St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-07-08
THE SHOOTING OF THE HORNER


Further details of the shooting of
the lad Leon HOrner, near Greensboro,
last week, are given below. The boy
was IA years old. The house where
the shooting occurred is in West Vince
lock, near the Stannard line. A few
days before the shooting Leon is re-
ported to have had a quarrel with a
Brown boy, who lives near by, and
was shortly after punished by his
mother. On the Monday evening of
the shooting the mother left the house
about o'clock to visit a neighbor. 1t
was not over 90 minutes after she left
that the younger son ran over to
Browns and said that Leon had shot
himself. The Browns went to the
bureau drawer open and chair stand
ing by it, while the boy Leon was
partly under the bed with the revolver
lying beside him. His tongue was
burned black and the bullet had enter
ed the head just above the palate. He
lay unconscious until Wednesday at
p. M, when he died. The revolver
was a % calibre, which was left in the
bureau about two weeks ago. Mrs.
Horner says it was the first time the
boy ever used it but the boys in the
neighborhood say that he has frequent
ly been out shooting with it.
The cause of the shooting or the cir
cumstances attending it are not fully
known. The younger brother will
not tell the same story twice but when
he first went for help he said that Leon
told him to go into the buttery for he
was going to shoot himself. The boy
Obeyed and soon heard the report of
the pistol and ran for help. 1t is
thought by some that he may have put
the muzzle of the pistol in to his mouth
to hold it while loading on account of
crippled arm, but the feeling gener-
ally prevails that he did it with intent
to kill himself. The boys father, Eu-
gene Horner, died some five years ago,
leaving wife Nizzie CooD, married
step daughter, the boy Leon and
another son now five years old. Since
the death of Mr.. Horner the town has
helped the family some and it is evil
dent they have had rather hard row
to hoe. The pistol with which the IA
tai deed was done was left in the draw
er two weeks before by Icons half
sister, Mrs. Amelia Mcknight, when
she went to LacOnia, N. H., and it is
claimed to be the one she procured a
year or SO ago when her husband had
shooting scrape at Morrisville.
Wedding Bells.
Under the appropriate head will be
found the marriage notice of Miss Flora
l.. Gates, eldest daughter of Rev. M.
A. Gates of Barton Landing, to Rev.
Geo. II. Gilbert of Dorset. Mr.. Gill
bert is a graduate of Dartmouth col
lege and Union theological seminary
studied nearly four years in Germany,
receiving the degree of Phi. ID. from
the university of Leipsic and returned
to this country last August. The Chi
cago theological seminary gave him a
call to the professorship made vacant
by the death of Prof. Hyde, which he
accepted, and will enter upon the work
at the opening of the next Seminary
year. Miss Gates spent three years in
ST. JOhnsbury academy and graduated
in 1880; two years in Wellesley col
lege, two years in study in Germany
and in travel, returning home about a
year ago. The many friends of Miss
Gates in this place extend hearty con-
CALCULATIONS.
The marriage of E. w. Comstock and
Addie E. Crosby took place Thursday
afternoon at the residence of George
r. Crosby, the brides father. Rev. c.
M. LamsOn performed the ceremony
being assisted by Rev. E. II. Sanford.
Mr.. and Mrs. Comstock went at once
to Lyndonville, their future home.
Y. NJ. G. A. Notes.
The members entertainment Thurs
day evening was full as interesting as
any of the series. The association hall
was well filled. The program was ar
ranged by G. Ii. Horton and included
piano solo by Mrs. WIS. BOyntOn
song by Miss Lulu Fenno; reading by
Miss Eta Newell; clarinet solos by
Clinton Cheney songs by Mrs. A. w.
Porter; medley defamation by Henry
Ellis, Willie Green and John Rickaby
song by Helen Brooks; Zulu songs by
Edward, William and Nellie Tyler and
songs by the male quartet, Messrs.
Humphrey, Tyler, May and Silsby.
The program was unusually varied
and nearly every number was encOred.
Mrs. Porter was given a very cordial
reception and the Zulu songs by the
Tylers created good deal of amuse-
ment; specially unique was the rem
dering of Yankee Doodle in Zulu. The |
instrumental selections by Mrs. Boyn-
ton and Mr.. Cheney were equally in
teresting and the piano accompani-
ments were well rendered by Miss AL
mira Fairbanks.
The musical portion of the young
mems social service Sunday evening
was conducted by the male quartet.
Rev. c. NJ. LamsOn gives the young
men talk next Sunday evening in the
association hall at $50 o'clock p. IN.
The service Sunday evening, July 1S,
will be conducted by Charles III. Sage,