The morning news., 1894-01-18
( DAILY, $40 A YEAR, 4
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| WEEKLY, 81 . A YEAR l
A MYSTERY OF THE NIGHT.
A Wife Wakes Up to Find Bullets
Flying at Her Head.

When She Screamed Her Husband
Proved to be in the Room and Ad-
monished Her to Keep Quiet-Tha
Police Think He Tried to Murder
Her-He Claims That the Bullets
Were Fired at Him by an Unknown
Enemy.
Atlanta, Ga, Jan. 17.-William Givens,
who has no settled occupation, was ar
rested here this afternoon for attempting
to kill his wife. The couple live near the
Exposition mills. About O'Clock this
morning Mrs Givens was awakened from
deep sleep by the loud report of pistol
in her room. She sprang up wildly,
instantly awake. She screamed aloud.
and threw out her arms for
her husband, whom she supposed to be
sleeping by her side. He was not there,
and she screamed all the louder at find.
ing herself alone and unprotected A
second and third pistol shot quickly fol-
lowed, and Mrs. Givens felt stinging
sensation about her head. She fell back
on her pillow, which was rapidly redden-
ing with her own blood.
HER HUSBAND BY HER SIDE.
-
few feet away, calling to her not to be
frightened and not to scream. She fell
back upon her pillow exhausted and beg.
ging for mercy. Her husband made a
light and very much excited walk over
to her side and discovered that she was
shot. He helped her to stop the flow Of
blood and after daylight went in search
Of physician. 1t was not until o'clock
that Giyens telephoned to the police.
Officers Barrett and Bone placed him un-
der arrest and carried him TO police
headquarters, suspecting him of having
done the shooting.
GIvBNs' STORY.
Givens protested innocence, and said
that he was awakened by the shots He
sprang out of bed at the sound of the first
shot and could distinctly see that some
one was firing through the window from
the outside. He tried to shield him-
self from the flying bullets and
not until the firing ceased did he
make any noise Then he called to his
wife, admonishing her to quiet herself
and stop screaming. Mrs. Givens indi-
Gated TO the officers her belief that her
husband had done the shooting. She
felt morally certain of it, nit hough the
evidence was mainly circumstautial.
BELIEF OF THE OFFICER.
Officer Bone believes there is no doubt
of Givens guilt He says he carefully
measured some foot prints beneath the
window and compared the measurements
with the dimensions of Giyens' feet, and
the two correspond exactly. He also ac-
curately measured the horse tracks
in the yard and afterwards measured
the feet of horse in lot
which adjoins Givens' home and found
that the feet and the tracks were of the
same size exactly Officer Bone says he
thinks that Givens took the horse out Of
tho lot and tied 1t outsidehi gate, intend
ing to make his escape on it after killing
his wife An exhaustive search was
made for the pistol, but it was not found.
OWENS LOCKED UP.
Givens was locked up on a charge OF as
sault with intent to murder, and If Mrs.
Givens dies it will be changed TO more
serious charge He has employed b. M.
Mitchell to defend him.
Mrs. Givens says that her husband was
always jealous of her and frequently ac-
cused her of receiving visits from we'll
known physician, which insinuation she
denounced as without foundation. This
feeling of jealousy was frequent sources
of trouble.