Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-12-31
A woman sbot.-Ms. Lame Sbinlev

q
wife of Theodore Shipley, blacksmith do
ing business on G street, in the rear of the
National Hotel, at Washington, ID. c., was
| shot in the abdomen by pistol ball, on
Christmas day at O'clock, p. NJ, and died
on Monday morning from the effects of acute
inflammation caused by the wound, ON the
same evening that she was wounded Mrs.
Shipley, being enciente, gave birth to son
at 7:26 o'clock. The boy is alive and doing
well. A negro man named Lucas has been
arrested, suspected of the crime, but he pro-
tests. his innocence.
We are informed that this lady was rela-
tive of Mr.. Edward House, of this county,
that this county is the place of her birth,
and that her maiden name was Sibley.
A Washington exchange, narrating the
sad occurrence says: ut appears that at
the hour when Mrs. Shipley was shot she
had walked through the door of the dining
room into wood-shed, in the rear of the
room, the opened door of the wood shed
leading into the yard being on direct line
with the window of the tenement house on
Willow-Tree alley, in the room OF which, as
Lucas says, there was gambling and shoot
ing going on all Christmas day. Mr.. Ship
ley being in his house at this time, and hear
ing his wife scream and say that "she had
been shot," ran through his yard into Will.
lowTree alley, and into the yard of the ten
ement house There, he says, he saw col
ored man putting something in his pocket.
| He asked the man "who was shooting" but
received a surly reply, and went to the door
of the tenement house There he saw u
number of colored men coming down stairs
| from the room above referred to, and one of
them putting something into his pocket
| He then left. From the position of Mrs.
I Shipley at the time she was shot, she could
not, of course, have seen the party who fired.
The whole thing is involved in mystery thus
far, as to who the guilty party is.
| The tragedy came very near being dou-
BILE one. A Mr.. Goliath, residing next door
to Mr.. Shipley, was within an ace of being
struck by a ballfred from the same window,
4 anu WHICH pdSscd tniouSil hools
He was passing by the door to go to another
part of the house, but luckily escaped the
deadly shot.
On Tuesday a coroners inquest was held
on the remains OF Mrs. Shipley Several
witnesses testified before the coroner The
evidence of those given above was about the
same before the coroner
Robert James, colored, testified to having
had a quarrel on Christmas day with Edw
Lucas, colored, the accused: witness lives
on Willow-Tree alley witness noticed thai
Lucas either moved out Of the alley or went
into the back yard; witness then went tC
his room, and after being there fifteen min
utes heard the report of a pistol from mex
door; soon another shot was heard, and Mr.
Shipley came into the alley and charged Lu
cas- with shooting his wife, which Lucas de
MED an alarm was raised, and witness heart
man named Scott say, Don't give it away.
DR.. Hammett testified to having examined
the wound received by Mrs. Shipley ant
which was the cause of her death. DIR. Fen
wick gave similar testimony, and stated tina
he was present at the delivery of the child
VIM. Lucas, twelve years of age, son of Ed
ward Lucas, testified to his mother sayini
that his father had shot woman Julia Lu
cas-, wife Of the accused, testified to being OF
the street, hearing II report and hearing tha
woman had been shot. Lucas, in his owl
defense, testified that there had been shoot
ing all the morning in Willow-Tree alley, Sc
much so that he was afraid to go out OF his
house. lie claimed that he was innocent
and denied having had pistol in his pos
session or that he fired the shot. The jur,
rendered a verdict that they believed tina
death was caused by a pistol shot from a pis
toll in the hands of Edward Lucas. Luca
was committed by the coroner for the actor
of the grand jury.