The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-08
CHAPTER XIX.
WHO FIRED THE SHOT?

portion or GroVedale. 1t was heard by
many, and commented upon, but not
unpleasantly. Some sportsman had
been out early and was returning,
they said. Others wondered idly who
it could be, and what he had secured,
or whether he had just emptied his
gun by firing in the air. One or two
experienced men. however, heard the
shot with some dismay, and made their
way at once in the direction of the
sound.
1t appeared to be, as 1 have said,
at the upper end of the village, and
two or three men turned into the
street approaching Mr.. Hamilton's
house and walked toward it together.
, These were the men who had followed
the sound.
When they reached the grounds of
the house they saw group of people
standing about a figure lying on the
grass The group consisted of Mr.. and
Mrs. Hamilton and Mr.. Carter, who
stood back at their approach and
plainly revealed to their gaze the form
of Primus Edes lying, face upward,
on the ground.
who did it." asked one of the men,
Mr.. Green, eXcitedly.
That's more than we can tell" said
Mr.. Carter. 'I heard shot and
jumped into my clothes and came
down. Vane had got here, somehow.
before I did, and my niece followed
me. That's all we knew about the
matter"
"Shot himself, most likely" said Mr..
Dawes, a grocer on Main street. "Edes
has looked down-hearted for a long
time l wonder where the pistol is? It
can't be a great ways off, if he did it
himself"
That's So" said the other man,
looking about.
Tl,,t In
no place where a pistol could be hidden
from the direct gaze except behind d
row of rose-bushes a few feet away.
Green moved toward them to look, and,
to his surprise, saw small pistol plain
ly in sight in front of, not behind, the
rOSe-buShes.
1T is a wonder we didn't see it the
first thing said he.
ut is a wonder" said Mr. Hamilton,
| taking the pistol and looking it over.
There is no mark on it,
"No; but if I don't mistake that pis-
| toll belongs to Dan Fry" said Mr..
| Green. II sold him one like it not long
| ago"
'You don't think Dan shot him?"
| said Mr.. Carter, aghast.
mo, 1 don't; l think he shot him
self"
well, am sorry to have had it oc-
| cur here, said Mr.. Hamilton, glancing
at his wife's terror-stricken face.
Hitherto she had not spoken, but now
| her tongue was unloosened
why don't some of you see if he is
| really dead?" she cried. Because a
man is shot it is no reason for thinking
that he is dead"
Sure enough, sure enough, Con-
stance. Bless my soul! why didn't we
think of that? I'll run for the doctor
myself" said Mr.. Carter.
| But Mr.. Hamilton quietly knelt and
laid his hand on his breast
1T beats feebly. He may rally. 1t is
not cold here. We will not risk dis
turbing him until the doctor comes.
Help me with the harness. Green
Working together, one of his horses
was quickly harnessed, and the quar-
| ter of a mile distance to DR.. Peck s
| quickly covered by Brown Nell, whose
| feet flew as never before, under the
reins held by Mr.. Green.
The doctor was at home and returned
| in the buggy, and in a few minutes was
kneeling beside the recumbent figure.
THE wound is a bad one, but not
necessarily fatal" he said after he had
| examined with great care the hole made
by the bullet in the temple. ut glanc-
ed upward, and that saved him, most
likely. He will have to be taken some
WHERE
He boards at Mrs. Fry's," said Mr..
Carter.
Very well. He must be removed
| there at once" said the doctor, land
then l will probe for the bullet"
A door was taken from it's hinges
and four men carried the insensible
form to his boarding place, where he
was tenderly cared for by Mrs. Fry.
| The bullet was extracted by DR.. Peck,
| and the wound thoroughly attended TO.
Then the physician left the house, say
| ing he would look in at his patient IN
an hour or So
Meanwhile an excited group of men
were searching the grounds and woods
about the Hamilton place for traces of
a would-be murderer, supposing the
affair not to be an attempt at suicide.
Many declared it most certainly was
that, the inclination of the wound be-
ing upward proved that his own hand
fired the shot, unless it was done by
some person who stood near him at the
time The pistol too, being the prop
erty of Fry, in whose mothers house
Edes boarded, also proved it, they said;
for there was no doubt now that the
weapon really belonged to Dan, he hav-
ing appeared on the scene and claimed
it. There was no question about his
not having fired it, for at the time the
shot was heard Dan stood talking in
the door of the blacksmiths shop with
half dozen men.
On the other hand, the river was
near, and there were indications of
| boat having been lately drawn up
among the alders that fringed the bank
and later one was found a little be-
| low the village, where it had come
| to natural moorage under an over
| hanging limb of an immense tree.
| The river was much shaded; it was
not impossible for a person to have
| escaped that way while attention was
being paid to the wounded man. and
in that case he had most likely taken
| to the woods after leaving the boat.
| The boat was the one kept by the rail-
| road men and used by the village chill
| dren to row about, and the woods ex-
| tended several miles back to a small
| settlement known as Bags Hill. From
there it was but a short distance in
| to Maine.
These surmises and the search kept
the persons engaged in them from OBJ
serving the great agitation of Mrs.
Hamilton and her husband They soon
entered the house together, where Mrs.
Hamilton suddenly faced him and
asked. excitedly:
DO you know how he was shot?''
"Assuredly l do not. Constance. l
heard the shot and jumped out of bed
at once. Being quicker than Mr.. Carter
l reached the spot a moment earlier.
but l saw no one, and l was sure
from the first that he shot himself"
But the pistol! 1t was not in his
hand
Doubtless he threw it before he fell
m tho Ground -