The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-12-12
He TRIED TO BAG BOTH OF THEM,
But Succeeded Only in Winging One
of the Pair
James E. Harrison Turns His Little
Gun Loose on His Wife and
Ed Mitchell.

There came near being double muir
der in the Highland Park neighborhood
early last evening.
The first report of the affair that came
to the city was brought by James E.
Harrison, the principal actor in the
! tragedy who presented himself at the
police headquarters shortly before s
O'Clock, and told Chief Drew that he
wished to give himself up. He said he
had detected his wife and young man
named Ed. Mitchell in a compromising
situation and had fired four shots at
them from a revolver, but did not know
whether or not he had hit either of
them.
Chief Drew dispatched officers Tai
bot, Maley, Ash and Fitzgerald to the
scene of the shooting, and they stopped
on the way to take along a stenographer
in order that any dying statements of
Harrison's victims might be taken
down. Sheriff Johnson was informed
of the shooting, and he and one of his
| deputies fastened out to Oak Park,
where they heard the shooting had oc-
Cured.
Coroner Clark was informed that two
persons had been shot out that way,
and the dead-wagon was dispatched to
| bring in the corpSeS.
The police were the first to find the
house where the shooting took place,
that of n. H. Shepherd in Highland
! Park, on the line of u street, between
Twenty-sixth and Twenty
They found there Mrs. Harrison and
Ed. Mitchell, and after while Mr.. and
! Mrs. Shepherd returned from town,
they having been away when the shoot
| Trc. TIlt~ 11Od n
slight bruise on the shoulder, where
one of the bullets from her husbands
pistol had struck her, but as it had
been first in contact with a bedpost it
had spent it's force. Mitchell had eS-
capped harm entirely.
The officers found a window opening
from a bedroom on the ground floor
with three bullet-holes through the
glass and another in the window casing
near by, and they picked from the floor
the bullet that had been in contact with
Mrs. Harrison's shoulder. 1t still car
ried some of the material torn from a
wooden wrapper worn by the woman at
| the time.
! Mrs Harrison was lying on the bed at
the time she was shot, but Mitchell says
| he was in the act of kneeling or stoop-
ing to look for a newspaper on the
floor. Although none of Harrison's bull
lets found him, he was a very badly
frightened youth, and the police
brought him to town and made him
safe for the night.
Harrison was greatly relieved when
he learned that he had not killed either
his wife or Mitchell, though he said he
old not see that he or any other man
could, under the circumstances, have
done less than try to kill them both.
His home and happiness, he said, had
been wrecked by his wife, and he was
Well-nigh distracted by the misery she
had brought upon him.
For some months they had been liv-
ing apart, she stopping with her grand
parents at Highland Park, while he had
found homes for their three little chill
dIen, the fruit of their six years of mar
ried life. Last evening he went out to
Highland Park to see his wife. On the
way he met her grandparents coming
into the city, and expected to lind her
alone.
When he approached the house, how
ever, a sight met his eyes that nearly
drove him wild. Through a kitchen
window he saw his wife washing the
supper dishes, and close by was Mitch
ell, with cloth in hand wiping them.
For some time he stood out in the cold
and darkness watching this domestic
picture, and then the kitchen lamp was
removed He saw the guilty pair go
the curtain was but partially drawn,
and as the light was kept burning he
could see all their movements.
According to the story of the injured
husband he saw more than he could
bear, and in the frenzy of his outraged
feelings he whipped out his pistol and
poured a volley of four shots at the
pair through the window. Without
waiting to learn the result of the shots
he left the scene, came into town, and
after short visit to his place of bust
ness he went to the police station and
surrendered.
Harrison is the proprietor of the
Laurel Saloon on K street, near Fourth
He is said to be a quiet, inoffensive
ran, one who never has trouble that
can be avoided.
why" said one of his friends last
night, The is the last man in the world
that 1 would have thought of having
the nerve to shoot at anyone. But no
one knows what that man has suffered
for several months past. Why the last
time his wife saw the children she took
no more notice of them than if they
were rats. Harrison has often told me
of the misery she had caused him"
Mrs. Harrison is said to be a very at
tractive woman of about II years of
age and one who generally has several
admirers about her. Before marriage
her name was Lille Woods
Ed. Mitchell, the cause of last nights
shooting, is a young man of pleasing
address. He is paper-hanger and
lives at the William Tell House. Har-
rison, the man whom he has so deeply
wronged, says he picked Mitchell up
when he was in need of something to
90 and gave him work and a chance
to earn money. He also tried to get
him a place in the fire department, and
in return for these acts of kindness
Mitchell had taken up with his way
ward wife.
Both Harrison and Mitchell were at
late hour last night removed to the
County Jail.
TROOP BIS BALL