N&W in 1911--The Wild West (Virginia)

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
May 2, 1911

FIRES ACROSS TUG RIVER WITH DEADLY AIM
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Second Shot From Charlie Daniels' Gun Ends Life of William Davis
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LATTER HAD RIFLE AND WAS RUNNING AMUCK
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Had Fired into Norfolk and Western Extra Force and is Also Said to Have Shot at Two Women Across the River
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VILLIFIED [sic] AND THREATENED TO KILL MAN WHO KILLED HIM
    Devon, W. Va., May 1. (Special)--Firing across Tug River, west of here this afternoon, Charlie Daniels killed William Davis.
    About 3:30 o'clock this afternoon Davis and another man named Evans entered this town very much intoxicated.  They entered the Hotel Savoy saloon and were quarreling and trying to fight.  Elias Simpkins took charge of Evans, taking him out the back entrance, in order to separate them.  Davis watched his opportunity and grabbed a Winchester rifle from  behind the bar, backing out of the front door with the gun cocked.  He then started west, firing into a Norfolk and Western extra force at work just west of Devon station.  The shots did not take effect, however.
    Davis went on west and told Signal Maintainer Williams, who was at the Norfolk and Western signal power house just west of Devon, that he had killed a man and asked him where he could hide.  Williams told him to "keep on going west."  It is thought he was of the opinion that he had shot some one of the extra force.
    Davis went on west, shooting at random, and near the home of Charlie Daniels, it is claimed, he shot at two women across the river.  Mr. Daniels asked him what he meant and Davis began cursing him, saying he would kill him.  Mr. Daniels then ran to his home from where he was working in the field and fired twice at Davis across the river, the second shot taking effect through the neck, killing him instantly.
    Mr. Denies notified prosecuting attorney at Williamson of what he had done and that he was ready to give himself up.
    Two men are watching the body of Davis tonight and the coroner will come from Williamson tomorrow morning and take charge of the body.
    It is thought that Davis was from Naugatuck.
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[The reference to a signal power house and various photos from that era indicate that the N&W had to generate its own power for the signals, even in less remote areas such as the Norfolk Division, obviously because commercial power was not available then along the railroad.]

Gordon Hamilton
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