Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-31
THROUGH THE HEAD.
AN EARLY EVENING SENSATION IN THE
FOURTH WARD.
George Gray, Bridgeport COlOrsd Youth, Blows His
Brains Out at Celia Williams, on
Nineteenth Street.


About q quarter to eight o'clock last
evening George Gray, young colored man
whose home is in Kirkwood, blew his
brains ont, at the house of i'll fame kept
by Celia Williams, at No. Is Nineteenth
street.
Jealousy seems to have been at the bot
tom of the affair.
Officers wilkie and Grubler, Of the Fifth
ward, were standing at the corner of Ecff
and Twentieth street, when they heard q
shot ring out from one Of the houses in
Nineteenth street, near the Warren oil
refinery. In about two minutes this shot
was followed by another, and the two Off
GERS broke for the Market street bridge at
a double uick, to see what was the mat
ter.
As they came up Nineteenth street, they
saw the scene of the trouble was at Celia
Williams, and rushing into the front
door of the house, they saw Ida Brown, q
colored girl employed at the house of i'll
fame kept by Nellie Martin, sitting on the
floor holding in her lapa wounded man.
On the floor near by was q 80 calibre
Smith & Wesson revolver, two chambers
of which were empty. Gray, the wounded
man, was unconscious, and blood and
brains we're oozing from bullet hole in
the right temple, and On the left side at q
point Just back Of the ear, where the missile
had made its exit after passing clear
through the head. DR.. j. II. Pipes, Jr. +,
was sent for but he was powerless to
render any assistance, and death resulted
in about fifty minutes after the wound had
been inflicted.
To a reporter for the REGISTER Celia
Williams made the following statement:
81 was sitting in the front door talking
to Ida Brown, who had come down to see
me about going to Cleveland. While We
were talking, George came along, and said
to Ida: what are You doing here" She
said: o, I'm inst talking He looked at
buch of keys she had, belonging to me,
and said: What are you doing with them
keyr?' She said she was inst holding 'em,
and then he said: What are doing with
that Mother Hubbard on?' She said:
It's my Mother Hubbard; guess I've got
a right to wear it, Then the girl jumped
up and ran in the room, and George raised
up a revolver and fired shot at her. She
ran through the house, and went down to
Mrs. O'Keeffs's, who lives below me,
George looked around, but didn't see her,
and went ont OH the steps | said to him:
George, you oughtn't do anything like
that. You'll have to pay pretty dear for
that sort of thing He went back into
the room, and then turned around facing
tie door. All at once he pulled out his
pistol again, and saying, Farewell to all,
he put the muzzle against his head and
fired, falling on the floor. / sent for the
police, and they soon came snd took
charge. Gray hadn't been drinking, and
seemed to he all right in every way. He
and the girl have had good many spats,
and he has often threatened to kill her.
Only few days ago she took revolver
away from him. The girl wasn't stayipg
at my place, and only came down to talk
to me-"
Captain Smith and Officers Carney, Bell
and Jnnkius soon followed Wilkie and
Grubler to the house, and az soon as death
resulted Coroner SchuliZe was sent Tor.
He arrived at the hOnse about quarter
past nine o'clock, and at once held an
inquest, the evidence adduced being about
in conformity with Celia Williams state
ment. M given above.
Ida Brown said she saw Gray reach for
his pistol pocket, and had an idea he was
going for his revolver, aud ran back in the
house. This was Just before be fired ut
her
All the time the wounded man lay on
the floor of the room, and during the inter
val between his death, and the arrival of
the Coroner, the girl Ida Brown filled the
house with her sobs and lamentations,
constantly importuning the officers 10 let
her see Gray. Her grief was maniiestly
very great, and affected the large crowd
present.
When the body was searched, the Coroner
found purse containing So IS IN money,
watch, stud, ring, breastpin, and in his
coat pocket the following note, stained
with blood from his wounded head:
Statement of George Gray, before his
death:
~ am firmly OF the opinion that am
going crazy. have read that any person
that commits suicide must be crazy, and
that is what contemplate at this writing.
Why do do this? / am tired of life. 1t
has been in my mind for several years. ]
would like that everything that possess
be buried with me. Mine is type of
d bright future ruined by woman. /
shall kill her with myself. am writing
this while on street car. May God help
me. Il. e."
Gray's body was taken over to Bridge
port last night, about eleven O'Clock,
where it was prepared for burial. Gray
was until lately employed in the drug
store of ]. G. Dent, at Bridgeport. He
was graduate of Bridgeport High School
and also of Oberlin College, and was very
He was 90 years old.
The shooting created q tremendous ex.
element among the colored population of
this city, where Gray was well known, and
it was the general subject Of conversation
till late in the night.