Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-08
AN UNKNOWN BOY
Fired the Shot That Killed Eddie
Russell.
MANALLY And BYRNE EXONERATED
Testimony Before the Coroner's
Jury in the Gonzaga Case.
THE VERDICT RENDERED

The inquest over the body Of little Eddie
Russell. the seven-year-old boy who was
killed Monday night at the grounds of Con-
zaga College while a garden party was in
progress. was held today at the sixth pre-,
cinct station. on New Jersey avenue. The
was the unfortunate victim of an accidental
shot fired at the rifle range that evening.
though the identity of the person who was
holding the gun when 1t was discharged
will probably never be known.
1t had one satisfactory result however in
that it showed that To shadow Of respon-
sibility rested upon DR.. Byrne or Sergt. Nc
Anally. the two members of the Emmett
Guards who were in charge Of the shooting
gallery. One Of the witnesses a young man
named Louis Flynn. sprung something of
surprise when he testified that he distinctly
saw the gun fired. and that 1t was shot by
a little boy not more than ten years of age,
who had no idea what he had DONE and will
probably never know that. he. was, in.
measure responsible for the loss of human
life. .---... e., -..
1t was the first inquest held by Dr. Ham
NETT, the new coroner. The members of
the jury were Messrs. Gilbert w. Cave,
John NJ. Elliott, VIM. S. Chapman j ames
Holmes, John ID. Hunt and George H. Gill.
AT III O'Clock they were taken to the home
of the bereaved family, 81 X street. where
they viewed the remains. They then went
across the street to the grounds Of Gonzaga
College and examined the scene of the ac-
ctdent The rifle range was directly along
side of the rear fence, which separates the
grounds from an alley. 1t would seem a
bad place. to say the least for such an In
stitutton as a shooting gallery and the eff
forts of Coroner Hammett to find out
whether or not a license had been issued to
the people In charge of the garden party
would seem to indicate that the. matter
would not be allowed to drop here After
to the station house.
Lawyer Sillers appeared for DIR. Byrnss..
Young witnesses.
The first witness called when the inquest
was resumed WAS Jerome Hartnett. young
boy who lives at 1st and II streets. He
said he was present and heard some one
say, "(1et of that fence" He looked up
and saw the boy on the fence and then
heard a shot fired. The boy said. oh Mis-
ter. Mister" but at first It was not thought
that he had really been shot. The little
Russell boy was sitting on the fence beside
the range and between the targets and the
spot where the marksmen stood. The wit
ness, however, was unable to throw any
light upon the identity of the person who
fired the fatal shot. Byrne and McAnally
were standing at the counter at the time.
he thought.
The coroner ha. evidently been given a
hint from some outsider, for he endeavored
was not true that wine and liquor were be-
ing sold at the Gonzaga fair. but the boy
knew nothing about 1t. OF the, Two mem
bers Of the Emmett Guard who were at the
rifle range Sergt. McAnally was the one who
was standing nearer to the fence. Both
were in uniform. ebd both had small rifles
in their hands.
Albert L. Furbeshaw, sixteen years of age,
ha wi He tha
shot fired, but had noticed that DR.. Byrne
had small rifle in his hand, which he was
testing, The first he knew OF any mishap
was when he heard little Eddie Russell cry
boys thought he ives only frightened, but
they lighted a match and saw that he really
had been wounded. Then he and several
ether small boys helped the bleeding boy to
his home. He thought II Iwas DR.. Byrpe
who told Eddie to get off the fence. but he
did not see the gun go az while the doctor
was holding it.
Charles Rainey. another small boy, who
lives In the neighborhood of the shooting,
said that he was at the lawn party Monday
night and saw Byrne and McAnally at the
rifle range. when one Of thenf Called to
boy to get OF the fence. $780,. .,..-4
At the request Of the coroner young
Rainey tried to point out DIR. Byrne from
among the men who were in the room
about twenty in number-but he was unable
to do so. He explained this by saying that
he did not know DIR. Byrne by sight, but
heard some one call him by name that
night To the best of his belief 1t, was DR..
Byrne who called to the boy and who held
the rifle that went Off. The gun. he thought
was fired within a second Of the time the
warning was given. At the time Sergeant
McAnaily was examining gun that was
not shooting satisfactorily.
In the opinion Of the witness II must ha We
been one Of these two men who did the
shooting. as there was no one else who had
a gun in his hand at the time
He Had Charge.
Thomas McAnally was then called to the
witness stand. He said that he did not
know whether he was present when the
shooting occurred. as he did not know that
any one had been shot until late that even
ing. He had charge of the shooting gallery
that night. and noticing a boy on the fence
In what he considered a dangerous position.
he called to him to get down, and the bow
dropped down at once. Mr.. McAnaliy said
that to the best of his belief no gun was
nred while the boy was on the fence. Dr.
Byrne was the only other person inside the
gallery. He was aiding the witness and
was not shooting. Witness handed a rife
to some one, did not know to whom but did
not think that the person shot while the boy
was on the fence. At the time of the oc-
currence he thought that the bow dropned
from the fence in response to his CALL and
rot because he was shot. If the boy WAS
shot from the gallery he did not see how II
know at tie time that any accident had
happened. 49, g.
One of the rifles used at the gallery that
night was then placed in evidence 1t was
a small 22-caliber paror rifle
Mr.. McAnally said he was sure there was
no accidental discharge of the gun He
could not say by whose authority a gal
lery was established there that night. nor
did he know whether a license had been
obtained for that purpose -.
A Boy Fired the shot
The next witness called was a young
man by the name of Louis F.. FLYNN. who
was at the lawn party Monday night. He
was standing quite close to where the peo-
pie were shooting, and heard some one call
to a boy on the fence. Just then there was
a rifle shot. and Immediately the boy fell
from the fence to the ground.
DO you know who fired the shot?" asked
Dr. Hammett.
Il do not" said Mr.. Flynn" r' .-
Would you recognize the man If you
We're to see him?
1T wasn't a man." -
Not a man?'
mo, sir, 1t was a small boy not over ten
years of age. He went off afterward. for
no one supposed that anybody had been
hurt and 1 certainly would not recognize
him again If l were to see him.
7 his testimony came decidedly in the ma
trre of a surprise. The young man then
went on to describe briefly the accident
completely clearing the two men, McAnally
and Byrne, from any shadow of responsible
i+xy for he sad occurrence The how x,-bn