The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-13
SHOT BY A CONSTABLE
Ella Arnold of Guthrie Is Dam
gerousIy Wounded
HENRY PURDEN ARRESTED
Trouble Arises in an Attempt
to Attach Goods.

Guthrie, o. t, May 12.-(Spectal)-M
Ella Arnold, an estimable young lady Of
this city, was shot and dangerously
wounded this morning by Constable Hen
~ Pruden, who was attempting to serve
attachment papers on the household fur
riture. After shooting the girl, the con-
stable roughly jerked her from the bed
on which she had fallen in a fainting con-
dition and dragged her out Of the house
onto the sidewalk, when he desisted from
further effort to place the girl under ar
rest, and with two of his deputies jumped
into dray and drove hastily away. Pru-
den and his two deputies, George Decker
and George Morgan, were subsequently
placed under arrest and aer in jail. Miss
Arnold is resting easily at the horne OF
her sister, Mrs. David Hetsch, wneIe the
shooting occurred, and hopes are enter
tanned for her recovery, Notwithstanding
the bullet from the constables pistol
passed entirely through her body, entering
The chest just TO ire right Of the heart,
and coming out below the left shoulder
blade, leaving a jagged hole into which
ones two fingers could be inserted. As
may be well imagined, intense excitement
prevails over the shooting and should Miss
Arnold's wound terminate fatally serious
work will be required TO protect the con-
stable from summary vengeance.
Constable Prudei claims that he shot the
girl in self-defense; that she threatened
him with a revolver in her hand. The
statements of witnesses 10 the shooting
ar that Pruden and one Of his deputies
made a display of their revolvers when
denied adrnittance by the two women,
Miss Arnold and her sister, Mrs. Hetsch,
and when they succeeded in kicking in
the screen door Miss Arnold ran into a
room from which she Immediately reap
peared with revolver In her hand. She
was within three feet of the constable
when the latter fired. Miss Arnold was
staggered by the shock of the bullet and
fell fainting upon a bed. Constable Pru-
den followed her up and with the words
You are under arrest dragged the young
girl from the house onto the sidewalk.
Mrs Hetsch, who is herself in a delicate
condition. in the meantime was begging
the constable to release the girl, that he
had killed her, when the other constable,
George Decker, it is said, threatened her
with his revolver and told her to get out
of the way or he would fix her in the
same way" By this tine the neghbor-
hood was fully aroused and the three con-
stables. evidently alarmed, jumped into
their wagon and drove rapidly away.
The attachment papers which the con-
stable was attempting to serve were based
on claim held by an eastern concern
against Mr.. David Hetsch, who until re-
Gently has been engaged in the boot and
shoe business in this city. The papers
were first served upon Mr. Hetsch yes
terday afternoon by Constable Laws, who
was informed that the household furni-
ture was the property of Mrs. Hetsch.
Constable Laws was further advised by
his attorney that the attachment papers
We're of doubtful LEGALITY, whereupon he
returned them to Justice Faulkner, who
gave them to Constable Pruden to serve.
Prcden, accompanied by Decker made his
first appearance at the Hetsch home last
evening and, it is said, made display of
his pistol when Mrs. Hetsch refused to
recognize his papers, claiming that the
furniture was her own. Pruden and
Decker then went away, with the threat
OF returning in the morning. Mr.. Hetsch
was not a home when the constables
made their visit last evening, and this
informing had been gone from the house
about ten minutes when the shooting oc-
CURED.