The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-01-22
Is Developing Against Mother
of Dead Girl.
The Police say Victim could Not
Have Shot Herself-No Pow
der Marks.

Mary Duke johnson. the 9-year- old
colored girl reported TO have accident
ally shot herself yesterday morning ct
her home on South Eighth street, died
yesterday afternoon late from the
wound in her head.
Coroner William Peal, County At
torney Graves and Chief Of Police
Collins held an investigation last night
at the City Hall.
Chief Of Police James Collins. Or
deied Rachel johnson, the girls
mother, and Sallie Holmes, who lives
with her, arrested and held pending an
investigation.
Ii has been leaned that insurance
amounting to several hundred dollars,
was held on the girls life, and il is
possible she was foully dealt with that
the insurance money be secured. The
case was credibly worked up by Chief
of Police Collins who realized il
would be impossible for tho girl to
shoot herself while scratching her head
with the pistol without powder burns,
and on examination no powder burns
could be found.
James Spriggs, ST.. a we'll known
and reputable colored map told
the police last night that he lived
across the street from the johnson wo-
man and about s O'Clock yesterday
morning was looking across the street
when he saw the child standing in the
open door. He heard pistol report
and saw the child pitch forward to the
ground. He ran across the street in
time to see the mother pick the child
up. carry her to the door and lay her
down. Spriggs noticed in the room
several feet away . bowl and spoon
and pistol on o chair and testified
that the girl had not been near the
chair and could not have possibly had
that pistol He stated positively he
saw the child with something in her
hand and it was the bowl and spoon
he found on the floor afterward.
The Holmes woman testified that
she lived with Rachel johnson and
was in the house when the girl was
shot, but told little more.
The mother was put on the stand
and CLOSELY questioned. She stated she
was attending . child with measles in
the front room when she was notified
by Sallie Holmes that the girl had
accidentally shot herself. She saw
no pistol until the officers had 1t lat
err. She denies the subsequent
story of Sallie Holmes where she
was alleged to have told the Holmes
woman to pick the pistol mp of the
chair. Further that she held two
policies on the child's life and had
let one lapse, the other being renew
ed a week ago. She admits sending
the renewed premium down by the
Holmes woman after the shooting.
Chief Collins says it is one of the
plainest cases OF murder he ever saw,
according to present developments.
He declares there is not . powder
mark on the child, and that the bullet
went in behind one ear and straight
out In the forehead, ranging in such a
way that it would have been impossi-
BILE for the girl to have shot herself.
Another thing is the suspicious &C
ton of the mother in sending the in
surance money down to the agent after
the girl was shot and lay dying.
There were only two people known
to be in the house at the time, tie
mother and the other woman, and
both declare that they know nothing
about the shooting except that the girl
was in the room alone and shot her
self
DIR. Van ]. Davis, oolored, who at
tended the girl, says that she was
never conscious, so far as he knows.
and made no statement. d. He says he
saw no powder burns on the child.
Chief Collins says he thought posi-