Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-10-15
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY.
A5EAUTlFUL YOUNG GIRL KILLED SUN
DAY EVENING.
Late Developments Show That 1t Was Sui
clde-Letters Found That Remove All
Doubt-The Coroner's Verdict
The Heart-rendlng Story.

less SKY came the report over the tele-
phone wires Sunday evening that
Miss Cammie Russell had been found
dead in her fathers garden, on South
Main Street, with pistol wound in
her head. A half hour before she had
walked up the street from the Taber-
nacle meeting, chatting pleasantly
with party Of young friends, the
picture of health anu youth and beau
ty. Reaching her home she paused
at the gate and after pleasant little
talk with Mr.. Charles Arlington, Mr..
Geo. w. Phelps, Mr.. Garnett Roach
and other young gentlemen friends,
and several neighbors and friends who
saw her smiling face as they passed,
she was called to the house to answer
the telephone bell. Still in the best
of spirits, happy and jolly as she was
won't to be, she left her friends at the
gate, talking to them as she walked
backwards towards the house, hun
dred or more feet away. She answer
ed the telephone and then went up
stairs to her room while the rest of the
family were called in to supper about
that time.
Her father remembered afterwards
that he heard her walking lightly
down the steps while at supper. AS
she did not come in, her mother sent
the cook out to call her about the
time the meal was finished. Not find
ing her in the house she went to the
gate and called to the neighbors to
know if Miss Cammie was there. As
she was not found her father left the
table and began to search for her, not
dreaming that any tragedy had hap
pened. Going into the garden, some
fifty feet beyond the house, he looked
under late peach tree in the garden
to the left of the gate and there found
her dead body.
She was lying partly on her side
and partly on her face, with her right
hand under the wounded side of her
face, dead, with her fathers pistol ly-
ing by her with one chamber empty
Her Mortified father took her tenderly
in his arms and assisted by his son
Jim, bore her into the house and plac-
ed her on bed. Mrs. Russell, wild
with grief, was taken from the bed
room and into the parlor before the
body was brought in. Her grief was
heart-rending all through the night.
She was kindly cared for by her init
mate friends who gathered in toshare
her sorrow. DR.. Darwin Bell, of Ora
cey, was at Mr.. Blakemore's, opposite,
and Dr. Russell was soon summoned
and an examination revealed the fatal
wound was in her right temple, I'M
der the fluff of her beautiful brown
hsir, and the cruel ball had evidently
done its work instantly. She was
dead in moment.
AS nearly as could be ascertained
the tragedy occurred about 6:15
o'clock. 1t was probably five min
utes later when the body was found.
1t was about 6 o'clock when she left
the front gate and was last seen alive.
1t was not until nearly noon. after
The inquest had been held, that two
letters were found in the young
Iady's room that threw a food of
light upon the matter and clearly es-
5ablished the fact of suicide.
Both letters were written to young
gentleman and contained threats Of |
suicide. The first was written Oct.
), and she declared her intention to
FILL suicides grave" This letter
vas never delivered and was only |
found yesterday. The second letter
vas evidently written few moments
before the act 1t was short and re-
erred to the former letter to explain |
he motive. The letter was written
n a firm hand and signed "Cammie |
Brown RUSSELL" She went down the
steps, tipping by the kitchen door as /
he cook now remembers, and that |
vas the last seen of her alive. She
vas found with her hat and
rail still on, just as she had
eturned from church.
She was attired in new and hand
iome dress and wore two or three
ings on her hand, one of them an
Elegant diamond given her by
Ter mother on her birthday two
lays before. She also wore hand
ome pin given her by the young gen
leman to whom the letters were ad-
dressed.
Yesterday morning Coroner Aliens
worth made an investigation into the
acts, meeting the witnesses down in
he city, and without deeming it
necessary to hold a formal inquest
verdict or report as fol-
ows, after hearing the testimony:
II find that Miss Cammie Russell |