The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-11
NUPTIALS ARE SAD
BAD ACCIDENT AS a RESULT OF TOO
MUCH MIRTHFULNEsS

u
While a Charivari Party Are Making
Chaos for the Dedication of a Bride
and q Groom an Old Musket Is Dis
charged, the Wad Striking One of the
Party and killing Him INSTANTLY
Shooter Runs Away, From Fear-Hap-
piness of the Occasion Suddenly Turned
to Sorrow.
Leavenworth, Kan, Jan 10-wedding
festivities were disturbed and ended in
sad manner ait farm house between
Basshor and Glenwood, IN this county
Wednesday night
During the night Thomas Roman, Jr.
aged 20 years, a member Of a char1vai
party, met an untimely death by the ac-
cidental discharge Of gun.
The wedding was that Of VIM. Lewis
and Miss Lena Kemler, and 1t took place
at the home Of the brides mother who
5rns and manages farm. The cere-
imony and marriage was IN the early
: part of the evening and between 10 and
IL O'Clock a charivari party gathered
at the house.
This party was made up of about
twenty-five young men and boys, who
had not been formally invited to the
wedding. They came with all kinds Of
Instruments for making noise, such as
guns, horns, tin pans, bells and anvils.
They got 90 the place and furnished
e lJttle music" when they stopped for
a rest When this was done some one
on the inside opened a window and told
the boys, in q good-natured way, TO
make some noise, and If they could do
no better they had best go home.
During the racket young Roman was
sitting in the dark at the east end of
a porch. He had a steel plow collar
which he beat in a manner to furnish
enough noise to put an anvil to shame.
When one of the wedding guests told
them to make more noise, Henry Jones
was the captain Of the party, allowed
he would do so, and he proceeded to
load up an old army muSket about six
feet long that he had with him. He
put three handfuls of powder in the
gun and half a newspaper for a wad.
This he Tammed down with an iron
roo and then placed the gun over his
arm to put on a cap.
Ar this was done with Jones stand
ing in front OF a window where those
from the inside and outside Of the
house could see him. As ne was put
ting on the cap, the gun was discharged
in some way and made a terrible noise
Some thought it had bursted and it
kicked out Of Jones hand.
The load set some dry vines on fire
at the east end Of the porch and when
members Of the party went to put them
out they found Roman lying in a corner
with his clothes on fire. A brief ex-
animation disclosed the fact that he
was dead and that a hole about six
inches in diameter was torn in his body
where the wad struck him. The load
from the musket nit him between the
shoulders. and while Il did not pass
through his body it made a frightful
wound.
When James saw the awful effects of
his shot he exclaimed, "Oh. my God. I
have killed a man. and he broke away
as fast as he could run and has not
been seen since As he was running /
away some of the crowd called for him |
10 come back. that it was an accident. /
He evidently did not hear them for he /
kept on running.
The guests were eating the wedding
supper when the shooting occurred and .
Ii created a panic. Many of the women .
and even a few of the men tainted. All .
Of t!re festivities came TO an end at
once and mourning followed.
Shortly after the occurrence the body
Of the young man was moved to the
home of his parents four miles from
Glenwooi. His funeral will take place
from the Catholic church at Hoge sta
ton this afternoon.
The news Of the shooting spread all |
pv-ar n shin IA a 1
joining country and nothing else was
talked Of yesterday. Work in the sur
rounding country was suspended and |
4 large crowd attended the inquest yes
terday afternoon.
Dr. MCGiU, the coroner, was notified
% the killing yesterday morning at 6
o'clock by a young farmer who came to
the city to TIL a sister of Romans Of
the death The doctor and Constable
Julius NiebaUer went out, and in the
afternoon held an inquest. Only four
witnesses were examined and the facts
about the shooting were brought out
as stated above. The jury was made
mp If old and prominent farmers and
they returned a verdict as follows:
We. the jurors having been duly i'm
panelled and sworn in, and having
heard the evidence, find that Mr.. Tho
mas Roman, Jr.. came to his death from
q gun-shot wound. The gun was in
the hands of one Mr.. Henry James.
and that the shooting was accidental.
Efforts are being made to find James
ana TO arrest him. but to assure him
thar he is held blameless. His friends
fear that ne viii go crazy and that he
VII commit suicide. James was en-
Ployed by Grave brothers, and is known
as a quiet, Woodworking man. He
has no relatives around Basehor.