Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1879-06-07
SHOT HER FRIEND.
4 CURIOUS Story OF LOVE- FROM
t,4g.e MARYLAND.

PoKoRNoKE, May 26.-This place
is greatly excited over the trial now
going on, at this place, Of Miss Lille
Duer. She is charged with shooting
a companion with whom she had been
on the dearest terms Of friendship for
a long time. The case is 80 curious,
so full Of startling facts, that this week
has been looked forward to with the
greatest interest. It is not often that
a young lady takes the life Of her in
innate friend out of pure jealousy.
Yet this seems to have been the mo-
tive which caused Lille Duer to shoot
Miss Ella Hearn. It is perhaps the
strangest case on record. At the time
of the shooting, in November last,
Miss Hearn was l8 years old. In fig
ure she was rather stout, yet symmet-
rical. Her features were clear cut
and pretty, her hair black and wavy,
her eyes brown, large and expressive.
Miss Lille Duer is about twenty or
twenty -one years old, and has lived
all her life in Newtown, one Of the
most charming villages in this vicin-
ity. She is by no means pretty, and
somewhat awkward in her move
ments, as though her female habila-
ments trammeled her and she would
be better able to get about in male
attire. Her eyes are large and un-
flinching; she meets your gaze with
steady, firm, somewhat defiant stare.
The face is rather thin and clearly
cut, and her forehead is stlikingly
high and broad, Her thin lips close
tightly, which caases the firmness Of
her expression to strike the observer
at once. With short and very dark
hair, parted at the side, she wears a
roll at the top of her head. Alto
gether the face is one which would
not fail to excite interest anywhere.
She talks quite intelligently and with
ease, appears to have entire confidence
in herself, and acts as though she
would much prefer to be man rather
than woman. During the spring
and summer of 1873 the two girls
were constantly together like sisters.
Miss Duer appears to have obtained
a mastery over her more womanly
and undetermined companion. 1t
seems strange that Miss Hem could
love such an unsexed being as Miss
Duer appears, from what is told Of
her, to be. For instance, she smokes;
her dresses are always worn short and
with little jacket with inside pock-
cts. She wears boys nat, which
she always tips in acknowledging a
salute. The young girls with whom
she associated tell numerous stories
of her idiosyncrasies. She never cared
for the society of the sterner sex, and
would make hot love like a Romeo to
her female friends. Sometimes they
would laugh these strange fancies
away, and at others she would brighten
them with her vehemence and they
would run away from her. She was
always a mystery, and a young lady
who knew her well says that it was a
favorite theory Of hers that two wo-
men could be quite as happy and get
along quite as well married as wo-
man and a man. In all outdoor
sports she excelled all her lady
friends, and could jump, shout and
play base ball as we'll as any young
man in the town. She always carried
a pistol, and was an expert shot.
There was a reception at one of the
country houses near the town last
year, at whiclpMiss Duer was present.
She was during the afternoon exhibl-
ting her skill with the pistol, when a
lady present rather CURLY said that
such sport was in no way becoming a
woman. Miss Duer said nothing at
the time, but the next day sent a
challenge to the fair critic Of her tar
get sport, insisting that the insult
should be wiped out in blood, and
asking her to name time, place and
weapons. No notice was taken o.
the message, and Miss Duer was
about to have the lady ''posted" al
a coward, strictly according to thu
code, but was dissuaded by hel
friends and the matter was dropped
| All of her dresses were made with ;
pocket for her pistol, and it is certain
that she always carried one and wa
fond of usingit. But with all these
peculiarities she was looked upon il
this region as a bright, intelligen
woman with queer notions that tim
would correct.
OF course the neighbors have man,
tales to tell about the old Relationship
OF the girls. Says one informant
"Upon one occasion while the tw'
girls were in the woods gathering
fallen leaves for decorative purposes