The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-08
On May 6 He Shot Alexander DOwnie
and the Latter Died on
Sept. 10.
VERDICT OF THE CORONER
PARSONS HAS FAILED TO PROVIDE
FOR DOwNIE'S FAMILY.
While He Did Not Intend to o
Downfe, 1t Is Said He Had a Hab-
1t of Using a Revolver.

DR.. John s. Parsons. who shot Alexander
Downie on May 6. inficting a wound which
resulted in Downie's death a few weeks ago.
was arrested by Detectives Kinney and
Morgan yesterday afternoon on the charge
of murder. The arrest is said to have been
due to Coroner Brayton's verdict i'm the
case. which was given yesterday morning.
1t was said by the coroner that since Par
sons shot Downie he has not assisted the
latter's family in the least. At the time of
the shooting IL was pointed out clearly that
the shooting of Downie was unintentional,
and for this reason it was thought by DIR.
Brayton that DR.. Parsons should have tried
to help Downie's family in some manner.
Downie had a wife and seven children. The
oldest of these is a crippled girl of nine
teen years., while the youngest is a baby
nineteen months old. Ii is said that Par
sons owns several pieces of property and
that he decided to deed to Mrs. DOwnie a
lot in Cerealinetown when ii was learned
that Downie would never recover from the
wound inflicted by Parsons. DIR. Brayton
said efforts were made several times to
find Parsons and complete the details of
the transfer of the lot, but that Parsons
could never be located when needed.
At the examination made by Coroner
Brayton it was learned from several eye
witnesses of the shooting that Parsons shot
into the GROVE of men and boys. while 1t
is true" DR.. Brayton said, that DR.. Par
sons had been annoyed greatly by the boys
of the West Side who yelled 'quack' at him,
it is thought that he should ave exercised
some judgment when he turned en- the
crowd and fired his pistol"
Downie was not one of the party of men
and boys who yelled at the doctor the day
he was passing Chandler & Taylor's ma
chine shop. Downie was walking on Wash
ington street on his way to the Acme -four
mills, where he was employed. 1t was noon
and the boys and men were Standin in
front of the machine shop playing ball
when DIR. Parsons walked by. Several of
the small boys yelled "Quack" and imme-
diately DR.. Parsons turned and fired his
pistol. Downie was struck in the back, the
bullet grazing his spinal chord. The wound
resulted in Downie becoming paralyzed,
and for five months he lay without moving
his limbs. His. injury eliminated in his
death on Sept ~.
DR.. Brayton said that in the course OF
his investigation he learned from several
people who knew DR.. Parsons that the lat
ter had fired his revolver On different occa-
sions at young men for yelling at him. One
time he fired his pistol at a crowd of young
men in Military Park when there were a
number of other people walking through.
DR.. Parsons is seventy years old and lives
at 557 West Washington street. He was ar
rested for the shooting of Downie imme-
diately after the affair. but the case was
postponed several times. DR.. Parsons was
given his freedom on his own recognizanct
up to yesterday, when the detectives placed
him under arrest on the murder charge.