Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-01-05
While the Bells Welcomed the Ne,c
Year, tia Pistol UshA-s a Son Of
Mineral Point mto Etfrnity.
Johny Hu,ch,son the victim.

cloud of excitement lowering DER it..
Death had mystercusly swept down
upon us; the sad news Of the shoot
ing Of Johny, son of John Hu,chi-
son, greeting every citizen as he
came forth from his home.
The particulars of the terrible
tragedy as far can be learned, are
about AS follows: Within the first
few minutes of the new year Messrs
Hartert, Staum and Sanders were
proceeding down High street, and
when in front of Brewer IL Pehal-
legon's cash store found the body Of
young Hutchison laying on the side
walk, and his life hastily fleeing
from it. A bullet hole in the left
temple told too plainly of the cause.
One or two other parties happened
by and the body was taken into Mr..
Frieden's shoe store, but not before
! life had departed DIR. Patterson
was Immediately summoned, only to
pronounce him dead. The painful
duty was then at hand to break the
shocking news to the parents and
| family, The body was then taken
home, with how he was shot still re-
naming mystery.
The next morning officers and cit
izens set about as detectives endeav-
oring to so We the tragedy, but with
out little or no success. Later IN
the forenoon Richard Tennant, a
young man who has resided in our
midst for several years, and has al
ways been regarded by all who
knew him as peaceabie, quiet, in
offensive fellow, came forward and
informed the officers that he fired
the shot that killed the decease; but
that it was accidental, and related
the circumstances thus: Just before
the shooting, Tenant, llutchison
and two or three other young men,
all being IN friendly terms, went
down street as far as James harness
shop, there they stopped and agreed
that it was time to go home. All
living up town, they turned around
and proceeded that way. When in
front Of the cash store the bells be-
gan to welcome the now year, and
at the same moment three or four
shots were heard further up street.
Tenuant remarked that he would
answer them, and took pistol from
his pocket and fired into the air, re-
cooked it and fired again. Instantly
young Hutchison staggered and fell.
While one of the party said he must
have been hit, Tenant thought he
vas only fooling; but upon exami-
nation they found him shot and
unable to speak. Tenant was told
by some of the others that he had
better "skip," to which he replied
he could not, it was no use. The
party then went their way, leaving
Johnny alone to struggle with death.
What seems most strange is that
the, should forsake him in the hour
of death, " hen it was claimed to be
purely accidental, but from the way
the story runs, fear supplanted cour-
age. The discovery Of the body by
other parties has been herein related
and the full particulars of the sad
affair correctly stated as far as we
can CLEAN them.
Upon Tenants giving himself
up he was taken in charge by Depu-
ty Sheriff Healy; a coroner's Jury
impanelled at once, before which
Drs Vivian and Patterson testified
that young Hutchison met his death
By pistol ball entering the center
of the left temple, and to the same
jury Tenant related the circum.
stances about as we have given them.
Further proceedings were discon-
tinued for the day.
Wednesday afternoon the trial
was taken up and several witnesses
examined, the testimony of whom
was sufficiently clear to satisfy the