Clay County AlArchives News.....Shooting at Ashland Baptist Church July 20, 1899
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Linda Ayres http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007674 January 21, 2023, 10:37 pm

People's Party July 20, 1899
Last night about 9 o'clock, at the Baptist Church at this place, John Sims, 
clerk in the office of the Probate Judge of this county shot and seriously 
wounded "Bud" Pace, a carpenter, who lives in this place. After lingering for 
about 26 hours dead at 11:20 Friday night. 
From what can be learned of the matter it appears that Mr. Pace said something 
to Mr. Sims in church, just about the time prayer meeting services were to 
begin, joking him about telephones which are in the Probate Judge's. office, to 
which Sims made rather a sharp reply. 
Just after prayer meeting closed Pace walked up to Sims, saying that he wanted 
to see him (Sims.) They walked off around the church, and after a minute or so a 
pistol shot was heard, and shortly thereafter Pace came towards the front of the 
church, saying to some of the boys standing there. "Boys, John Sims has shot 
me". 
The young men then assisted Pace, who had fallen in the meantime, and who was 
bleeding profusely, to the nearest house, and a physician was called who 
pronounced the wound a serious, but not necessarily fatal, one. The ball entered 
about the middle point of the upper part of the chest, and ranged backward 
obliquely to the left, presumably striking the shoulder joint, as the wounded 
man complains of great pain in his left shoulder and arm. 
He was promptly moved to the home of Mr. E. R. Pittard here. It appears that the 
ball penetrated the left lung. It is not known what was said by Sims and Pace 
just before the shooting after they walked away from the church. 
He suffered through the night but bore it with heroic fortitude at 2 o'clock 
Friday morning the Phisician told him there was no chance for him to live. He 
sent Sims word that day that although he knew he would have to die, he forgave 
him and hoped John would meet him in the better world. He also said he hoped the 
way he had been cut off would be a been warning to the young people, of the 
terrible uncertainly of life. 
The young man Sims who did the shooting was arrested at the home of his father, 
in the edge of town, and was put in jail to await his preliminary trial.

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