The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-30
MURDER AND SUICIDE.
YOUNG FRIEND AND THEN
KILLS HIMSELF.
Particulars OF the Tragedy ana state"
memtOf the Yeung Lady I'm taze CRses

Particulars OF the Tragedy ana state
nnent of the Yenng Lady I'm the Case.
At about O'Clock yesterday at the crockery
store No. 81 Dryades street. Charles Curtis, q
white boy. aged 16 years and g months. shot
Edward Bergen, aged Is years, twice. and NOR
tally wounded him, and afterwards committed
suicide by shooting himself in the left breast
When the reporter visited the wounded boy
and the place where the deceased resided with
his parents il WIS impossible st Grst to get at
the real cause Of the difficulty. no one appear
ing to know anything further than the fact that
Curtis had been assaulted by Bergen. who in
return had shot his assailant. and then COM
mitted suicide
The reporter after interviewing several par
ties, q number Of whom were friends Of the de-
ceased, and the others the friends of the wound
ed boy. questioned some DISTINGUISHED parties
and they did not hesitate to say that there was
q young lady at the bottom Of the whole affair,
and her name was Miss The reporter
Immediately started to the house where the
young lady resided with her parents. but was
informed that she was at the moment ut the
house whore the body OF Curtis was. Il pairing
to the house indicated. the reporter entered and
asked for the young lady.
Miss -, quite an Interesting young Indy.
who was sitting IN the corner. quietly gazing
upon the face
OF THE CORPSE,
and comng up to the r9portgr sd
ntely followed between the reporter and the
young lady, but at first she seemed timid and
appeared to be unwilling to throw auy light
upon the. subject, but after little persuasion
and questioning. she finally answered some Of
see she a With bo ane
ties that Curtis visited ut home bur Bergen did
not; that few evenings ago she was sitting
company with Curtis. co nversng, when Bergen.
accompanied by friend named Chas. Stringer
passed by. At the moment they passe Curtis
remarked something to her. which was not In
tended for their ears, nor had it any reference
to them; but they considered the remark in
tended for them.
This was the beginning of this shooting
ARRAY. The remark made to the young lady by
Curtis was construed into. There goes those
mined to be- revenged the first time an oppor-
tunity presented ITSELF as they did not wish to
resent an Insult In the presence Of a young
Yesterday morning at 10 O'Clock Curtis called
on Miss -. and on leaving promised to return
residence no called upon another young lady
living Ia the vicinity, where the first difficulty
t. Ok place.
was about O'Clock, and as soon as he crossed
the street he was attacked and punched by Ber-
gen. Some friends who were present interfered
and separated the combatants. Bergen left the
scene and went to his home on Dryades street.
Curtis also went home, and after meditating
q short while. armed himself with an improved
SMITH AND wEssoN REVOLVER,
and then started out to slay the party who had
Not finding Bergen II his usual lhaunts he
repaired to his store, No. 371 Dryades street,
front of his store. He did not walk boldly
into the store 9, put peeped IN. Al that moment
Bergsnhs little brother + hged about ten years.
a fight with this morning" Bergen jumped UP
and faced Curtis. who was sta4 ding in front OF
tim with the pistol and fred the bali penetr a
| ting his right breast. The wounded boy turned
and WIS about to retreat to the rear of the store
| lodged another bullet In his back. Bergen,
with two mortal wounds in his body. reached
bfk Of I'm the k srs aR s 9 heaan FL tps
| At that moment remorse overlook Curtis at
the horrible deed he had committed he placed
| the deadly weapon to his left breast and sent a
| bullet through his heart. The flash made by
the revolver had hardly passed away when he
| man approached him and asked why he shot
the boy. and then shot. himself. He merely
rolled his eyes back, and closing thsm again,
taken home.
In the meantime the wounded Bergen had
moned to attend him. whose opinions are that
his wounds are mortal ones.
Ine family or the dead boy claim that he did
not commit suicide, but several parties who did
not testify before the coroner, say they were
| eye witnesses to the suicide
| Curtis, the deceased, is about five feet six
inches high, light complexion. black eyebrows
| and auburn hair; is a schooiboy. daily attend
ing, the Jackson school, He leaves a mother
and several sisters to mourn his unnatural
end.
The first fight between the two boys, when the
blows were struck, seems to have been an I'M
fair encounter. as Curtis is said to have had
only the use of one arm. his right arm be-
ing paralyzed.
Coroner Roche viewed the body of Curtis, and
although the family cOntended that he did not
commit suicide, q verdict to that effect was
given.
At a late hour last night the condition of Ber-
gen was unchanged.
We have omitted the name Of the young lady
who made the statement as she so desired, and
it is immaterial to the case.