The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-09
A STRANGE FATAL SHOOTING.
JOHN PARKER SHOT BY CHAs. JEM-
DIAL AT WILMINGTON.

The Dead Boy Only II Years of Age
The Shooting Occurred shortly Az
ter Midnight, But Jemdal Did Not
Go For Assistance-He Had Been
Drinking HeaviIy-He Says the
Shooting Was Accidental, Hut
Tells n Very Disconnected story.
Is Now Confined mt the Police
Barracks-The Coroner to Investi-
gate the Case.
John Parker, a 14-year-old white boy,
was shot and fatally wounded at Whining
ton Island by Charles Jemdal some time
between midnight and daybreak yester-
day morning Jemdal claims that the
shooting was accidental
Parker died about o'clock The body
was brought up to the city on the steamer
Flora and turned over to the boys father
Jemdal came up with the body and was
turned over to Policeman York, who
took him to the barracks. He had been
drinking and seemed almost in a state Of
collapse between fright and liquor.
As no one was present when the shoot
ing occurred besides Jemdal and the boy,
and as Jemdal did not tell any one of the
shooting until morning. there is no way
OF getting at the facts of the shooting ex-
cept as they may be stated by Jemdal.
The dead boy is a son of Capt. Hamp-
ton Parker who runs a small schooner
between ThunderboIt and Doboy and
other near by points, trading chiefly in
lumber. Jemdal ran restaurant for
number of years in the market base
ment, but for the last three or four years
has been running poultry farm at Will
mington. Capt. Parker informed Coro-
ner Goette that his son had been working
for Jemdal at his hennery.
Jemdal told a Morning News reporter
that the boy was not working for him.
but had only gone down to spend the
night with him.
When seen at the police barracks several
hours after his arrest, Jemdal did not seem
able to tell connected story. He was evil
IDENTIFY very much depressed over the
shooting. He said that Capt. Parker had
given the boy permission to go to Will
mington with him to spend the night and
go sailing in a new boat yesterday. Capt
Parker, he said. occasionally came down
to spend the night with him and so did an
older son. but this was the first time the
boy John had done So The two left
Thunderbolt together in his boat about
II o'clock at night, he said. Jemdal
admitted that he had been drinking at
Thunderbolt and that he had supply of
beer and liquor with him in the boat
They arrived at Wilmington, about mid
night, he said. Jemdal seemed unable to
give any account of the shooting except
that his gun went off suddenly and the
load struck young Parker in the stom-
ach, leaving a terrible hole, from which
the entrails protruded. 1t was a Win
chester repeating shotgun he said. He
did not summon any assistance, and no
one else knew of the accident until morn
ing.
When asked why he did not go for help
he said he did not know of any one to
go to except the people owning cottages
on the island to spend Sunday, and he
did not explain why he did
not call upon them. The most reasona-
bic supposition is that he was too drunk
to do anything. The steamer Flora spends
the nights at Wilmington, and assistance
might have been gotten from some of her
crew, or perhaps the boy might have been
taken up to Thundebolt Immediately and
physician gotten from the city.
Jemdal said that the boy was alive
when taken aboard the Flora and that he
died on the way to Thunderbolt. Coroner
Goettes information, however is that the
boy died on the island about O'Clock.
The Flora put in at Thunderbolt and
sook on Capt. Parker. This was the frs,
news Capt Parker had Of his sons deatn,
and II was terrible Shock to him. The
tlora then came up to the city. The
BODY to
and prepared for shipment to Cant. Par.
ker's home in Liberty county.
coroner Goette was notified and started
10 wilmington yesterday to investigate the
case. he missed the steamer and started
In rowboat The tide turned Against him
however, and he had to give ii up and re-
turn to Thunderbolt. He will go down to
Wilmington to-day for the purpose of
gathering such evidence as can be secured
there. The inquest will probably be held
TINS afternoon at the coroner's Office.
-S-o-S