William "Shades" MACKEY killed in North Salem (1899)

submitted by Karen Zach:

Source: Weekly Argus News (Crawfordsville, Indiana) - issue of Saturday, November 4, 1899 - page 3

A shooting fray took place at North Salem Saturday night in which [William] Shades Mackey was shot and instantly killed and William Ragan so badly wounded that his life is despaired of. Ragan married a Miss Bateman in this city several years ago and is well known here having been a frequent visitor.

He was here last during the week of the street fair and worked "at Pitcher's saloon." Since that he has been working at Hayne's Drug Store at North Salem in which place the fight began. The dead man, Mackey, was a farm hand who worked near North Salem. He had a habit of visiting that place occasionally, tanking up on fighting whiskey and terrorizing the town. He was engaged in that favorite past time Saturday night when Ragan objected and both men drew revolvers. A perfect fusillade followed winding up in the street where Mackey fell with a bullet through his temple. Mackey, it is claimed, killed two men in Tennessee.

He served one term in prison and escaped another by leaving the state.

Ragan was known hereabouts as a sober, inoffensive fellow and not in the least inclined to be quarrelsome. He at one time lived at Ladoga.

Murder charges against William RAGAN dismissed (1901)

from The Republican (Danville, Indiana) - issue of Thursday, April 11, 1901 - page 1, column 6

INDICTMENT NOLLIED
The indictment against William Ragan, charged with the murder of one Mackey at North Salem in the fall of 1899 has been nollied. Ragan has had two trials, the jury hanging in each instance. There is a general feeling that he never could have been convicted. Mackey received two wounds. One may have been caused by Ragan. It is certain that the other was not. No post mortem examination was held to determine which would was fatal. In the absence of evidence on this point, there was always room for doubt.