Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-19
MISS FRENcH's INTEREST,
Tho Davenport Novelist's Efforts In He
half OF Misc Flsgler.

The Davenport Novelist's Efforts In He
half Of Miss Flagler.
Miss Alice French, OF Davenport,
otherwise Octave Thanet, has re-
turned from Washington, where she
has been engaged in behalf of Miss
Elizabeth Flagler. daughter of Gen.
ID. W. Flagler. charged with the
murder Of the little colored boy,
Ernest Green. To the Democrat
Miss French says:
"As for this particularly unhappy
shot. none of the papers have vet
given the correct version of it. I'M
less they have done it recently. They
have not failed because of any fault
or neglect OF theirs. but because the
truth has been withheld from them
by Miss Flagler's friends. who
thought they were acting the wise
part in Withholding all statements
concerning the entire affair.
81 examined the premises, and
stood at the window the shot was
fired from, and do not see how Miss
Fla9er could have seen Ernest
Green in the place where he stood
when he was shot, nor how she
could possibly have directed a shot
at him from that window, unless she
had leaned far ont OF it, which she
did not do. She fired two shots, to
brighten a company of nine young
rufiians, at least several of whom
were in the branches of the pear tree,
which was not more than twenty-five
feet. should Judge. from her win
dow-a second story window. The
boys tumbled out of the tree and all
ran off. She is familiar with the use
of firearms, and is quite at home
with the revolver. She directed the
weapon so as to miss all those bows
that were in sight, as she intended
to do. Little Ernest Green, who was
a nice little fellow, and not to be
connected with those young scamps
that were trespassing on the Flagler
premises. in any way, was STOPPING
behind the fence. in the act of reach
ing for a fallen pear-one that prob
ably had been knocked down by those
other boys. 1t is supposed that he
was struck by the first shot fired,
but that Miss Flagler had any knowl.
edge Of the fact that boy was be-
hind the fence from her, or that she
had been shooting in the direction OF
any person. is not for a moment sup
possible. She laughed at the sight
Of the fleeing boys who had been rob-
bling the tree-and / submit that .
young woman sufficiently excited to
aim to kill or even slightly wound q
fellow being would not he likely to
laugh. She has never laughed since.
1t was but few moments till it was
known that lad had been hit.
Claims 1t Was Purely Accidental.
''Of course, the natural question
is, how did the boy happen to ge,
hit" Everything indicates that the
fatal bullet glanced from some solid
object, which it first struck and wa:
detected from it's true course, SO as
to strike the boy. Miss Flagler
meant to shoot at the middle of the
road. A bullet glancing off would
appear to be in no danger of doing
damage to any person beyond it, for
| otC bo hOuScS III ordinary
range in front of the place she shot
at. The direction of the wound in
the boys body indicates that it came
from below rather than above, as i,
must have shown had the bullet
come straight to him from Mis-.
Flagler's revolver. understand
that there is evidence in support oil
this in the shape of the distorted
bullet, which had evidently glanced
from some surface, and in the out
lines Of the wound it made on enter
ing the boys body. but l am moi
prepared to enter into any details
for all this evidence in the case i.
strictly withheld until time to us,
it. However, the impression came
to many who were present at tn,
time Of the accident, and it has beer
growing since then, that it was =,
riccochet bullet that struck the bow
What it glanced from is not known
but that 1t did glance seems an un
avoidable conclusion"