Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-05-20

the shooting ne found Townsend
carrying Bessie about in front Of the
house. Keene asked him. Mark,
what's the result; BE replied. oh.
she's dead and has beeu long time.
Townsend followed after Keene to
meet Mr.. Geloach when short con-
versation was leld in which Mr.. Gel
bach relates Il Al Nj. Townsend told
him i've Got no more wife, 81
words TO that erect.
Townsend then took Bessie to her
grandma's three-quarters Of a mile
away and Immediately returned
Mrs. Sinder testified that % his return
Sue and Mrs. Keene were at the house.
that Townsend asked her. Is there
no hope2" She replied, No, Mark.
it i as bad a it can be" lie replied
to her in tones of distress his voice
trembling little, What shall do?"
He then Went upstairs and remained
there until evening, except coming
down once to take pan OF bread from
the oven where II was baking.
Word was sent to Lancaster and
District Attorney Orr, DR.. Barber
and others from there arrived. A
coroner's inquest was held in the
evening about dark. H. 5. Keene
was justice and six neighbors-J. A.
Coombs, Thos. Harper. A. G. Bon
ham, John Pink, Joseph Snider and
W. w. Ward were jurors.
keene. Townsend and Gelbach were
sworn and testified the to jurors who
gave verdict that the cause OF death
was accidental shooting. Townsend's
testimony As taken down by Mr..
Keene at the time is as follows
As to the immediate cause Of the
accident ! was cleaning nv revolver.
was rubbing the outside. and went TO
let the hammer down between the
cartridges. 1t kind of caught and in
trying to turn the cylinder It went
off with the result YOU know. She
was sitting in chair. | had been
sitting at the stand but think | was
standing. must have been very close
in.eed. | don't hardly remember
what | did first. think | caught her
and laid her on the floor. overturninp
the chair in so doing. | next went up
stairs and got the baby, who had
walked up crying. She did not fall
over. did not speak; there was kind
OF CONFUSION 1t seemed | caurht
her at once Her back was toward
me. 1t seemed to me she was sitting
nearly straight. She was talking to
me ct visit she had made to Airs.
Gardeners. Had just returned before
dinner. | remained III the house
very short time-but very few min
utes. She did not make the least
struggle that | remem Der. | started
to MIR. Gelbach's and met Mr.. Keene.
Don't know whether he was coming
or not After the revolver went of
| don't know what | did with it. II
should have put it in the stand draw
er. | was walking around the room
part Of the time when cleaning the re-
voiyer. II was but a short JOB clean
ing il. think | was standing when
the revolver went Off. l had been sit
ting on the stand part of the time
Had not sat on machine box bv the
side Of the stand :
The next day after the shooting the
funeral was held and the body buried
in the cemetery near Hurricane. Mr.. |
Townsend took Bessie the same day
and went with his brother Raw TO his
relatives near Mt Hope and remained
there al his mothers week. He then
returned to Hurricane, closed up his
business affairs there. talked about
the homicide, about the suspicious
there were against him. and the pro-
Priety OF having the matter further
Investigated and returned to Mt Hope.
A few weeks later he left the county
to attend school at Valparaiso
Such is in brief the story Of
the Townsend tragedy as related by |
witnesses living in the vicinity at the
time. The statements here made are
undisputed and are given in the form
of narration rather than in the words
of the witnesses because the entire
testimony Of every witness would oc-
cupy SO much space and would be no
more valuable or satisfactory to the
reader.
In the following statements Of test
imony portions Of testimony that
are repititions Of the general state
ment given above are omitted
H. S. keene. II reside at Seattle;
have lived there since 1890 lived
in Madison. Wis, for few years and
before that at Hurricane. Wis. Knew