At about 1:30 a.m. on June 23, 1921, two men and a “woman of doubtful character,” were spending time together in Gibsland’s city park. Both men shared affectionate feelings for the woman and a quarrel ensued. The argument escalated until one of the men, who was described as being “a dangerous character,” pulled a pistol and shot the other man.
Deputy Sheriff C. Webb of Gibsland heard the gunshot and ran to the scene. An outbound freight train was just pulling out of Gibsland. Deputy Webb found a panicked woman and a man with a serious, possibly fatal, gunshot wound. Deputy Webb surveyed the scene and saw a man running away. The deputy took chase. The trigger man ran parallel to the freight train and jumped on it. Deputy Webb was too far away to catch up to the train. He could only watch as the shooter slipped away.
The identities of the two men and the “woman of doubtful character” were never revealed in local newspapers. Whether the injured man survived and whether the shooter was ever captured remains unclear.
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