The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-28
SHOT BY BOY FRIEND
JOSEPH TRODDEN. FIFTEEN YEARS
OLD, STRUCK BY BULLET
in NECK
FRANK / MARTIN HELD GUN
While Talking About 2e-caliber
Rife, Weapan Is Discharged and
Tr0dd9n Died Seven
~ Minutes Later.

Joseph Trodden, the fifteeE-year-old son
of Joseph J. Trodden, grocer at 4;
East Indiana avenue, was accidentally
shot and q killed; with a 22-caliber rifle
shortly after 4 O'Clock yesterday after
noon, In front of his fathers store, by a
boy friend named Frank Martin. twelve
years old, living with his widowed moth
or at 20 West College avenue. The evil
dence all tends to show thot the shoot
ing was accidental, but the Martin boy
is being held at the Central police station
pending a further investigation by Cor
oner A. w. Miller and the police.
The Trodden boy lived only seven min
utes after the bullet entered his neck,
and an external examination made by
Coroner A. w. Miller showed that the
bullet went through the carotid artery
on the left side and lodged somewhere in
the back of the neck. The artery was
severed and the young boy lost much
blood during the seven minutes he lived.
The dead lad was the only son of Mr..
and Mrs. j. j. Trodden and was born IN
the Same building where he died yes
terday afternoon. He was employed as
a clerk in the Omaha general offices and
was well liked by all his young friends.
His sad death was a severe blow to his
parents, and the scene in the store room
where the dead body lay covered up,
and the father and mother weeping and
heartbroken, was one that will not soon
be forgotten by those present
AS rear as can be ascertafned, young
Trodden and Willie Dahlstrcm, friend,
were standing at Indiana avenue and
Starkey street, almost in front of Mr..
Trodden'S grocery store, talking and
laughing. They had been there short
While when they noticed Frank Martin,
whom, young Trodden knew, come up
toward them fao fro or,
Starkey streets When young Martin was
Will in fifteen feet of Trodden the latter
asked him what kind of a gun he had.
Martin answered that it was d, 22-caliber
weapon. ai;s 81
Gun Was Discharged.
He was holding it under his arm and it
was ptinting towards young TFodden,
when suddenly there was a report and
Trodden staggered and fell to the ground.
AS he did so he called out ooh, Mammal
and his MOTHER who was inside the store,
nearing the cry, ran out to see him lying
or the ground with blood squirting from
his neck. She ran to her dying boy,
and piekingahims up carried him tenderly
into the store and placed him on a pile
Oh blankets. Dr. Hawkins was called,
but the injured boy only lived a few
minutes after he had been shot. Coroner
W
viewing the remains decided not to hold
an autopsy he will, however, hold an
investigation today The body was
turned over to a West Side undertaken.
AS soon as Trodden was shot young
Martin and his boy friends ran down an
alley toward Fillmore avenue, and Mar.
tin was not found at has nome until about
three hours later.
Frank Martin.ewheE seen in his cell at
the Central police station last night was
evidently grief stricken over the acct
dental killing and said:
1t Was an Accident.
81 didn't mean to do it and it was all
an accident. Joe and / have always been
friends II rented the rifle from eolored
boy named Howard and together with
Alexander and Jack Walker, living on st.
Peter street, between Exchange and
Tenth streets, and Gordon Smith, living
at 10 West Tenth street. and colored
boy, whose name l don't know, went
hunting on the Yves. Side. We were re-
turning and swher. we got to where Joe
Troddeu was standing. he asked me what
kind Of a rifle L had and I told him 1t
was a 22-calber.
= was, carrying, the gun under. my
right arm and it was pointing towards
him, l told him to look out as it was
Of the new kird and went eff very easily.
At this time Gordon Smith, one of the
other boys who was with me, came up
behind me and in some way bu nped
against. mt. The first t3lirg I kI,rw I
heard the gun go off and saw Jee Trod-
den fall. 1 didn't know he was shot, but
when I saw my boy friends running, L
started to run too. We went to Gordon
Smiths house on Tenth street first and
after a while 1 went home where the
police got me-