The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-27

that he had been drinking some beer did
not have the appearance of being intoxi-
Gated. Gregory clears Fields of any partic-
iraton in the murder by the statement
that Fields was not aware of what he
meant to do
ABUSED WIFE AND CHILDREN.
Clark Gregory was a weigher at the Ad-
vance elevator and lived with his wife two
sons and a daughter at No. 15l7 Collins
street, st. Louis. One son, Frank. worked
at the Advance elevator as an oiler. Fields
worked with him and they were almost al
ways seen together. Gregory took turns
with the other weigher at watching the ele-
vator on Sundays Yesterday was Gregory's
Sunday on duty.
According TO young Gregory, his father
has been making the home life of the fam
lily miserable for years. The boy says that
his father constantly quarreled with his
mother and also i'll treated the other mem
bers Of the family. Yesterday morning he
says. that his father tried to assault his
mother at the breakfast table and called
her vile names.
Young Gregory says that he brooded over
this alleged i'll treatment OF his mother and
he determined to avenge himself. He says
that he confided in no one. but secured his
rifle, repeating gun. and. getting Fields.
crossed the river. He left Fields at the
side of the Advance elevator while he
waited around for his father to appear.
The elder Gregory soon appeared In his
shirt sleeves and whistling. Father ard sen
met face to face within about zen feet near
the corner of the elevator. AS young Greg
ory delivered his ultimatum, quoted above,
he raised his rife and. taking Il steady aim,
fired. The elder Gregory fell ana after COX
ing at the body young Gregory dropped the
rifle and ran down Front street Fields was
near by, and, becoming frightened, ran With
Gregory. Detective Stocker was too fleet
for them and grabbed Gregory, while Pa
trolman McElligott captured Fields.
BOY TALKS OF HIS ACT.
In the meantime several telephone MES
saSes had been sent for ambulances. One
was cent from Kurrus's stable. hut before
the ambulance arrived uptown Gregory had
died. His body was removed to Ku-russ
morsue. Young Gregory and Fields were
taken to the police station, where they were
locked up in separate cages
The boy became communicative after his
incarceration.
My father was the whole cause of all of
this" he told The Republic. Il came over
here with the intention of killing him. He
made our home life miserable. He insulted
my mother and tried all sorts of ways to
make trouble in the family. He used pieces
of furniture to throw at US when he did not
feel in a good humor
The climax came this morning when he
lnsuited mother at the breakfast table and
tried to strike her. 1 thought that that was
the limit and the more l thought about It
the madder l got and then made IN INV
mind to Kill him.
Il did not tell my mother, sister or broth
er. because 1 knew that they would have
tried to talk me out of it. | lust got down
my rife without them seeing it and walked
out of the house, got Fields and we came
over here. l then had him wait for me I'M
til after I shot my father"
After his Incarceration young Gregory re-
quested that his folks be communicated
with and informed as TO what he had done.
MOTHER HYSTERICAL
Mrs. Gregory when informed by The Re-
public yesterday afternoon that her hus-
band was dead, and that he had been killed
by her son. became hysterical She
wrung her hands in despair and ran from
her home to the street, where kind neigh
bors tried to soothe her without avail. She
upbraided several neighbors whom she had
asked to summon a policeman to arrest her
son when he departed with the shotgun, as
she feared he would get into trouble. since
he had been drinking. but she at that time
did not dream that his father would be the
victim.
After considerable time Mrs. Gregory be-
came quoted, partly from exhaustion, and
made statement. She said:
II don't know what could have possessed
my boy 20 kill his father, unless it was
drink. He was only IS years old Yesterday
was his birthday. He was always a good
boy, worked steadily as helper TO his
father at the elevator, and / don't believe
they ever had a cross word.
Lately frankie got in with a bad crowd
and began drinking. He began going with
crowd who lounge about a saloon near
Broadway and Howard street, and frequent
ly stayed around there all night. He stayed
until about II O'Clock to-day. He was Wet
from head to foot and said he had been al
most drowned in the river. He was in an
unusually pleasant frame of mind, however,
and after changing his clothes went up
stairs and broke open a wardrobe ard took
out his fathers shotgun. He did not seem
angry and am sure he did not at that time
have designs upon his fathers life.
DENIES SONS STATEMENTS.
He did not say he was going to shoot
ANYBODY but when he left the house |
feared he would get into trouble and asked
several neighboring women to look for a
policeman and have him arrested"
When told that young Gregory had said
that he shot his father because the latter
had abused her, she denied it in toto.
IT'S not So" she sad. My husband and
1 never had a cross word in our lives. This
| statement was corroborated by neighbors,
| iations were happy; that Gregory was a
good man and provider: and that Frank.
when he was not drinking. was an ex-
emplary youth.
| The only explanation vouchsafed for the
tragedy is that the boy in a maudlin con-
dition carried the gun TO the scene of his
daily work. and the elder Gregory, seeing
the shotgun, which he had forbid any OF
his family to touch. became angry and
demonstrated, which resulted in the tragedy.
Carlyle Teachers Appointed.
| REPUBLIC SPECIAL
| Carlyle, H.. July 26.-The Board of Edu-
cation has filled the vacancies in the corps
of teachers for the Carlyle public schools
by making appointments as follows: Miss
Margaret Proctor of Carthage. ILL.,. as