Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-09-20
THOMPSON STATION TRAGEDY.
Old Man Vaughan Accidentally Shot
by bis Son-FuH Particulars.

Monday morning il. was reported in
Mexico that John Vaughan of Thomp-f
son Station had shot his father, james
III. Vaughan, and it was also repertedl
to be a cast Of cold-hlooded murder.
The editor of this paper at once Sc
cured a buggy, and in company with
t. B. Buckner, went at once to the
scene of the tragedy, where DIR. Lee
soon arrived and held the coroner's
inquest, Prosecuting Attorney Buck
ner interrogating the witnesses.
We found that the Vaughans lived
about one-half mile south of Thomp-
son Station in allttle log cabin. Eight
people live in the house and there is
only one bed and two chairs without
bottoms in the house, which clearly
showed that the Eaughan's are poor.
The family consisted of the old man.
old woman, four girls and three boys.
From what we can learn not one of
the family can write his or her name,
and that in addition to their ignorance
they are considered a little loft" in
the upper stery. John, who did the
shooting, is the best n of the fami-
ly, is q Woodworking man, and fur
nished what support the family re-
ceived. The accident happened
about shutdown Sunday evening. One
of the children was very sick and
wanted something to eat, and John
heard the dog barking down in the
brush as though he had freed a squir-
rel. He took his gun and started
down to kill the squirrel. A few mo-
ments after he left, the old man went
after a bucket of water down at the
branch, just by where the dog had
freed the squirrel. When John was
looking up in the tree for the squire
with the gun on his shoulder, he
walked under q bush and the gur
went off. He did not know but what
his father was at the house, until h,
heard him ''holler'' "Oh, John, you
have shot me- John ran TOWARD
where he heard his fathers voice ant
found HIM dying. He had two buck
cts of water with himthat he was ia
king from the branch. The old maj
died before John could return from
| the house with help, where he at one
ran. John tells a straight, simpl
story and all the evidence was IN &C
cord with it. Sunday was the oil
! mans Goth birth day, and John wa
preparing a birthday dinner. He ha'
already bought bread, cake, cheese
&c. NJ reason could be discovers
why he should want to kill his father
, The jury-T. c. Hudson, j. M
Daniel, c. Dudley, W. Keeton, W
Ferguson, Cy Turner-found in &C
{. cordance with the evidence that th
f deceased came to his death from
gun shot wound accidentally discharg
ed by his son John.
:, The shot were No. 4 squirrel shot
p If he had wanted to kill his father b
would have used some larger sho1
The place where he stood shows tn;
be did not see the old man and try t
shoot him, for he might try a week t
shoot a man through the brush an
not meet with the result accomplish
ed accidentally.
This accident is one in a Thousand
e 1t looked almost impossible to you
reporter, who examined the grount
that the shot couldhaye been fired wit
e fatal results, even if he had tried, an
still with the gun over his sheulde
not seeing bis father, it accidental
went off, and with the result abo'
given.
=. The facts are just as given by yo1
# reporter, who was, as usual, the on
,s newspaper man on the grounds.
no John and the rest of the fami
have the sympathy of the public
this their hour of deep trouble.