Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-24
Young Jones Sentenced for Shooting
His Brother.
NO INTENTION OF MURDER
Short Jail Sentence Given the
Young Man.
re S MON ARD

1
thirteen-year-old colore6 boy who shot and
almost instantly killed his brother Robert
| A. Jones, the Sth of last February, and
| who was indicted for murder, was called
| up before Chief Justice Bingham in Grim
! inal Court No. 1 this morning, the boys
! counsel Mr.. Herbert NJ. Locke, after
| short consultation with the court and As
| sistant District Attorney Shillington, with
i drew his plea of not guilty of murder and
entered plea of guilty of mansauShter.
| Chief Justice Bingham, in order to deter
| mine what punishment should be imposed,
! directed that the witnesses in the case be
| called. That was done, those on both sides
detailing the circumstances of the killing.
| The two boys, Robert being about sixteen
years of age. lived with their mother, An
| ME Jones, at the house of DR.. George g:
| Morris, S13 18th street, where the woman
| served as a cook. The elder boy sold Ia
| boy for DIR. Morris. About twenty min
| utes before S o'clock the morning of the
| tragedy Robert came in ard seated himself
at the breakfast table, where John was
sitting A quarrel ensaed between the
| boys over piece of bread. and some slight
blows We're given. They separated, Robert
| going out into the back yard, and John
| going upstairs to DIR. Morris ROOM
| There John discovered the doctors revol-
yer. He picked it up and going out INTO
| the yard found Robert sitting on the coping
| in the areaWay.
Stepping up to his brother john pointed
| the revolver at his head saying:
| ''See what 1 could do to you if L wanted
| to-"
| Robert looked up and said:
| well, so ahead and dc it
Then, according to the little prisoners
| statement. made when he surrendered MN
| self at the first precinct station an hour or
| two after the shooting, the pistol suddenly
| went off, the ball striking his brother IN
| the top of the head. The wounded boy fell
| forward on his face, and was hurried to
| the Emergency Hospital, where he dled on
| the operating table few minutes after
| reaching there, never having resafned
consciousness.
| The prisoner also told the officers at the
station that he only got the pistol to
| brighten his brother, never intending Tor a
moment to even shoot at him.
| Such was the testimony given iii court
| today by the government witnesses, among
whom were DR.. Morris, the boys motn2r,
| Deputy Coroner Glazebrook and several
| policemen Mrs. Jones tearfully explained
| that the trouble between her sons was
| simply a boyish quarrel. Both We're sood
boys, neither of them being OF q qCaffei-
| some disnosi'ion. DIR. Morris said that
| John was a remarkably good boy, ohedient
| and sood-natured, and he never knew CT
him being in any trouble before Inc Ioc-
| tor was under the impression that when
| the little fellow got his pistol il was almost
| cooked.
| On behalf of the youthful prisoner. Mr..
Locke C6llsd SSNeEal Witnesses. WI ttSli-
| fed as to his peaccable disposition and
previous good character, one OF Whom, a
| friend of DR.. Morris, was of the opinion
, that the pistol was already cooked when
| the boy took it frcm DR.. Morris room.
The Judges Ruling.
| Upon the conclusion of the testimony sub
| mitted on behalf of the boy, the case was
| submitted to the court without argument.
| Chief Justice Bingham directed that the
h.. md WI
! the court reconvened this afternoon the
! court disposed of the case.
! The chief justice explained that the
| prisoner is one of tender years. whose pre-
yious life has not been one of wrongdoing
| or righteousness. Therefore, it would re-
| quire much more than the bare statement
| of the circumstances of the killing to SHOW
| that it was one of malicious intent. The
| government had failed TO show mailc-
| ious intent, and the dead boys response.
when the prisoner held the pistol IN froas
T Of him and said, See, l could shoot you II
| l wanted to-" remarked the court, colclu-
! sively showed that the dead boy was not
in fear, and that the prisoner was nos
angry and that he had no intention Oh
shooting his brother. Then, again. II was
aDparent that the prisoner did not know
that the pistol was cooked, and that
slight pressure on the trigger would eX-
plode it,
No doubt, said the chief JUSTICE the boy
was guilty of negligence in handling the
weapon, for he had no right to take the
pistol even for the purpose. as he said, OF
soaring his brother. Neither was he justi-
fed in pointing it at him. So the court
could but conclude that he is technically
guilty of manslaughter. OF course the
prisoners tender years, his previous good
character, and the lack OF any intent to
take the life of his brother should be con-
sidered by the court in determining the
punishment, for no matter how much he
now regrets his act, matter how sin
cerely and deeply he mournS his brothers
loss yet the fact remained that the killing
was foolish, uncalled-for and unnecessary.
But ON the other hand, the court could
not conclude that either the ends of justice
or the circumstances of the case required
any severe sentence. Therefore, as the
boy has already served nearly four months
in jail, and as Imprisonment in the peni-
Tertiary would only result probably i'll his
utter ruin, short sentence in jail would
meet all the requirements of the case.
The boy was told to stand up to hear his
sentence, telling the court that he had
nothing to say. The chief justice then SEN
fenced him to be imprisoned in Jail Tor
thirty days and to pay a fine of 50. The
youngster could not restrain an exhibition
of his pleasure at the lightness of the SEN
tence, and went smilingiy to jail.