Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-05-30
HOW 1T OCCURRED.
A Full Account of the Shooting Of
Mrs. R.. n. Stevens at
Lisbon, N. D.
The Coroners Jury Fully EXonerates
Mr.. Stevens and returns q Yer
dict Of Accidental Shooting.

II III NouAvy ""AOeSC .
AS the capital city is deeply interested in
the unfortunate affair at Lisbon, Mr.. and
Stevens being so we'll known and pop
ular here, the TRIBUNE prints excerpts
from the report of the c%oroner's jury
published in the Lisbon Gazette. Mr.. Ste
vens' testimony was in substance as fol-
At moor yesterday, at the table, my wife
and l agreed to go out hunting in the at
snipe. We started n went out. She was
to bring the buggy round to my office. The
man who works for me, Milt Wells, was to
hitch up for her. She was to drive to my
Office and bring the gum. l did not have
any shells except some loaded with very
coarse shot. l went TO Coles and bought
Is shells. She was to have been at the Of
as she was not come, [ thought the man
had not hitched up. l went out and saw
her driving up the street. I had left the
shot bag and shells at Lucas becauseI had
dictated two letters to Mary and she was
to send them up to me to sign and give to
When l got back to the office / found her
sitting in the buggy and Milt Wells stand
ing by the side OF the horse with
the letters. l took the letters to
Mr.. Lucas and after reading them l signed
them and gave them to him. l then went
out and got into the buggy and as l went
to get into the buggy she asked me if !
had any whiskey. l said mo" and she told
me to go back and get some, because it has
always been my custom to take some with
me on going anywhere in case Of spells OF
heart trouble l have sometimes. l said
No, if l can't 20 out to the farm without
whiskey. I will find it out" When half
-o =, rrf I fhp,obt w,tO1H r,f tho pnn tn
gether and then l found that l mad left the
shells behind. She said, "Well, there are
some shells in the buggy" | got them and
they were coarse shot. We shot until
there was but one shell left. | think we
got some six or seven birds. She said W
near town she said. when we get home
We will go to the slough near the house
and shoot some ducks" There is generally
ducks there. [ killed one there last Sunday.
/ said we could not get many ducks with
II shell, and she said, "Well. we will 60
by Lucas and get the Shells" We droye
to Lucas and got the shells. [ went right
in, got the shells and came right out.
When we got home she said she would
have to get her rubbers as her shoes were
thin and the sticks hurt her feet. We gave
Mary the horse to unhitch. The babies
wanted to go but l told Mary to keep them
back and to shut up the dog as it was liza
VIC w 1ull hLlCuu VI u w wv Sco
short distance away swe saw two ducks.
! shot them both. l said would have to
to 20 to the house to get my rubber boots
to get them out of the water. She said,
'Let us 60 over here first, perhaps we can
get some snipe.' l know | loaded the
gun. We went on and crouched down as
we went, side by side, and the gun went
off, but how l dom know. She had hold
of my arm going over there until we
crOuched down. l only know the gun
went off, l saw her fall. l saw blood and
my God, l don't know any more.
At this point Mr.. Stevans became greatly
excited, but after he had GAINED down
somewhat he made the following statement
in answer to questions by the coroner and
Jury: We We're not seated at the time.
We had not been gone from the house to
exceed five minutes. We were crouching
as we went along towards the slough, but
whether we We're when the gun Went Oft
l don't know. While we were going along
c%rouching she said, "If we can't get any
snipe We can get a turtle dove, for l hear
one over there
After taking the testimony of Miss Mary
Rourke, cousin OF deceased, and Miss Katie
Rourke, Mrs. Stevens sister, which cOrrob-
GRATED the previous testimony regarding
MI. and Mrs. Stevens leaving home, re-
turning and then going out again. the jury
again went to view The scene of the calam-
ity. Mr.. Stevens accompanied them and
conducted them to the points mentioned i'll
his testimony. Mr.. Stevens said he could
not remember his wife getting in front of
him, but it was possible that when they got
to the bank looking down in the slough,
she being at his left hand, they might have
both turned to the left, which would bring
her in front Of him. But he didn't know
whether they did so or not, he had no recol-
lection of it whatever. The two ducks he
shot were still lying III the water.
Tko ,,rr- $tn,, rat,,rr,nH RI fhn 0nIIrt Vnn1O
and proceeded to take further testimony.
The testimony of c. II. HummasOn. Chas.
Sullivan, Frank Russell, L. N. Oium and
others who were the first persons on the
grounds, was all to the same effect. They
each testified to hearing Mr.. Stevens cal
ling for help and on arriving at the house
they found him frantic with horror and
grief. They managed to get enough out of
him to understand what was the matter,
and on following the path in the wood
they found Mrs. Stevens lying on her
back on a steep bank leading down to a
small slough, her head being near the top
OF the bank. About three feet from her
head on the side from which they ap-
preached lay a double-barrelled shot gun.
About nine feet from the body, on the
other side and in the direction in which
the gun was pointed, was Mrs. Stevens
hat and three feet farther away was the
upper plate of a set Of teeth. The ground
was carefully GAdlulQcU, DuI llU olsLlo VI d
struggle could be found. Each witness
told exactly the same story.
DIR. johnson also cOrrObOrated the above
facts and then described the wound, which
he said commenced at the base of the brain
just behind the right ear. The cavity OF
the wound took an upward and forward
direction towards the forehead. and to
cause such a wound from a gun, supposing
the victim was standing up, the person
holding the gun would have to be immedi'
ately behind holding the gun in such a
manner as ahunter naturally would when
expecting birds to rise.
The gun was produced and the shell IN
the right hand barrel was found to have
been discharged. The other shell was per
feet. Both hammers were down. FIR.
S$2 The jury adjourned until 2 O'Clock, al
which time they ~reconvened and then pro
ceeded again to the house to interview Mr.
Stevens little girl, Emma, about whom
there had been contradictory reports or
the: street regarding her being present al
the shooting, and which they found to bt
untrue. They also investigated certain
other reports, Invented and indnstriously
circulated by lOw-lived scandal mOnger;
and enemies of Mr.. Stevens who seemed t.
rejoice in the awful calamity that had be
E fallen him, but all these reports WERE
proved to be without foundation and utter
ly nnCrue.
Chas. Sullivan was recalled and exam
rnpardinp a rnnOrt that hA had said HI