COLBERT, James W.

James Colbert, the deceased, was angry over location of a section line. Last Monday morning, June 10, 1907, about 9 o’clock, David Koontz and James W. Colbert, neighbors, met in the public road near Welcome School House, six miles northwest of town (Cheyenne) and became engaged in a quarrel, which resulted in the killing of Colbert. Three boys were present, one of them a son of the deceased and witnessed the tragedy. Immediately after the shooting Koontz came to this city and surrendered to the Sheriff.
Koontz says he met Colbert in the road, Colbert riding in a buggy. They stopped and were talking about a recent survey over which there was a disagreement. It appears that Colbert was angry and alleged that Koontz had influenced the surveyor to favor him. The quarrel became bitter and Colbert took a monkey wrench from the buggy, and it is said, struck Koontz three times whereupon the latter drew a small revolver and shot twice, the first shot going wild, the second striking Colbert in the upper lip just to the left of the nose. The victim fell to the ground and expired in about thirty minutes. The bullet lodged in the back of the head.
Justice J.R. Casady of this city went out to the scene of the killing and held an inquest, The jury deciding that Colbert came to his death by a gunshot wound at the hands of David Koontz. The deceased was buried at the Cheyenne Cemetery Tuesday.
Koontz is now in the county jail here awaiting examination, which will be held probably tomorrow forenoon
Cheyenne Star, June 13, 1907