The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-22
a scene OF Gayety suddenly Becomes
.,... one OF Mourning. '--f''
from the Detroit Free Press, Sept. 1O1

Shortly before eleven o'clock last night
occurred one { f the most frghtfuI TRACE
dies that has shocked the city for years,
ptiiully terrible. A party was given, at
the residence Of Nelson ). Whipplc, No.
367 Latay ette street east, in honor Of
Young son fifteen years, old. 70 this
party came a score 0: more of masters
and misses, and among them FRANKIE
Amsdcn, young lady fifteen years old.
the daughucr Of a. E. AmSden, No. 1873
Aubin avenue. The pleasure was at its
height in the parlor>, the young :peop.e
laughing, cha't:ns and singing, when sud.
denly with a short but terribly sharp
sound come the rrpo,t Of a gun, and al
most ms antly thereafter Dung Whipple,
with face blanched and features di>tcnded,
dashed into the throng and exclaimed
She's shot! she's shct!'' tainted away.
The father, Mr.. Whipple, upon hear.
ing the sound Of the gun. rushed through
the parlors and .up stairs, just in time to
catch in his arms the falling form Of Miss.
frankie Amsden, who wi, h face bvs,.ered
with blood had staggered from the front
chamber to the star landing, where, fall.
into MIR Wh'pple's arms, she expired al
most instantly. To picture the d,Smav
that fell over the group of companions
who but moment previous were filled
with glee of youth would be impossible.
bu+ the scene was awful. Young Whip.
pie was unconscious his mother had faint
ed away, several of the young guests had
fled into the stree: in terror, and the
rooms were filed with the sounds of sob
bling and grief. One young gentleman.
Wits wonderful presence Of mind, strated
Immediately for doctor and dispatched
a componion to Russell street pvIice sta
tion for the coroner. Meanwhile the
ne,gh bors, awakened by the sounds,
hurriedly dressed themselves, and soon
house. yard, and the street adjoining
were filled with people:
About half an hour after the accident
occurred Coroner Rowley arrived and
seclectiug a jury went up stairs to view
the body. 1t lay at the hend of the
stairs covered with sheet, which being
taken off that the jurors might see the
corpse, revealed a pit;ful sight. Miss
Amsden's features, beautiful even in
death, were covered with blood, the hair
matted and stiff was smoothly brushed
away from her forehead and held W tn a
narrow black velvet band: around the
neck was gold 'cket and chain which
lay as it fell when the wearer received
the fatal charge, while the neatly fitting
and very becoming cherry colored silk
waist gave evidence of kind mothers
pride and care. The carpet beneath the
head was colorcd with dark pool of
blood, while the walls were bespattered
1t seems, according to the stores rela-
ted to the jury, that Miss Amsden, With
another young lady whose name could
not be a>certaincd, and young Whipple
were in the front room up stairs. Miss
frankie looking into closet saw a
double-b arreled shotgun standing in the
corner, and said: ''Oh! I'm going to have
some fun.' She took up the gun and
started to 60 to the hallway, when by
unknown means one barrel was d,schar
ged. 1t was loaded with No. shot, and
great portion of the charge struck Miss
Amsden just under the right ear, and
passing through the head back of the
jaws came out beneath the left ear.