Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1904-07-08
Lays jim Hern Low On Night
Of July 4th.
His Son, Mack F1ern, In Jail to
Answer the Charge Of
Murder.

mortally wounded by his son, Mack
Hern, at eight o'clock Monday
night, in w. r, Longs saloon. on
East Ninth street, where he was
employed as bartender.
Bad whisky and bad blood grow.
ing out OF long-standing family diff
ferences, were at the bottom of the
tragedy.
James ]. Hern was SO years old
and the father of three sons aud
two daughters, by a wife from
whom he was divorced seven years
ago. A year ago he was married
again to Caldwell county woman
and the feeling against him, on the
part of his former wife and some of
her children, had grown more
bitter. One son, the younger one,
Hayden Hern, does not seem to
have shared in this feeling, as he
was working in the same barroom
with his father and was the only
eye witness to the killing.
Mack Hern and his brother, Jim
Hern, Jr., live in Paducah. The
former, who is employed as a
boiler maker in the l. C. shops,
came up Sunday to spend the 4th of
July with his mother and sister.
Early on the morning of the 4th,
young Hern made round of the
saloons and began to drink heavily.
During the forenoon, he called at
the Long saloon and had some hot
words with his father. The fuss
ended in the elder Hern putting
his son out of the saloon.
Mack Hern continued to drink
during the day and about eight
o'clock re-appeared at the saloon,
bent on renewing the trouble with
his father. He entered with
weapon in his hand and found Jim
Hern standing by the bar 10 bis
shirt sleeves. Upbraiding his
father for what he claimed was
bad treatment, the young man fred
upon him with a % FoTehand re-
volver. The bullet struck the
human target in the bowels. 1t
entered little to the left of the pit
Of the stomach. HeTn staggered
but caught hold of the bar aud as
sisted by his son, Hayden, seated
in chair near by, and a
wet towel was placed over the
wound and doctor telephoned for.
He soon began to sink and lose
and was in a dying
when Drs. T. w. Blakey
and h. L. Woodland arrived. The
physicians made hasty examina.
ton and saw at a glance that the
wound was necessarily ii mortal
one. They did what coulc he Houe
to make the victim comfortable and
to stimulate him, but he soon lost
consciousness and die.l in about an
hour after he was shot. Ia his
dying moments he called peatedly
for HIS son Hayden. Who ds 1T his
side until he passed away.
Mack t1ern Arreeted.
The patricide as soon as ne had
fired the one bullet that did the
work, turned and ran out oil the
saloon and into the arms 1T Officers
J. NJ Cravens and h. n. Miller,
who we're at the depot and ran to
the saloon when the shot was tired.
He submitted to arrest quietly and
was disarmed. Young Heru, who
is about p years years old, was
very much under the influence of
liqnor. He was taken to Jail and
an hour later when told that his
father was dead, he fell over in a
faint or stupor, in which he re-
manned for some time.
The dead body of Hern, Sr., was
taken to his home at Second and
Clay streets, his wife having ar
rived at the saloon about the time
he died.
Inquest Held.
Coroner Allensworth held an in
quest Tuesday aud the following
verdict was returned: ave the
jury having been summoned and
sworn by the coroner, and after
having had witnesses introduced
before us, and having examined
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