went to the Centerville Citizen of Sept. 3, 1884, for a few more details. I found no further reports regarding the incident.

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SHOOTING SCRAPE IN WAYNE COUNTY

A lively shooting scrape took place during a trial before Esq. Hull at the Fairview school house, six miles southeast of Harvard, on Wednesday morning. The trial was the State of Iowa vs. Ed Reed and George Estes for larceny.

It appears that some days ago Reed and Estes had pulled one C.P. Torrey off his horse and in the struggle that ensued, Torrey's revolver dropped from his pocket and was taken possession of by the other two. Later, Torrey saw them and demanded the return of the revolver, but they refused to give it to him and he had them arrested for larceny.

During the trial, Reed and Estes, the former armed with a revolver and the latter with a piece of board, made an attack upon Torrey, who  drew a revolver and an exhibition of poor marksmanship began. Twelve shots in all were fired at almost point blank range, and but four of them took effect.

Reed was shot in the side and is probably fatally wounded. Estes received a slight wound in the hand. Torrey was shot in the right shoulder but was not much hurt, and a bystander whose name we have not been able to learn received a ball in the hip. In the meantime court had adjourned sine die.

There has been bad feelings between the men for some time which has given rise to several acts of deviltry during the past year. One night last week while Torrey was in bed some persons unknown to him, but supposed to have been Reed and Estes, fired seven or eight shots into his house, but did not injure anyone. At the trial Wednesday, all the parties were armed and had evidently came primed for a row.

Reed, who was shot in the side, has since died and Torrey has left for parts unknown.