107 years ago this week, Big Sandy residents witnessed a shoot out when two well respected locals got into an argument. One appeared to have gone for his gun, prompting the other to draw and fire. The paper described the injury as “mortal.” The article was written the day of the shooting and the paper went to press shortly thereafter, which resulted in a fairly vague retelling. The crazy thing about the story is that there was no proper follow up. Very little explanation about the shooting appeared in the paper afterward. To make the story even stranger, both men appear in articles and ads for years afterward. The shooter was apparently the town treasurer at the time, and after the incident for at least part of the year following the shooting.
The shooting took place shortly after noon on March 1st, 1917. According to the story, which was based on limited details given the shortage of time between the shooting “up to the time of going to press” P.B. McClintock met Ira Babb in the street near the meat market (owned by Mr. Fiske). The pair exchanged words, which no one seemed to have overheard. At that point Mr. Babb “made a move as if to throw oc [sic] his coat.” It is unclear if he was throwing his coat out to grab at his pistol or throw off his coat to fight. “Mr. McClintock pulled an automatic which he seemed to have handy, and shot Mr. Babb.” According to the article, the bullet entered Mr. Babb’s neck, severed his jugular vein, and lodged in the base of his head.
Mr. Babb was taken to the hospital and worked on by 3 doctors, who attempted to staunch the bleeding. The paper went on to assert “it appeared to a novice, that there was not hope for the man’s recovery.” There was no follow up explaining specifically whether or not Mr. Babb died from his wound, but the fact that he was reported to have spent the following winter in Iowa before returning to Big Sandy suggests that Ira Babb survived the altercation. one later mention of Mr. Babb indicated that his health was poor. Whether this was a lasting result of being shot is unclear.
Regarding the shooter, the paper reported that “Mr. McClintock was placed under arrest, and will be held pending the outcome of the shooting.” McClintock shows up in later editions of the paper in lists that indicate he was the town treasurer.
According to the story, both men were well known in town and that their friends were baffled as to what the motive behind the altercation could possibly have been. The River Press reported on the jailing of McClintock in their March 7th edition. Apparently Babb made some insulting remarks about him, which led to the altercation. McClintock was released on a $15,000 bond, the rough equivalent of $396,000 today. In an interesting note: Ira Babb is reported by the River Press as having served on a jury for a murder trial in late January 1917. The trial dealt with another shooting, in which a man named Ira King was killed at the King Ranch near Portage.
In the May 10th edition of the paper, a short story entitled “Would Like Information” addressed the events of March 1st. The article indicated that locals had inquired about the shooting, but that the paper had no additional information on the events or when a trial might take place. They go on to say that they had nearly forgotten all about it because there was no new information to report.
In the following edition, released on May 17th, an update, in the form of a short story, indicated that the paper had not meant to imply anything about the Sheriff not doing his job. The update explained that the trial seems to have been delayed because Mr. Babb was still unable to speak, and therefore couldn’t testify as a witness in court.
I haven’t had much success in finding information about what happened in relation to the trial, though both men appear in the paper sporadically in the years that follow. P. B. McClintock was repeatedly listed in the River Press as being delinquent in his tax payments. McClintock and his brother homesteaded in the Spring Coulee area, and his land was auctioned off at a Sheriff’s sale
1925, apparently after losing a lawsuit to the Twin City Land Company. His name is listed along with Ella L. McClintock and J.G. McClintock as defendants. I was unable to find a family tree information regarding these people, but there were McClintock children listed in later papers in association with school bus services from the Spring Coulee area to Big Sandy.
Ira Babb is mentioned in the Sept. 17th edition of the River Press as having been judged in district court to be incapable of managing his business affairs. A man by the name of George Campbell was named the guardian of his estate. An auction listing from October 1917 appears to involve some of Ira’s property being auctioned off under the direction of Mr. Campbell. Items sold included mules, a cow, a horse, farming equipment, and other items. Though I haven’t found much explanation, My guess is that the property may have been auctioned due to lack of manpower to farm the land and the need for money during Mr. Babb’s recovery.
Mr. Babb and his family remained in Big Sandy, spending winters in Iowa. A story in the April 18th, 1918 Mountaineer announces their return to Big Sandy that year. It reports that though his health was “greatly improved”, he was not as healthy as in his former days. Apparently Mr. Babb left the Big Sandy area in 1919 for good. He and his family made their new home in Armstrong, Iowa. In the years following, there were additional stories in the River Press related to the guardianship of his estate, the last one appearing in 1925. Around the same time his land was announced as being up for auction via Sheriff’s Sale.
I have had little luck finding information about the events above, including whether or not a trial took place or its outcome. If anyone local has any familiarity with the events, please reach out to me at sietsemail@gmail.com. The story is interesting and I would like to know how it ended.
