The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-28

up Ia a buggy jus then. stopped in
front of Wilson's store and Dell did
not throw the ball back. Dell walked
toward the office door and stood there.
just then Il pistol went OF, may have
been "A gun, but an explosion took
place. The doors We're douale doors
and one of then closed. Del. was
staHling in the door looking inside
He vas leaning against north part of
deer. He had been there but a minute
when [ heard report of a gun or a
revolver. Saw the boy stagger back
toward the pa Hement ard then be
se92led to rush 1nto the ha II. | told
Chas. Haman | thought some one wa 5
huyt and ran over. When | got in the
haG | found La st'euce Mc6 uire stand
ing there with Bell in his arms Took
hin out of McG@ire's arms. and as he
was dying and sinking to the foor
gently laid him down. Noticed Chas.
Sutton standing there and soid him 10
ge for doctor Shortly after this
D,. Porterfield came and pronounced
life extinct. Deb lived pre- badly lived
3 or minutes after Iarrived. He did
not speak. rubber ball rolled ont of
his hand as laid him down. Saw no
one in the hall but the two boys. Mr..
Steck came in and asked where the
pistol was and didn knew, told him
one of the boys Night know. He asked
MeGuire where the pistol was and he
said it was in the cellar. Mr.. Steck
then told MGGuire'to go down and get
it. He went down but said it was so
dark he could not see. Stsck then got
IA lantern and fouEd the pistol. The
pistol was here shown to the witness
by the coroner and he recognized it.
as the one Steoll had found. The
weapon was a 3S caliber and contain
ed one blank or exploded cartridge.
Did net know how pistol got into the
cellar. Never saw the weapon before
When J went into the hall, MEG uire
said hes Shot Never saw Dell or
the other boys with pistols in their
possession. Dell was between the
steps and door when he (wltness) ar
rived and was positive the boy could
not have shot himself Dell was in my
sight all the time, and he went no
further into the hall than he was at the
time he fell. The pistol could not have
been thrown from the front door into
the cellar entrance.
Fred Steck: Saw a crowd on EIain
street at Fist National Bank and
walked down there. Found Tom Clark
who told rne boy was shot, and said
it was the Deli boy. He did not know
who did it. In the meantime colored
boy came in iMcGuire) and Clark
asked what did you boys do with
that gun He said it Was in the
cellar and told him to go and get it.
He stayed in the cellar minute or
two and | called to him to know if he
could find the gun. He did not answer
me. McGnire came up stairs, l asked
him il he had POUNDS the gun and he
said it was too dark. ! then went and
got lantern and making a search
found the pistol on a small platform
at the head of the cellar stairs. Had
seen none of the boys with a gun at
any time Don't know who owns the
revolvers. The pistol could not have
been thrown from the front to where it
was found.
Lawrence Mcclure: We were down
there talking, standing in front of
Western Union Office when Dell joined
Sutton and me. Dell said he had to
walk back to the rear. He had hardly
reached there when | heard a report of
a pistol. Was standing right at the
edge of the door in front. Dell came
up staggering with his hands acsoss
his breast. | asked what was the
matter and he did not reply. grab
bed him and jerked him back and he
groaned but did not speak. Mr.. Clark