The Gazette
September 4, 1895

Shot From Ambush and Killed Instantly

Oscar Cox, a young white man who lived in the Marion ward was waylaid and killed Tuesday evening of last week. The scene of the killing was about a mile from Marion and the report from the guns was plainly heard in that town. Cox was traveling on horseback on a settlement road near Marion when shot. A visit to the scene of the tragedy indicated that several parties constituted the crowd of assassins, as there were three blinds near the road at the place where the killing was done, and tracks about the blinds showed that the parties had been waiting for him to come down that road in going to his home.

He was struck with eleven balls, receiving evidently a part of the loads from several guns. His left arm was shattered with balls, a load went into his back, a load penetrated his breast and a charge of shot went into his face and head. All the balls that struck him were buckshot and death was produced instantly. Justice of the Peace, C. A. Love, hearing of the assassination impaneled a jury and held an inquest over the body. After examining the ground, viewing the body and interrogating several witnesses, the jury was unable to obtain any clue as to who the assassins were and consequently rendered a verdict that Cox had come to his death by gun shot wounds from the hands of parties unknown.

Cox was one of the parties who was in the Carroll and Cox fight that occurred in the town of Marion on 7th of January, 1892. He was acquitted of the killing of Ab. Carroll, but had many bitter enemies, who were made such by this fight and the incidents connected with the trial. Since his acquittal he had been acting in such a manner as to estrange some of his friends and make enemies of others. When killed he was armed with a Winchester rifle and a large Colts revolver, but he was killed so suddenly that his arms were of no use to him.