The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-06-03
Accidentally Killed.

AHcu, OI DurnngIODs was on sunday
evening shot and killed almost instantly
by charge of shot that was intended for
stealing cat. The man who
fired the fatal shot was Henry Elsey, col
ored, and he is now in the city jail await
ing the action of the coroner's jury.
Esey lives near a small woods called
the City Park in the southern section of
the town. Miss Allen lived with her
father only a short distance beyond. For
some time past Elsey has been missing
his young chickens, and attributed the
pilferings to tramp cat that he had de-
tected hanging around the coop. Picking
up his gun he followed the cat to the
woods and concealed himself behind a
clump of bushes to await favorable shot.
Miss Allen, who had been to the resi-
dence of Charles Shinn, passed on the OPP
posite side of the brush in taking a short
er route to her home. At that same in
slant the cat appeared and Elsey fired the
gun.
| Beyond the cloud of smoke there was a
| single cry and the sound of falling body,
and the negro knew that his shot had
found larger prey than a thieving cat.
Rushing to the other side of the brush he
found the PROSTATE form of Miss Allen,
whom he knew well The blood was gush-
ing from gaping wound in the face and
fair white throat.
Half frenzied Elsey called for help and,
with the assistance of those who rushed
to his aid, his victim was carried home.
DR.. Blair was hastily summoned, but be
fore he reached the house Miss Allen was
dead.
Coroner Wells, of Burlington, took
charge of the body, and after consulting
with Prosecutor Atkinson decided to hold
an inquest. This was done yesterday af-
ternoon After viewing the body and the
scene of the shooting, the jury went TO
the city hall.
Prosecutor Atkinson questioned the
witnesses. The prisoner was attended by
Ernest Watts. Ridgway Allen, father of
the girl, was the first witness. He said
Viola was his only daughter and would
have been 10 years of age in September.
He heard the noise of the gun and about
three minutes later boy ran to his house
and told him his daughter had been shot.
He hurried to the place and found the
girl lying on the sidewalk, with wounds
on her face and neck He helped carry
her to her home but she died before get
ting there. She did not speak to him
when he first reached her side He had
always been on friendly terms with Elsey,
the man who fired the fatal shot
Smith Apologize, a man living close to
where the shooting occurred, saw the
smoke of the gun and heard the report
He saw woman on the ground. He at
once went to the spot and was Mortified
to see the woman was Viola Allen She
was severely wounded and was uncon-
scious Elsey was also there and he
seemed to be scared very much. Elsey
said: ut was an accident" He did all in
his power to aid in getting the girl to her
home.
William Robinson lived in the property
at the corner where the girl fell. He saw
Miss Allen pass the house and almost i'm
mediately heard the report of gun. II
believe that girl was shot, he said, and
started out of the door, At the corner of
his fence he saw the girl on the ground
and Elsey was trying to lift her up. The
blood was flowing from her wounds in a
stream In reply to question witness
said he remarked that he believed the
girl was shot from the fact that the loud
report led him to believe that the shooter
was not far off, and the sound seemed to
indicate to him that she would be right in
range.
Drs. Blair and Cassidy gave testimony
of the postmortem examination. They
said there were 10 wounds or punctures
by shot on the girls body.
Henry Elsey was asked if he wanted to
make statement. He replied in the affir-
native and after being warned by the Pros
ecutor that whatever he might say would
be used against him in case of an indict-
ment being found, he took the stand He
told how he had been annoyed by cat
stealing his chickens and he determined to
kill it. He took his gun and went into
the park and soon saw the cat. He put
the gun on his left arm and fired Then
he heard voice say: you have shot a
woman" He ran to the street and saw
Miss Allen on the ground. He tried to
stop the flow of blood, and then when
Others came to his aid he ran to telephone
for a doctor. He was behind bushes
when he fired and did not see any one
coming either way.
The jury rendered verdict that Viola
Allen came to her death by a gunshot
wound inflicted by Henry Esley while
carelessly handling a gun.
The man who committed the unfortu-
nate act bears a good name in Burlington.
He is an Industrious, hard working man,
and is very inoffensive. Nobody ever
heard of his having a disturbance of any
kind. He has but one hand The other
was blown off by the bursting of gun
After this last experience with firearms
one would suppose he would leave ex-
| plosive weapons alone
The dead girl was a general favOrite.
She is highly spoken of by all who knew
her. She was to have been married in a
short time.