The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-28
CORONER'S INVESTIGATION
IN THE CASE OF GEORGE WATKINS
SHOT BY ANNIE MILLER.

Mr.. Blanchard sworn-The shooting too
) place at Annie Millers, 151 Rampant stree
S on the night of January oath, 1875, about /
; o'clock T. NJ. | was present. and Annie Mi
= Ter said ~ have boy that can sing" the
asked him to sing; he sang for us once O
twice; he went to get some water; when h
t returned we asked him to sing again but b
would not do so; said he was ashamed t
sing.
| said to George Lambert, then, playfully
''Let US pretend that we will shoot him if b
does not sing" Ny revolver was on the man
telpiece when he, the deceased. came in t,
sing. | had been there before. l then hand
ed the revolver to George Lambert, VIII,
playfuly threatened to shoot the boy; at tina
time the deceased then ran into the corner
saying: mr. George, don't play with reyolv el
that way then took the pistol from Lam
bert and placed the hammer between the two
caps. 1t was a Remington revolver Annie
then said to me: 'sLet me hold the pistol"
| handed 1t to her and then she said to the
colored boy: "Come and sing George, have
the pistol and they can't shoot YOU thew
won't trouble you any more" She began to
fool with the pistol and in about two minutes
heard the pistol go off. She was sitting by
the table in the middle of the room, and the
deceased was standing in the corner of the
room about twelve or fourteen feet from Annie
| The deceased said: Miss Annie, you have
| shot me-" Then | and Annie picked him up
and laid him on the sofa. Neither of us be
| lieved that he was shot until we saw the
blood. We then dispatched three young men
OF the party for physician. l asked him if
| he thought Annie shot him Intentionally He
said Miss Annie was playing with him.
Borgard sworn-About II o'clock Sunday
night was In Annies ROOM at No. 151 Ram
part street, IN company with some friends
Mr.. Blanchard pointed the pistol at the bow
and said he would shoot him if he did not
sing. Mr.. Lambert also said he would shoot
the boy if he did not sing, and Mr. Blanchard
took the pistol away from him and gave it to
Miss Annie.
| turned around and commenced talking to
the party; when | heard the report of the
pistol, turned around and saw the flash. |
The boy cried out, Miss Annie, you have
shot me-" Miss Annie then said, Il would |
not shoot him for anything in the world" We |
picked the boy up, and laid him on the sofa,
when it was discovered that the boy had been
shot. The boy remarked, ''AIiss Annie, will
forgive you, because it was an accident"
doctor was Immediately sent for. When
the boy refused to sing, Miss Annie pointed
the pistol at him and it went off. l can not
say whether she cooked it.
George Lambert-On Sunday night about
II o'clock we were in Annie Millers room at
No. Isl Rampant street Mr. Blanchard asked
The boy to sing, which he did; we promised to
pay him for it.
He sang several songs, and then stopped,
md then the young man, Mr.. blanchard,
aid: " If you do not sing for US again | will ,
hoot you. The boy answered: % will not
ing, and asked Miss Annie to take the pis-
81 away from the young man (meaning ::
'lanchard), for do not wish to see him play
With it,
Annie asked Blanchard to give her the ,
lstol which he did | had a cane in nv .
and and tried to make him sing about.five
minutes after Mr.. Blanchard handed her the >.
istol. The boy was sitting in the corner of =
ne room. Mr.. Blanchard then said to Miss 9
nnle, return me my pistol"
In few moments after Blanchard handed
le pistol back and the moment she took it in !,
er hand it went of. The boy then cried out:
Miss Annie. you have shot me- We picked !,
lie boy up and placed him on the sofa / then u
ent for DIR. Bezou and brought him to the :,
ouse Ethe doctor asked him: ''How did she !, =
loot YOU? and he answered that he was =
laying and Miss Annie accidentally shot him. !, -
he doctor gave a prescription and told us ~ -
keep the matter quiet until morning, and - -
send the boy to the Charity Hospital in the 81
orning, which we did. The doctor said he q
'uld not say whether the boy was danger v
'sly wounded or not, but that he could tell -
the morning. ~
After the testimony Of several other wit L
sses, corroborative of the above in all essen r.,
u particulars, the jury rendered verdict ~ ~
at Geor,e Watkins was killed by ball "a "a
I'm pistol in the hands of Annie Miller q. q.