Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-11-24
HELD IN $4,000.
Mccormick Held for
Friend RiIey's Injuries.
Insists That the Shooting Was
Purely an Accident.
Riley Is Retter-Doesnt Change Hi.
Latest Story.

Lewiston, Me. Nov. 23.--Henry Nc
cormick was placed unedr $1,000 bonds.
"Wednesday morning. by Judge Cornish
for his appearance on Nov. 30. at the
Lewiston municipal court.
Tn" situation III the Mccormick Ri
ley case has not changed any from
that of Tuesday.
Previous to McCormick's arraign-
ment in the police court. "Wednesday
morning. County Attorney Shelton ana
CITY Marshal Wing Of Lewiston. had Il
talk of about five minutes with Nc
'ormlck. the county attorney desiring
To get the young mans story frs
EaHi.
Mccormick went over the account
Of the 1ccident :.s he terms it. SAYING
that ne picked up the revolver ana that
he had it in his hand with his thumb
on TIE hammer When il Went off acci-
dentHlly. He again reiterated that he
did nor intend To Shoot Riley: that IN.
did not aim it at Riley; thai lac dill not
nave i'll feeling against Riley; that they
were the best of friends: that neither
had been drinking: that Riley is not Il
drinking man. neither is he (McCnr-
mick). that it WAS an accident pure.
ANA simple.
The county attorney sharply cross
questioned NcC Cnrlnick tn see if puss,-
hi: there might he Il motive OF any
kind, i'uI the lad seemed candid and
h"'l-st in his rrlhi, : and there was not
the slightest Indication of any motive.
50 far rs could be- learned III only one
respect does Mctormick seem to var,-
IN his story ard that is in regard to the
number of bullets Wfich Were. in the
revolver He told the county attorney
tnit tnere We're three. :nd that he put
another one in. He told the police a
dliterent story and az Il matter of tact,
thrre WAS one cartridge in the revolv-
er besides the one which injured Rilpy
1flS was about all that the talk de-
Ne!oi'ed. he county attorney did 10.
make 1t Il imal examination. t,i,
rathef casual talk Stakiu" to .ei
Mctornick at his ease ami hear hi.
story.
IN" only Interesting feature of the
CtSc which is nrW UNEXPLAINED. is II,
m statement of James ". Fields
i"flrrriy superintendent of the Lewis
tom poor fam. al whose. house. th.. ar
lalr occurred. and who employed both
OF the. men,
MI. Field said to IL newspaper re-
i"'''r after The shooting that Riley
*"Id tn him: 1T was an accident"
70 be explicit Mr.. Field made The
following statement: Il was in HE eel
lar when heard the report. Soon ar
/ ter Henry Mccormick came running
down stairs saying that he had acci-
""hfaiiy shot John Riley. / FASTENED to
IL" room ANA found Riley lying on the
floor. 1T was an accident he said
and no one is to blame. McCormick
then explained to me that he was fool
ing with his revolver which he did not
kno" WIS loaded. There happened to
he one cartridge in the cylinder He
WhS holding the hammer at full cock
With The thumb of one hand while the
other hand was turning the cylinder
around. While fooling in this way the
hammer slipped and struck the loaded
cartridge. exploding it. Riley happened
to come in range and was shot. 1T was
| an accident said Mr. Field. and no
! one Is TO blame.
Mccormick said to the Lewiston
| Journal reporter. Tuc sday. that he did
not hear Riley say anything Of the
kind. yet Riley might have said this TO
| Mr.. Field when Mccormick was not
| there
Riley's story. however made with all
the solcmnity of anti-mortem depOsi-
| ton. to :, city official. the city solicitor.
rs was given in Tuesday evenings
| Lewiston Journal in direct cOntradic-
| ton 10 this. For Riley says that Nc
Cornick pointed the pistol at him de-
| llheratcly twice before he fired il, that
| he told him to stop doing that. that
Mccormick persisted and that the pis-
tol went off. shooting him in the Ston-
ach with Mccormick aiming it at him
and looking him full in the eye when
he did it.
The history of this statement by Ri
ley covers more than this single state
ment made to the city solicitor.
He told the same thing to the city
marshal. He has told it to others at
the hospital and all the while, with no
suggestion or rancor in any way. He
has insisted that his case was hopeless
| ana tlidl ne l' tIouDt NiidttNNi
with the man Mccormick, had no de-
sire to injure him and was simply tell
ing the truth as the authorities wished
| him to do.
Mr.. Field certainly would not state
! anything that was not true. Mr.. Fields
| statement is substantiatcd. in a mea-
surc, by certain Other occurrences. 1T
is indicated that ono of the physicians
heard Mr.. Riley say that it was an ac-
cident. The physician declines very
properly to make public Riley's state
ment. regarding it in the light Of Il
professional confidence which is not
properly matter of public comment.
except under certain circumstances.
But it is quite we'll known that the
substance of this was that Riley be-
,ieved that Mccormick did not intend
to shoot.
This might be and the pistol have