Well...there was a murder committed in the Lobby of the Milligan House and here is a news article telling about it...dated July 1916.
LLano Co. Texas News: Van Lewis Killed
George Berry is now in County jail. About 11 o'clock last night Main Street was startled by the bark of a heavy revolver. Five shots were counted with a distinct interval between each. The gun in action evidently being a single action. The sound came from the Milligan House lobby and thither the crowd instantly rushed.On the floor lay the bleeding body of a man. Down Main Street, three men walked quietly away, in the opposite direction of the crowd and apparantly the least interested in the proceedings of all in the street. The man on the floor was Van Lewis, a rancher of the county about 20? miles north of Terry. The three men referred to were Deputy Sheriff William Sutters, George Berry, Proprietor of the Berry Barber Shop and one of his sons.They were on their way to the County jail. Mr. Berry being in custody of the officer. He had just shot Van Lewis.The shooting occurred in the Lobby of the hotel. According to numerous persons who saw the shooting, Lewis was sitting at one of the writing tables talking. His chair was close to the last door of the Lobby which opens into the stairway, leading to the upper floors of the hotel. He was facing the front window and the front door through which George Berry and one of his sons entered.As Berry opened the front door, he held in his hands a revolver, a 44 single action Colts. He extended the weapon in front of him holding it with both hands, probably both to steady his aim and to operate the trigger. Lewis saw him coming and realized what it meant."Don't Shoot!" he is reported to have said.The request was passed unheeded without a word. Berry started firing. Lewis got up and started for the stairway door as though he would escape, but he was caught like a rat in a trap and could do nothing but accept the bullets as they came. One shot passed through the right arm, close to the shoulder severing an artery.One struck him square in front about 6 inches below the right nipple and slightly below the center line of the body. Three shots went wild. Two bullet holes were found in the stairway door, one struck the tile wainscoating about l5 inches above the floor. The bullet that entered the body either remained there or passed through him and was caught in the clothing. Lewis said it had gone through him.Frank Murphy, who had been sitting near Lewis jumped up and grasped Mr. Berry's arm as soon as he could to get to him without interfering with flying bullets. Berry readily handed the weapon over and Murphy passed it on to Miles Milligan who delivered it to Patrolman Shinebarger. Berry was at once arrested and while the crowd gathered he walked peaceably away with Deputy Sheriff Sutters.Lewis staggered a few steps and then sank to the floor. A doctor happened to be present and Lewis clothing was opened and the flow of blood from the wound in the arm was staunched by the application of knotted handkerchiefs. Local physicians were summoned, also an ambulance. The physicians arrived first. They applied first aid and bound up the wound in the arm. There was nothing could be done there with the wound in the obdy.As he lay on the floor, Lewis said, "My parents live at Fairfax, Oklahoma, you'll find a letter in my coat". "The bullet went through my back, I think""He took my arms off me yesterday""If I could turn over or get up", but he was advised to lay as still as possible.The ambulance came and he was taken to the hospital. On the way he said to the Sheriff Middleton, "Austin, I'm going and I'm going quick". Shortly after he was placed on the operating table, he expired.To those acquianted with the relations between Lewis and several members of the Berry family, the shooting was not entirely unexpected, certainly it was not surprising, except perhaps it was not altogether expected that George Berry would be the man to wind up the trouble. Lewis came to Miles City to bring some horses to the sale. He is said to have said to one or more of the Berry's yesterday "Well, you dared me to come. I'm here and I'll get every one of you __________'s. "He was placed under $750 ( or $75)...bonds Wednesday by Judge O'Hara for trial in District Court on the charge of carrying a gun, complaint having been made that he was packing a weapon and it was found on him and taken away from him, so at the time that he was shot he was unarmed, though he had plenty of time to get another gun between the time of his disarmament and the shooting last night, if he had so desired.George Berry is said to have informed Judge O'Hara that he was afraid of Lewis and asked permission to carry a gun. Whether this is a fact or not is not known but he had no written permit to carry a gun.But he did inform at least one County officer that he was afraid of Lewis.The trouble originall seems to have grown out of the relations which Lewis carried on with one of the daughters of W. W. Berry, a brother of George Berry, out of which followed the killin of one of Mr. Berry's sons at a dance in the Redwater country, last September. Lewis was tried at Terry, for the murder and was acquitted but naturally, there has been no love lost between the several parties since that time.The above is taken from the Miles City (Montana) Independant Dated July 21, 1916.An examining trial of Berry was held July 22, the result of which was Berry being bound over in the County jail without bond.(He later was acquitted).