THOMAS WELCH.

The following “Welch” could be Thomas Welch.

Welch & Stubblefield...Winfield.

Winfield Courier, November 15, 1883.

Messrs. Welch & Stubblefield have purchased the Ninth Avenue Restaurant. They make popular caterers, and Saturday night their restaurant was the general rendezvous for all the hungry. They set a first-class lunch at very reasonable rates.

Tom Welch & Ed. Burdette...

Winfield Courier, September 18, 1884.

Welch & Burdette have moved their lunch counter to the Mendenhall building, several doors east of their former stand.

                                [Above item showed “Bourdette,” which was wrong.]

Winfield Courier, October 16, 1884.

Ed. Burdette has purchased the interest of his partner, Mr. Welch, in Ninth Avenue Lunch Room and is now going it alone. Ed. is a rustling man in his business and will win.

Winfield Courier, October 23, 1884.

Dissolution Notice. NOTICE is hereby given that the partnership heretofore existing between Welch & Burdette, in the lunch counter and confectionery business, has been dissolved by mutual consent, Ed. Burdette continuing in business.

                                              TOM WELCH, ED. BURDETTE.

October 17, 1884.

Thomas Welch & Skinner...

Winfield Courier, October 30, 1884.

Messrs. Welch & Skinner have purchased the Parlor Lunch Room on West Main, between 9th and 10th avenue. Mr. Welch has a good reputation as a caterer and the firm will have no trouble in securing their share of patronage.

R. A. Welch and Thos. Welch...

                                         Abstract of County Auditor’s Report.

Winfield Courier, Thursday, January 1, 1885.

The following is an abstract of the report of the claims allowed by the County Auditor for the month of November, A. D., 1884.

                             [Report Showed To Whom/For What/Claimed/Allowed.]

                                                  R. A. Welch. Road damages.

                                                  Thos. Welch. Road damages.

                                                    A FATAL ACCIDENT!

                             From the Sleep That Invigorates to That of Eternity.

                          Thomas Welch, an Old Soldier and a Pioneer of Cowley,

            Instantly Killed in His Bed by the Accidental Discharge of a Six-Shooter

                                            In the Hands of Chas. F. Skinner.

Winfield Courier, Thursday, January 29, 1885.

The tranquility of last Sunday morning was broken by an accident that ushered the soul of Thos. Welch, with scarcely a moment’s warning, into that undiscovered country from whence no traveler returns. The victim of this unfortunate accident, with Charles Skinner, William Kelly, and Frank Harrod, occupied a room over Hudson Bros. Jewelry Store. They retired on Saturday night, leaving two large six-shooters, which had been in the room for several weeks, on a box in the center of the room. In the southeast corner of the room was a bed on which Welch and Kelly slept, and in the northeast corner one on which Skinner and Harrod slept. Skinner arose first, about 8 o’clock Sunday morning, and began to clean up the room. Harrod soon followed and while putting on his clothes, with his back to Skinner, the latter picked up the revolvers to move them onto another box against the wall. As he raised the one in his right hand, a huge 44-calibre, it mysteriously discharged, and simultaneous with the report, Welch, who was still in bed, though supposed to be awake, threw the cover off his head and exclaimed, “My God, you have shot me through the heart! I am killed!!” Skinner dropped both revolvers to the floor, turned white as a sheet, and advanced to the bedside of Welch. Kelly, who was lying on the back of the bed in a sleepy stupor, raised up and looking Welch in the face said, “You’re not shot, are you Tom!” but the lips were speechless and the spirit had flown. Skinner seemed terribly grief-stricken over the awful accident and gave himself into official custody. Coroner H. W. Marsh was summoned, a jury empaneled composed of Messrs. T. H. Soward, J. W. Arrowsmith, F. M. Pickens, C. M. Leavitt, A. B. Taylor and O. M. Seward, and an inquest held, developing the facts as given above and resulting in a verdict of accidental death. Drs. W. S. Mendenhall and S. R. Marsh examined the body and ascertained that the bullet entered the left side between the fourth and fifth ribs, severed several arteries just above the heart, crashed through the breast to the collar bone, and lodged in the base of the brain. It was one of the wickedest wounds, splintered the bones terribly, and it is supposed that the victim hardly realized what had struck him before life was extinct. The evidence as drawn from the witnesses by County Attorney Asp indicated that the revolver was laid on the box cocked, as neither was a self-actor and could not have discharged without the trigger drawn; but neither of the remaining occupants of the room could testify to having cocked it. Skinner and Welch ran the Palace lunch room, on West Main, for about two months; but about a month ago, they sold out to Kelly, though both still remained around the place as occasional assistants. No witness testified to knowledge of other than amicable feelings having ever existed between any of these parties.

Thomas Welch was born in Morgan County, Ohio, and he was in his forty-second year. In 1869 he was married at Olathe, Kansas, to Adell T. Hoyt, who died six years ago near Arkansas City, leaving a girl, who is now nine years old and living in Pratt County. He served three years in the 13th Kansas Volunteer Infantry and was in several of the hardest Southern battles. He was a member of Winfield Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, whose members took charge of the body and conducted the funeral. He was also a member of our battery. Mr. L. F. Blodget, who married a sister to the unfortunate man’s wife, was summoned from Wellington. The deceased came to Cowley in 1871 and settled on Grouse creek. He was honorable, affable, and highly esteemed, and his sad death causes much regret, especially among his old comrades-in-arms.

Thomas Welch funeral...

Winfield Courier, Thursday, January 29, 1885.

The Baptist Church was crowded to overflowing Tuesday, for the funeral services of Thomas Welch, and Rev. Reider preached a most eloquent and forcible sermon. The Grand Army had charge of the obsequies.

Minor heir of Thomas Welch, deceased...

Winfield Courier, Thursday, January 29, 1885.

L. F. Blodget, of Wellington, has been appointed guardian of minor heir of Thomas Welch, deceased, and J. F. Miller appointed guardian of estate of Wm. A. Wright, a minor; letters of former guardian having been revoked.

Thomas Welch, Winfield, Shooting...

Arkansas City Republican, January 31, 1885.

Prof. Limerick was down from Winfield Monday and informed us of the facts concerning the shooting of Thomas Welch, Sunday morning, which is substantially as follows.

The shooting occurred at his boarding house. Four occupants were in the room at the time. Curley Skinner, one of the four men who were sleeping in the room arose and went to move a box from the middle of the room, on which lay two six-shooters, one of which was accidentally discharged, the 44-calibre ball entering Welch’s body near the heart, killing him almost instantly. Mr. Welch was buried under the auspices of the G. A. R. He was an old soldier and a pioneer of Cowley County.

Thomas Welch...

                     AN INTERESTING COMMUNICATION ON FIRE-ARMS.

Winfield Courier, Thursday, February 5, 1885.

While attending the inquest upon the body of Thomas Welch, the victim of the sad accident in Winfield on Sunday last, in which one man was in a moment ushered into the unseen, and another must carry to the grave the sad thought that in some way he was responsible, although conscious that he had committed no crime, there was much speculation as to how it could have happened without intention, and there are some who will affect to believe, or who are so constituted that they cannot help but believe that the shot was intentional, and that the jury did not do their duty in deciding it an accident. In fact, one of the prominent citizens of the city told me he was not satisfied with the investigation, unless some vague rumors of a quarrel between the men were examined into.

The testimony was skillfully handled by our acute prosecuting attorney, upon the theory that a terrible crime had been committed, and yet all who heard the testimony through were thoroughly satisfied that by some means the revolver was left with the hammer raised, and that Skinner did not notice it, and accidentally pressed the trigger when he lifted the pistol from the box. Col. Soward asked Skinner if he did not put his finger on the trigger? And he answered: “I must have, but I didn’t know it.”

The idea seems to prevail that fire-arms will not go off unless the lock is tampered with, and that a loaded gun with the hammer down is as safe as a stick of wood. It is also well known that the majority of accidents happen by pointing guns at others, with “I didn’t know it was loaded.”

An accident that happened to me today causes me to write this letter.

I have been familiar with the use—and danger—of fire-arms for forty years, and only from the fact of my carefully noting all the facts as I give them, and coming so soon after the inquest as above, am I impelled to give my experience to the public, hoping it will throw light upon some points in other cases.

I took up a double-barreled gun today and carried it across the room. I observed the lock and saw the cap was on the left side and the hammer down; the right-hand barrel was empty. I set the gun down carefully, and got out the ammunition, poured some powder in my hand, and proceeded to load the empty barrel. I set the gun before me in the room, with the locks from me, looked carefully to see that I was correct, and poured the powder into the right-hand barrel. I had just taken away my hand when there was a deafening explosion. For a moment I was confused, my forehead felt numb, my face smarted, and I put up my hand to see if the top of my head was safe. I found the only damage I had sustained was the burning of part of the eye-lashes of my left eye, and slight singeing of my hair, but there was a hole in the chamber floor over my head that I could put three fingers through, and the left-hand barrel was empty.

I know I did not hit the lock against anything, and the concussion of setting the gun on the floor did not set it off, as I put it down carefully, and it stood several seconds before it exploded, and I presume that if my head had been torn to pieces I should have been called a suicide, or very careless.

I never met with such an accident before, but it explains to my mind several mysterious accidents in the past, notably the one cited above, and the shooting, by himself, of C. L. Vallandingham several years ago. I think probably the motion in moving the gun disturbed some electrical condition obtained by decomposition of chemicals in the powder and compound in the cap. I cannot rationally make any other explanation, and I do not remember of ever seeing such a case as mine in print; but accidental explosions with fire-arms are common, and they are almost invariably attributed to carelessness, which is probably often the fact.

To my extreme caution in keeping my face from before the gun in this instance I owe my life; yet had the explosion been a few seconds later, I must have had my hand torn to pieces while loading. I think I may say I will not again attempt to load a gun with a cap on, especially of it has been loaded some time, and will continue, as in the past, to be very careful that the muzzle of the gun I may have in hand shall never, for an instant, be pointed at any person.

Fire-arms at best are dangerous, and the habit of having them lying around carelessly should not be indulged. H. W. MARSH, M. D., Coroner.

Thomas Welch, grave...

                                                   GRAVES DECORATED.

Winfield Courier, Thursday, June 4, 1885.

The service of grave decoration then began. The garlands were deposited by a bevy of Misses and boys, in charge of Mr. A. E. Baird and Dr. F. H. Bull, and composed as follows: Maude Conrad, Alma Rogers, Maggie Hendricks, Hortense Kelly, Maude Cooper, Lottie Caton, Lottie McGuire, Mattie Paris, Lulu McGuire, Winnie Limerick, Katie Beck; Master Charley Stewart, Robert Scott, Clifford Stubblefield, Clyde Albro, Johnnie Scott, Robbie McMullen, Waldo Baird, Charley Greer, Harry Hunt, George Carson.

                                                     THE DEAD HEROES.

                                      The following soldiers graves were decorated.

                                                     UNION CEMETERY.

A. A. Buck, Capt. Co. F, 13th Ill. Inft.; James McGuire, Co. H, 10th Ill. Inft.; Samuel W. Greer, Capt. Co. I, 15th Kansas Vol. Cav.; A. T. Shenneman, Co. D, 1st Ill. Cav.; Miles A. Bailey, Co. D, 24 Kansas Inft.; S. G. Gray, Co. H, 2nd Iowa Inft.; James H. Finch, Co. D, 13th Kan. Vol.; Jacob Riehl, in Colorado Art. Co.; Thos. Welch, Co. I, 13 Kan. Vol.; James Carmine, Co. F, 19th Ind. Inft.; B. N. Rutherford, Capt. 98th Ohio Inft.; C. L. Flint, Co. I, 40th Ill. Inft. Vol.; D. P. Herndon, Co. H, 7th Ky. Cav. Vol.; I. N. Corkins, regiment unknown; N. E. Mansfield, 92nd N. Y. Inft. Vol.; J. N. Vandorn, 130th Ill. Inft. Vol.; Henry H. Parks, Co. K, 83rd Ind. Vol.; Enoch Bembarger, 4th Iowa Cav. Vol.; Nate Fisher, regiment unknown.