Former Marshall Jeans Killed In Gunfight On Warsaw's Main Street

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According to an old account in The Enterprise, Marshall Clay Jeans died in a gunfight on Warsaw’s Main Street May 24, 1885. Like something straight out of Dodge City and Gunsmoke, Jeans had gone into Krensky’s restaurant to serve a warrant for arrest on Joseph Eaton.

Before leaving home that morning, Mrs. Jeans had begged her husband to not confront Eaton with the Warrant as there was bad blood between the two from earlier incidents. Eaton, several years earlier had killed a man named Hatler for which he was tried three times.

In the first trial the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. In the second he was convicted to serve fifteen years in the penitentiary but that was overturned by the State Supreme Court and sent back for a third trial , which resulted in acquittal.

During this time, when Eaton was free on bond, Clay Jeans had arrested him on some misdemeanor charge. This brought about bad feeling between the two men that never ended. This was supposedly why Eaton resisted Jeans in the arrest.

Marshal Jeans was accompanied by Sheriff Newell to krensky’s Restaurant. Deputy Sheriff R.H. Bibb was with them too and later told the Enterprise, “I walked up to Eaton and told him I had a warrant for him and Eaton jumped up and ran for the door. I motioned for the Sheriff to go to the other door and I followed Jeans into the dining room. I heard two shots fired about the same time.”

“I rushed to the door and Eaton had just fired. There was smoke coming from his pistol and I looked and saw Clay Jeans in the act of falling on the platform in front of Krensky’s Restaurant. Eaton started to run across the street and the Sheriff and I started to follow, ordering him to halt and stop. Eaton fired two shots at us and we fired about five at him. He ran around the corner out of our sight and we started after him. We arrested him in front of the old bank building and found his revolver with all the shots fired. It was a Smith & Wesson, five shooter, 38 calibre.”

Eaton was placed on a stretcher and carried into a Squire Morgan’s office where he was tended by Dr. Crawford. Eaton, on his death bed asked about Jeans’ condition and seemed pleased to hear he was dead. Eaton said that during his first trials Jeans had boasted how he had arrested him and he said, “I swore he would never arrest me again.”He said he would have surrendered to any of the other Officers.

Eaton’s three brothers, John, Dick and William arrived in the afternoon to take his body. He was buried seven miles south of Warsaw in the family cemetery on a Sunday evening. He was only 29 years old.

Clay Jeans was killed approximately 100 yards from his home. His wife had pleaded with him earlier that morning not to serve Eaton with the warrant but to let someone else do it. When the shots rang out she came quickly to the scene and discovered the gruesome sight of her husband’s lifeless body.

Marshal Jeans had often voiced to friends he would probably die a violent death, yet he seemed to enjoy the dangerous duties of his job.

His funeral was held on Sunday in the Baptist church and he was buried in the city cemetery on Main Street. The Enterprise printed an extra edition on the Monday following the funeral to correct all the incorrect rumors and reports circulating in the county.