Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-27
A SAD AFFAIR.
h, PERSON KILLED AND TWO WOUNDED
AT A PIONIl
i, Sara A. KceOwan Dies in Ten Minutes
and George wsitzsl is Badly and Mss
Kate Kinney Slightly Wounded.

rome person killed and two wounded.
Sueh were the terrible results which
Iollowed the discharge Of shotgun in
be hands Of Joseph Fahey, at a private
kie-nic a few miles from the city, yester-
ay afternoon.
The dead girl was Miss Sara A. Nc
Eowan, daughter of James MCGOWAN,
bf No. 26O9 Market street, while the in
ured are George B. Weitzel, cigarmsk-
r. Of No. "A Fourteenth street, and
Miss Kate A. Kenney. Of No. 9616 Mar
ket street.
Joseph Fahey, who did the shooting,
i a bartender, working for j. w. KEN
Bic, Of Twenty-fourth and Market
streets.
Every Sunday, at this season Of the
Year, numerous parties Of picnickers
|eave this city in wagons and 'busses
ior day along the creek valley or
tmOng the hills, within easy reach Of
ihe city. A fav ored spot for such gath
Brings is the hilltop at the head of what
ls locally known as "POle Cat Hollow"
BIZ what are known as the "Hill
krounds, " and yesterday several wagon
md bus loads Of young people went TO
Mat spot TO spend the day. The local
h. is az the head of the right hand fork
of Woods run, about three miles or a
little less from Greggsville. One party
Which went out yesterday morning was
Composed Of twenty-One young people,
among them Albert and Charles Gaus,
Albert Raymond, b. 81 o. employee,
3oSeDh Fahey, LEX" Kenny, Charles
cloustOn, Charles Bliss, George Weitzel,
William Supler, Albert Foster, William
Shefllin, Miss Sara A. MCGOWAN, Miss
Kate Kinney, Miss Kate He'll, Miss
Maggie Carroll, Miss Mary Coffee, and
several others. The party had several
kegs OF beer and a luncheon with them,
Ind several OF the young men, who are
performers on the guitar, took their
Instruments along. The day was spent
Very pleasantly, until about half past
-FOUR o'clock, or a little later, when the
1eplOrable accident which makes this
story necessary occurred.
About half-past four, while five of
the young men were playing on their
kultars, and the others, with several OF
DE ladies, were dancing playfully
round on the grass under the trees,
Md others were seated upon a dead tree
trunk, Andrew Height, well-known
fOung man, who has lately been en-
DlOyed at a residence a few miles from
the city, came up to the party with two
companions. Height had been shooting
bud carried a shotgun in his ha nd, he
having shot a squirrel short time be-
lore AS Height and his friends came
y p some one spoke TO him, and Albert
Gaus asked him il he would have a
glass of beer. The three men drank,
and while doing so Joseph Fahey took
the gun from Height, who had it in his
left hand, at the same time asking '1s
ID loaded?" Height said it was not, and
Fahey raised the gun, made remark
about going to shoot, and in
an instant the weapon was dis
charged in the direction OF
the crowd of pleasure seekers, who /
were Continuing their music, all unSus-
pectinE of danger. Miss McGOwan,
George Weltzel, Miss Kinney and one
'Or two others were standing close to-
.cether, about twenty or twenty-five feet
IRON Fahey, when the shot was fired.
PThe great bulk of the shot struck Miss
NlcGOwan in the head, neck, and upper
portion Of the breast, and she fell for
ward oo her facs About thirty or for
Nv shot struck Weltzel in che head and
hat, ana severe wounds were inflicted,
bis right eye having very narrow es-
cape, although last night his physicians
Bald the sight of the organ could be
Saved Miss Kinney was struck in the
hip, sustaining slight wounds from sew
eral OF the shots. As soon as
the shot was fired Fahey threw
the gun from him with an oath
and a reprOach TO Height for having
said 10 was not loaded, TO which the lat
ter replied that he had not told Fahey !
to take It. Fahey was at once almost
beside himself with horror at the con-
Sequences of his act, and for time he
seemed on the point OF losing his mind,
while the affrightened screams of the |
ladies in the party and the excited cries
OF the men made quite cOmmOtiOn, and |
soon attracted a number Of other per-
sons 20 the scene from other picnic
parties in the vicinity. Miss McGowan'S
face was at once bathed in water, and
She was carried to the bus near by,
where all that could be done for her was
freely bestowed, and a messenger was
dispatched post haste to Fulton for a
physician, but the unfortunate girl was
Unconscious from the first, and died
in about ten minutes, one OF the young
men attracted TO the scene from a
'party further down the hill, who
Financed TO have a prayer book in his
possession, reading the prayers for the
diving over her as she breathed her
hast. While the other persons injured
were being attended to by their friends,
'the body of the dead girl was removed
from the bus TO light wagon, and was
started toward the city, being met en-
route by DIR. AshbrOOk, OF Fulton, who
made n brief examination, AID later by
h REGISTER reporter, who had heard OF
'the accident, and apprized Justice
'Arkle. in whose company they started
'to the scene. Previously the Justice
and the reporter had called at the resi-
'dence of Mr.. Weitzel, on Fourteenth
street, where all knowledge OF the anair
WAS denied.
When the party with the corpse was
met, the Justice and the newspaper man
burned back, and the remains were
taken to Frew 81 Bertschey'S, where
they were taken to the undertaking
rooms on the fourth floor. Meanwhile
Justice Ankle communicated with Coro-
her Phillips, at the Moundsville camp
grounds, and then impannelled Jury
consisting of MesSrs. Hugh LetzkuS, w.