Edwin James "Ed" Pixley (1870-1939)

in front of jewelry shop

NEARLY A DOUBLE MURDER

E.J. Pixley and Wife Near Victims of Man Who Acted as Though Demented

Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Pixley came near meeting death Monday night at the hand of their brother-in-law, John Lightfoot.

Mr. and Mrs. Lightfoot came here from Missouri in the spring and since that time have made their home most of the time with her brother, E.J. Pixley. Mr. Lightfoot got it into his head that Mr. and Mrs. Pixley were trying to alienate his wife's affections from him. He has at various times by words and actions intimated that he would like to do them bodily harm.

For the past month he has been working at Shelby. Monday night, Mrs. Pixley went out of doors and thought she heard a noise as though someone was prowling around the house, and so informed her husband, but they passed the matter up until a little later they heard someone walking on the front walk and thinking it was Fay Hoshaw, who lives there, Mrs. Pixley called to him. But it was not Fay, it was Mr. Lightfoot and he told Mrs. Pixley that she had better send his wife out there as he wanted to talk to her. Mrs. Lightfoot came down and let him in the house and he told her he had come for the boy, and wanted to know if he could have him. Frightened by his manner, she told him yes, that the boy was upstairs asleep and not to waken him when he went into the room. Lightfoot went upstairs, but instead of going to the room where the baby was he went into the room where Mr. and Mrs. Pixley were, they having retired for the night. Mr. Pixley sat up in bed and asked him what he wanted. Lightfoot informed him that he (Pixley) had done him a great wrong and he had come to settle with him for it, and there was only one way to settle it and it would all be over in five minutes. He said there is no use for you to try to get away, as I have the house surrounded. Mr. Pixley tried to convince him that he had done him no wrong and Lightfoot told him to get down on his knees and swear before Almighty God that he had done him no wrong. Mr. Pixley did this and it seemed to satisfy Lightfoot. During the conversation, Lightfoot had his hand on his revolver in his pocket. After this conversation with Mr. Pixley, he turned to Mrs. Pixley and told her to get down on her knees and swear to the same thing. She told him she she had done no wrong and would do no such thing. Lightfoot then said "So you are the one," and drew the revolver to shoot her. At that moment, Mr. Pixley made a mad leap for the would-be assassin, grabbing his arms [The rest of the article is missing.]