SENSATIONAL ASSAULT

June 13, 1888

“Take that for talking about me,” were the words of warning that greeted County Assessor Kahn’s ears as he was going along the north side of San Antonio street, just east of Oregon, yesterday afternoon about 2 o’clock. The speaker was Mrs. Watson, who was recently granted a divorce from her husband, William Watson, the blacksmith. The words were hardly uttered before she began playing about Kahn’s head with a small rattan riding whip. Kahn was carrying a sun umbrella which prevented the woman from inflicting any serious damage on his facial anatomy. Kahn turned and a sort of Kilkenny cat struggle was the next act. Wm. Watson, the late husband of the irate woman, came along either accidentally or purposely and proceeded to assist his late wife. A hackman also engaged in the melee and the fight bade fair to become general when marshal White came along and with his usual neatness and dispatch surrounded the entire force of combatants and placed Kahn and Watson under arrest, but without imprisoning them.

Assessor Kahn proceeded to the court house. But the news of his exploit had preceded him and when he appeared before the board of equalization he met with an ovation that can be more easily imagined than described.

“Had you talked about Mrs. Watson as she alleges?” said a TIMES reporter to Mr. Kahn later.

“No, only what I said” – and Mr. Kahn proceeded to make explanations not proper to print.

The TIMES reporter also sought Mrs. Watson at her home on Florence street. She is a comely woman about 35 years old. She showed no anger and even smiled at some episodes in the affray. She said that “Kahn had scandalized her” and she knew of no other way to call him to account. She said that Mr. Watson, her former husband, had called on her the previous evening and told her things which he said Kahn had told him, and she had then said that she would “blacksnake Kahn.” She intimated that she knew several other women who contemplated following her example.

Comments

[Sheila]

That is what I call old western justice!!!