 Fort Worth Daily Gazette
Fort Worth, Texas Thursday, October 6, 1892 pg 3 WILL NEVER MONKEY MORE. Sherman, Tex., Oct. 5 - (Special) - The killing of Barney Way by S. W. Van Wagoner, which occurred about midnight last night, is the absorbing topic on the streets to-day. Four balls were fired into deceased's body and he lived only a few minutes. The affray was brought about by family troubles, Van Wagoner believing that Way had despoiled his home. As he raised his pistol Van Wagoner said: "You will never monkey with another man's wife."  Fort Worth Daily Gazette Fort Worth, Texas Friday, October 7, 1892 pg 5 Taken From Potter's Field Sherman, Tex., Oct. 6 - (Special) - Barney Way, the barber who was shot and killed here by S. F. Van Wagoner over some family troubles, was buried in Potter's Field, but the sporting fraternity to-day dug up the remains, dressed them in a new suit of clothing and gave him a Christian burial in the city cemetery, conducted by a Baptist clergyman. The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, October 9, 1892 SHERMAN TRAGEDY Barney Way, a Barber, Shot Down by Van Waggoner, Another Barber Tuesday night about 10 o'clock, Sanford Van Waggoner, a barber, who has a shop in Sherman on the north side of the square, entered Charles Bay's saloon on North Travis street, stepping around the partition screen and fired 4 shots in rapid succession at Barney Way. Way wheeled around, reeled and fell, but in a moment got to his feet and ran, spitting out great mouthfuls of blood as he went, finally falling and expiring in the rear court of the saloon. Van Waggoner walked out on the street, and when arrested by Policeman James Anderson, still had the pistol in his hand. He had very little to say, but the few words he said to the officers were enough to show that domestic trouble was at the bottom of it all. The limp and blood-covered body of the dead man was placed on an improvised stretcher and taken to the undertaking establishment of A. Harrington. There was an idle throng on the streets for a while until the undertaker locked his door, the saloon in which it occurred closed and then the excitement died out. Some months since the deceased was first employed by Van Waggoner to work in his barber shop on the north side of the square. Two or 3 weeks ago he was finally discharged from employment at the shop, and since that time he has been at work for J.B. Beaver, on North Travis street. Van Waggoner was seen at his cell this morning by a reporter and in substance he said: "Eighteen years ago I was married to my second wife, Mahala Moffatt, in Wise county. I think that I have always loved her better than my own life, and notwithstanding the recent shadows that have in the past rested over our home, I have ever lived in the hopes of reconciliation and peace. Yes, we had some trouble at Ft. Worth, but in that I am the most to blame. Unfortunately in a strange city my wife became acquainted with some women against whom there was much talk, and before it could be stopped my wife's name was tangled up in the gossip, but that is a part of the dead past, and it is neither here nor there in the events which directly lead up to the affair last night. We, that is, my wife and I, had a little quarrel. It started off insignificantly at first and finally ended in a regular old family household quarrel. I began to suspicion Barney Way of being a go-between - that is, a tale bearer. He was discharged from my employ because I could not trust him with the money. I was not, however, until a week, or about that matter ago, that gathering circumstances convinced me that I had formed the right impression in regard to Way. "Last night at about 9 o'clock I met Way on the street and we had quite a conversation about George Kolb. I did not mention my suspicions to him. I went home and took a paper with me. My wife and I have not been getting along very nicely, but it was in hopes that I could please her in some way and thereby make it possible for reconciliation that I had taken this paper with an interesting item in it to her. She did not take the paper from me. I pulled off my clothes, but I never went to bed. A perfect frenzy of unrest took possession of me. I dressed an came back up town. I was not really away of where I was going or what I wanted to do. I went into the place where I found him (Way). I did not go in there with the intent to kill him, but the sight of him drove me frantic with an incontrollable desire to kill him, and you tell me I did so. Nothing that I may have said do I wish you to construe as a charge against the fidelity of my wife. Oh, God, I would rather die than to know that our differences were irreconcilable." The prisoner was deeply agitated as he spoke. He is a man of perhaps 47 years of age, is a native of Missouri, served through the war as a Union soldier. He has 5 children, all sons. They lived in various places in Texas but came from Galena, Kansas, to Sherman about a year ago. Van Waggoner is a member of the Christian church and is a very devout man, often holding services. He is a member of the G.A.R. and is now drawing a pension. The deceased was a man of perhaps 32 years of age. His home was originally in Michigan. From thence he went to Wichita, Kansas, where his wife died and left him with 2 little children, who are now in the hands of some of his relatives, whose whereabouts no one in Sherman knows. Neither are the whereabouts of his people in Michigan known.  The Galveston Daily News Galveston, Texas Saturday, December 3, 1892 pg 6 STATE SPECIALS CONDENSED The Van Wagner murder trial is in progress at Sherman. The Austin Weekly Statesman Austin, Texas Thursday, December 8, 1892 pg 7 Van Wagoner Convicted. Special to The Statesman Sherman, Dec. 3 - The jury in the S.J. Van Wagoner case for the murder of Barney Way returned a verdict this evening finding him guilty in the second degree and assessing his punishment at five years in the penitentiary. Convict Record, Texas State Penitentiary, 1875 - 1945 at Huntsville, Walker County, Texas
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