Thomas Floyd
Arizona Silver Belt
December 5, 1891

A encounter took place on Sunday last in the boarding house at the 
Rescue Mine between Thomas Floyd, a miner and Charlie Sing, the 
Chinaman cook employed by the company, resulting in Floyd's 
being stabbed a few inches above and to the right of the left 
knee cap, cutting the large artery and causing death in a very 
few minutes from hemorrhage.

The gist of the evidence adduced at the coroner's inquest is as 
follows:
Thomas Floyd and partner, Bernard king, who lived not far from 
the boarding house, were preparing to start on a trip and having 
no bread, they asked Mr. Kimple, and then Larry Ryan who passed 
their cabin to get bread for them from the Chinaman.  Both men 
on their return stated that the Chinaman had refused to give 
them bread and had applied an insulting epithet to Floyd, 
charging the latter with stealing his quail.   Floyd at once 
left the cabin saying he was going to see the Chinaman.  King 
and Ryan testified that they did not see Floyd in the 
possession of a pistol while Kimple swears that Floyd put a 
gun on before he started.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Sultan and their three sons, Harry, George 
and Edgar, who had accompanied Supt. L.J. Webster to the mine 
were the only witnesses to what occurred from the entry of Floyd 
into the dining room until the pistol was drawn. Mr. and Mrs. 
Sultan were sitting at a table near the door opening into the 
kitchen.  They testified that Floyd entered the dining room, 
passed by them into the kitchen where the Chinaman sat peeling 
potatoes and after some remark about quail, commended striking 
the Chinaman with his fist.  He struck him ten or twelve times 
before Mr. Sultan reached the kitchen door, intending to stop 
the quarrel.  

As Mr. Sultan reached them Floyd stepped back and drew his 
pistol when the Chinaman caught his arm and the muzzle of the 
weapon was diverted in the direction of Mrs. Sultan. Mr. Sulton, 
alarmed for the safety of his wife, hurried her out of the 
building and there were no witnesses to what transpired after 
their exit.  When Supt. Webster and mine foreman L. Lynch 
entered tow or three minutes later they found Floyd expiring, 
lying on the dining room floor in a pool of blood.

At the examination of Charlie Sing yesterday before Justice Cook, 
there was no important evidence introduced further than that 
brought out at the coroner's inquest which showed that the 
Chinaman acted in self defense and therefore he was discharged.

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