The San Francisco call., 1896-11-20
THE MURDERER Of
JAMES H. CHILDS
John Miller Says He Shot
His Man in Self
Defense.
This Claim Said to Be Not Sub.
stantiated by the
Facts.
Childs Was Smoking His Pipe and
Reading When He Went Forth
to Meet His Death.

John Miller, the hunehback, who shot
and killed James Henry Childs on Glenn
entina street Wednesday afternoon while
Childs was attempting to prevent him
from numbering Mrs. Nellie Ryan, a
woman with whom he had been living,
appeared in Judge Joachimsen's court
yesterday morning. By consent the case
was continued till November 25.
Miller has retained Attorney H. G..
Grant to defend him. Grant knew him in
on the police for the keys to his carpen-
ter shop, 1149 Folsom street, and the per-
sonal effects taken from him at the time
of his arrest.
Miller has been instructed by his attor-
ney to preserve absolute silence about the
case, and his attorney intiwated that the
theory of the trial would be that Miller
acted in seIf-defense.
When Miller was taken to the Southern
station Wednesday afternoon he made an
attempt to commit suicide, but the officers
were too quick for him. He has been
carefully watched in his cell, and as he
was making an attempt to take OF his
suspenders during the night, one OF the
other occupants of the cell took them from
him after q struggle and handed them to
the sergeant in charge of the prison.
Miller sits apart from the other prisoners
and refuses 10 converse with them.
In his statement published yesterday
Miller said that when Mrs. Ryan left him
she went to the Central Hotel on Third
street with plasterer. The proprietor OF
guest at his hotel and says that one of his
rules is that no women guests are allowed.
The body of the murdered man, ]. H.
Childs, was LAID out in casket last night
in the home of his mother, 4251z Clemen-
tina street. w. w. Childs, George w.
Childs and Charles Childs, the three
brothers of the deceased, and his two
sisters Mrs. Andrew White and Miss Lilly
Childs, were surrounded by friends from
all over the country who came to mourn
with them.
Young Childs' fellow-empIoyes from
Sterling & Dunphv's, the distributors,
were also in attendance.
The story of the uncalled-for murder
was retold time and again, and the details
are such that the plea of self-defense upon
which Miller relies is claimed to be un-
tenable.
w. w. Childs, brother of the deceased,
made this statement:
I'VE were together in the front room of
our home. He was reading THE CALL to
mother and smoking his pipe. The front
door was open and l rose to close it. Just
then the screams of the woman outside
and the shooting made both of us move
faster. Twas in the lead. and as opened
the door l took in the situation at glance
"I saw the pistol in the mans grasp
and the woman who was running from
him. [ grabbed her and pulled her
| toward me. Brother was right behind
me, and the last words / heard him speak
were addressed to the woman. He said /:
Get in here; I'll not let him hurt you'
My brother was very near-sighted and L m
sure he didn't see the pistol.
"When got the woman inside brother
put both hands over Miller's shoulders
and said something to him. 1t was like.
s'Don't do that, man.
Just then the fellow raised his pistol
and fired and my brother fell dead. When
we picked him up his pipe lay under his
body"