The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-06-13
Sad Accidental Death of Mrs. stewart kearnex

Sad Accidental Death of Mrs. Stewart Kearney.
Mrs. Emma L., the young wife of Mr..
Stewart Kearney, accidentally shot and killed
herself on Tuesday evening, at her home at
Sykesville. She was preparing to visit a
neighbor with her husband, and while taking
some article from chiffonier pistol in the
drawer was pulled out and discharged.
j. Frank Shipley, justice of the peace, held
an inquest with the following jury: John Nc
Donald, foreman; II. P. Cowman, S. II.
| Golbart, L. II. Schultz, R. C. McCrone, p.
]. Nobel, ]. B. Mellor, W. Fl. Forsythe, John
Phebus, S. d. Shipley, Thomas W. Fischer
and John E. Norwood.
DIR. ID. B. Sprecher was the first witness ex-
amined, and said: 81 arrived at the house
about ten or twenty minutes after the shot
was fired, and found Mrs. Kearney suffering
from pistol wound about five inches below
and to the right of the nipple of the right
breast. She asked me if l thought she would
die. | told her hoped not, and she replied
Il do not want to die. The doctor stated
that he remained at the house until after the
lady died, and that her death was caused by
internal hemOrrhages.
Mr.. Stewart Kearney, the husband, gave
the following account of the shooting. He
said: 81 returned home from Baltimore about
$50 p. m. and went to my home, where met
my wife and other members of the family.
After we had tea my wife went to her room
TO make her toilet, as we were going to visit
a neighbor. entered the room few minutes
after my wife and proceeded to change my
shoes. After doing this picked up couple
of cigars and had passed out of the room and
closed the door. [ was in the act of lighting
a match when | heard the pistol shot
sprang into the room and said 'Venie, what
have you done?' My wife replied My God,
I che Che Twin m the HhOr
a chiffonier which stands at the back of the
room. | raised her head, and by this time
the family were at her side. We placed her
on a lounge. She did not say anything after
ward. Drs. Sprecher and Heffinger were at
the house, and did all they could to relieve
her suffering"
Mr.. John Mcdonald, foreman of the jury,
asked Mr. Kearney about the presence of the
pistol. Mr.. Kearney said: 81 had the pistol
during the latter part of the past week. One
night heard noise in the poultry yard, and
thinking someone was prowling about arose
and took the pistol to the window, but dis
covered the noise was caused by a dog.
Turning to my wife | asked her to put the
weapon away. What she did with it do not
know, but suppose she put it in one of the
drawers of the chiifonier.' When asked
about his family relations Mr.. Kearney, in u
choking voice, said there had never been
cross word between his wife and himself, and
that they both had been the happiest of the
happy. Mrs. Joseph Geigan, sister law
of Mr.. Kearney, corroborated the evidence
given by Mr.. Kearney.
Mrs. Florence Williams, sister of Mr..
Kearney, said: "When | reached Venie she
was lying on her right side, and | found the
pistol near the front of the chiffonier. The
weapon was entangled with the fringe of .
towel, which had fallen from a drawer. /
suppose Venie was taking her gloves or hand
kerchief from the drawer, and without know
ing it took the pistol out hanging to the towel,
and it must have exploded by striking against
the side of the drawer or when it fell TO the
floor.
The Jury rendered verdict of accidental
death. Mrs Kearney was "a years old and a
daughter of the late John Ii. Geigan, Of the
Baltimore Transfer Company. She was mar
ried about three years ago, and leaves one
child, boy about seventeen months old.
The accident occasioned a great deal of sym
pathy for the family at Sykesville, and on
every hand the unfortunate lady was spoken
of in terms of the highest praise.