Harris County GaArchives Obituaries.....Beall, Leonidas A . January 3, 1884
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Meredith Clapper http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00012.html#0002801 November 13, 2017, 5:37 pm

Columbus Daily Enquirer 5 Jan 1884 p 4 
A Fatal Shot

A Former Columbus Young Man Killed at Chipley-
The Crime Regarded as Murder-The Criminal Attempts
To Escape But Is Captured.

News reached this city yesterday morning of a sad tragedy which was enacted at
Chipley, the terminus of the Columbus and Rome railroad, Thursday night.  Robert
Lynn, of Montgomery, Ala., and Leonidas A. Ball (sic), of Atlanta, had been
hunting during the day, and report says both drank freely.  They returned to
Chipley in the afternoon and spent the evening together visiting different
places in the town.  About 11 o'clock at night Beall proposed to Lynn that they
should visit the room of Mayor Charles G. Flournoy, but Lynn declined and told
Beall that it would be better to go to his (Beall's) room and retire.  Beall
agreed and they went together to the McGruder House where he was stopping.  They
retired to Beall's room and about 12 o'clock the proprietor of the house, Mr.
Lee M. McGruder, was aroused by loud cursing in the room.  He went to the door
and attempted to enter but found that it was locked.  He asked for admission,
but Lynn replied that if he wanted to get in he could kick the door down. 
McGruder then went on the outside of the house and entered the room through a
window.  When he got in Beall requested him to look at his pocket-book, which
was lying on the bed, and see if the money was all right.  McGruder picked up
the book, but as he did so, Lynn renewed his abuse of Beal (sic), and they ran
together.  McGruder threw the pocket-book on the floor and turned his attention
to separating the two men.  He caught hold of Lynn and forced him out of the
room and shut the door, leaving Beall in the room alone.  Lynn, who had drawn a
revolver, then fired at the door against which Beall was leaning.  The first
shot burned McGruders hand, which was on the knob, and bursted the lock to
pieces.  He fired again, the second shot passing through the door, and striking
Beall in the right side, passed through his bowels.  The ball was afterward
found lodged against the skin on the left side of the body.

As soon as Lynn fired the second shot McGruder left him and ran into the street
to call the town marshal.  In the meantime, the inmates of the house had been
aroused.  A gentleman who was sleeping in the next room says he heard Lynn go
into Beall's room after McGruder left, and after a minute or two, came on and
went down stairs.  At the front door he met Prof. W. L. Palmer and told him that
he had knocked Beall down in self-defense; that Beall had knocked all of his
teeth out.  He insisted that Palmer should feel of his (Lynn's)mouth and see
that his teeth were gone.  Palmer did as requested, but found no teeth missing.
 Lynn then passed out of the front door and made his escape before the marshal
reached the scene. 

The gentleman who roomed next to Beall says that when he was awaken by loud
talking, he heard Beall say "you cannot leave this room with my money."  Lynn
then cursed and abused Beall terribly until the attention of the proprietor of
the house was attracted.  The gentleman says he heard the shooting, and got up
and dressed.  He entered Beall's room with Professor Palmer and found Beall in
his nightclothes, feeling about on the bed and asking for his money, which could
be found nowhere.  He did not seem to realize that he had been shot.  Beall was
placed on his bed and physicians were summoned, and upon examination of his
wound, they pronounced it fatal.  Beall lingered until 2:30 o'clock yesterday
afternoon, at which time a special to this paper states that he died. 

It is thought by many, so we learn, that Lynn had gone to Beal's room for the
purpose of getting possession of about $225 which the latter had and which Lynn
had seen him exhibit during the night.  It is supposed that when Beall retired
Lynn took the money and started to leave the room with it but was detected by
Beall, who had not fallen asleep, as Lynn doubtless supposed.  The detection
gave rise to the quarrel between the two which resulted fatally to Beall. 

As soon as the citizens of Chipley realized the nature of the crime which had
been committed within the gates of their usually quiet town, they became
indignant and determined to capture the perpetrator if possible.  Early
yesterday morning a posse of citizens went out to scour the country in search of
him.  Mayor Flournoy telegraphed Mayor Grimes, of this city, asking him to use
all diligence in assisting in the arrest of Lynn.  Telegrams containing a
description of Lynn were sent to numerous towns and cities. Lynn was seen at 2
o'clock yesterday afternoon on the mountain near Chipley, but succeeded in
evading arrest for the time being.  A special to the Enquirer-Sun, received last
night from Chipley, states that Lynn had been captured by Messrs. James Crawford
and Robert Bullock and is now in prison at Chipley under guard. 

Lynn, who did the shooting, is known by many of our readers.  He is an
Englishman by birth and about thirty-five years of age.  He was for some time
employed on the Western Road of Alabama, but was discharged by Mr. Gabbett not
long since on account of his love for drink.  He is said to be a very polished
man when sober, but is very overbearing when drunk.  He enjoys the unenviable
reputation of having killed or shot two or three men.

Leonidas A. Beall, the murdered young man, was well known in Columbus, having
been employed at the Lowell warehouse here several years.  Recently he had been
traveling for the firm of Johnson and Caverly, of Atlanta.  The money which he
had in his possession, and which could not be found in the room after Lynn's
disappearance, belonged to the firm.  "Lon," as he was famlilarly (sic) called,
was about 25 years of age.  He was born and raised in Hamilton, Ga., and was a
son of Mrs. Ann Eliza Beall who now lives at Waverly Hall, and who has a host of
friends who sincerely sympathize with her in the sad affliction. He was a nephew
of Hon J W Murphey, Mr. Robert A. Murphey, and Charles E Murphey of Atlanta, S R
Murphey of Hamilton, and Prof Walter E Murphey of Cusseta.  While he had his
faults, he was nevertheless a young man of generous impulses and diligent in
business, and he had many friends who will be grieved to hear of his tragic and
untimely death. 

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