The times., 1897-08-25
BANDITS BULLET FATAL
Mystery Surrounding the Shooting
of Farmer Marshall Deepens.
Victim Dies of His Wound After
Telling Conflicting Stories of
the Assault-PosSible Clew.

The mystery surrounding the fatal shoot
ing OF John d. Marshall, the Forestyille
marketman, about O'clock Monday y morn
ing, tuss this side of the Ea stern Branch,
is as far from being solved a $ when it
occurred. Marshall died as result Of his
injuries, at Providence Hospital, about
7:4o O'Clock yesterday morning.
Various theories have been advanced
to account for the shooting, but none of
them can be confirmed, as the police have
no clew to work upon. Detectives Weldon
and Lacey, who are following the case, are
of tie opinion that the shooting was un-
provoked by Marshall. IT has been stat
ed as a possibility that Marshall acci-
dentally shot himself with his own weapon,
but there is no foundation for the belief.
Marshall is SAID TO have told two dit
ferent stories about the affair. few
minutes after the shooting ne told Patrol
man Auste man that the colored man had
approached him and said, Now, you -
- have got you and III fix
YOU" then fired the pistol.
Some hours later Marshall told the story
to which he adhered up to the time of his
death II e had met the colUTed man, and.
Sc eing him smoking, asked for n match and
got bullet as an answer. Marshall also
stated that he would be una bic To identify
the :I-sn should he see him gain, and gave
Il very meager description Of the alleged
highwayIna
| No one heard the shot and there was no
| one in the immediate neighborhood. Al
/ u,ost an hour later a farmer named Bell met
coiured man walking leisureiy up the
road, and it is thought that this may have
| heen The man who did the shooting.
The theory that someone took this means
| OF obtaining revenge on Marshall was
sifted, hut furnished no important facts.
An autopsy was held yesterday upon the
| body of the deceased, conducted by DR..
! Sterling Ruffin, assisted by several other
physicians Detectives Weldon and Lacey
attended the autopsy, together with Cor
oner Carr. 1t was found that 3S-calibeT
| bullet had entered the inner leg, and, tax
| ing an upward course, had penetrated the
! abdominal cavity and loo ged in the vital
organs, causing death. The pistol had been
| fired at close range, not more than foot
| from the man and at an oblique angle.
CoIoner Carr will hold an inquest this
morning at II O'Clock in the Sixth precinct
station.
| Frark Johnson, a tall colored man, was
sentenced to four months In jail yesterday
afternoon for carrying concealed wea pons
a revolver with one echamberdischarged was
| found III his possession. After the sentence
had been imposed Johnson was given into
the cusUory of two officers, who carried
| hirr, r, TIpcnif al in he bppp "a
| Marshall might identify him. Marshall had
died before the officers reachedt the hospital
Detectives Weldon and Lacey put IN
much work on the case last night, and se-
cured what they think stronger cumstantial
evidence. 1t had been stated at the hos
pital that the bullet which had caused
Marshan's death was OF 80 caIiber. The
detectives, however, insisted on seeing the
bail, and upon fitting it in the copper cap
of the cartridge found that it fitted ex
| actly. 1t may have been coincidence with
out great bearing upon the case, but it
| was noticed that the empty shell taken
from Johnson's pistol W as darkened on one
side and FURNISHED on the other. Strange
to relate, the bullet showed the same marks.
Several colored men who were In the
vicinity shortly before the shooting have
| lOAu Juc pUllIt tucy ettH d SOlOl tu
man going down the road. They fur
nished a description of the man to the
detectives, andin some particulars it tailed
with that of johnson, but these witnesses
will be given an opportunity of seeing the
prisoner this morning. johnson had a
pistol on him when captured near the
Long Bridge, by Patrolmen Curry, Bass
ford and Vermilion. They had no idea
at that time that he might have been
implicated in the killing OF Marshall, but
took him to the station as a suspicious
character. The pistol was found upon
him, and in it one shell was discharged
1t then occurred to the police that he
might be the man wanted for the fatal
shooting.
Johnson is tall, rather raw-honed man
with repulsive face and gingerbread
complexion. He stated to a Times re
porter Inst night that he came from Ten
nessee, hut had been tramping it through
Maryland. He sa VS.. that he came in ON
train fron Baltimore. The discharged shell
he says, was shot off several weeks aga
but it has all the appea rance OF having beer
done recently. There is no direct evidence
TO connect Johnson with the crime, but al
effort will he made at the inquest toda