The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-28
JUDGE RANDOLPH DEAD; SLAIN WITH SHOT GUN
 IN HANDS OF HIS COUSIN
Details of Tragedy.

Judge Randolph passed the large window of the Montgomery Abstract Company, near which John Randolph was seated. He passed to the door fronting on Perry street. He turned to enter. John Randolph walked to the door. Within a few feet of him was his cousin. who faced him. The younger man carried in his hands a double barrelled shot gun and the other man, 1t is said, threw his hand to reach his revolver. For once Judge Randolph was too slow. Before the weapon could be drawn, almost before the hand touched the cold steeel, the gun of John Randolph rang out. Both barrels were enptied.
 Judge Randolph turned. swayed, fell and probably the most romantic and adventurous career in the annals or Alabama was closed for ever. Francis c. Randolph died as he lived, ready and willing. He fell on his back with his head near the edge of the sidewalk and his feet stretched across the way. His blood was spattered over the cement pavement, and parts Of his flesh blown off by the terrific discharge of the gun. clung to a little shade tree under which he fell.
 Great Crowd Gathered.
 The report of the gun brought hum dreds of people hurriedly to the scene. The straight Roman nose and the white imperial so long associated with Judge Randolph, told the crowd in an instant whose the bleeding form was.
 The body lay flat on the back. The right hand was stuck into his front trousers pocket and his head was lying over the side of the curb stone and reaching into the gutter. The eyes were wide open and set In death.
 Those of the great crowd nearest to the body seemed spellbound by the ter rible picture and shudderingly fell back in horror as if afraid to touch the body One man in the crowd, more venturesome than the rest pushed his way to the form of Judge Randolph and lifted the head of the prostrate figure out of the gutter onto the side walk.
 It was but a few seconds after the shooting before two surgeons, who were at their offices on South Perry Street near the scene of the tragedy and who were attracted there by the ominous reports of the gun had bent over the man in hurried examination He is dead" they said almost as soon as they glanced at him.
 The police who had gathered at the place keeping the rapidly growing crowd back telephoned to Coroner Tice and that official arrived in few minutes He knelt over the dead man and made an examination of the body. One load of shot, and probably the first load fired from the gun used by John Randolph had penetrated the chest about an inch and a half below the left nipple and grazed the heart. The wound was a clean cut hole about the size of a silver quarter indicating that practically the entire load had entered the body. The other wound was a ter rible gashlike hole just below the left ear and from appearances, the load Of shot did not strike fully but rather glanced. The spinal cord was severed and made a horrible wound. Blood flowed freely from each wound and either one would have caused death.
 The left hand of Judge Randolph was placed in the lapel of his coat, a habit with him and his right hand was inside the front trouser pocket. He wore a blue linen suit and a black felt hat. such as he invariably wore. .
 Did Not Utter sound.
 Persons who reached the scene first agree that he never uttered a word after being shot and it Is probable that death was instantaneous.
 Coroner Tice empannelled no jury, considering that there were no wit nesses to the tragedy and that the facts of the case were known.
 A 3S-calibre Smith and Wesson ham merless pistol was taken from the right hip pocket of Judge Randolph by Coro- ner Tice. Each of the five chambers was filled and no cartridge was ex- ploded. Other than this weapon the pockets of the dead man were filled with his personal papers.
 The body lay on the sidewalk for fifteen or twenty minutes while the crowd grew larger and discussed the tragedy in groups about the scene. The Coroner spread a handkerchief over the face of the dead man to shut 1t out rom tbe gaze of the morbidly curious crowd who taxed severely the energy of the police squad to keep them back. An undertaker's wagon from w. II. Tlce establishment was backed, up to the curbing and the body was placed In 1t and taken to the coroner's place on south Court Street where it was pre- nared for burial The curious crowd followed and a policeman was sta tioned at the front door of the place to prevent the mass of people from crowding the undertaking parlorS.
 Interest in Tragedy.
 The news of the tragedy spread with remarkable rapidity and from the time the shots were fired until late last night curious crowds collected around The various scenes of interest incidental 
 to the tragedy.
 Hundreds of people visited the win dow of the office of Dr. Shirley Bragg directly across Perry Street from the Montgomery Abstract Company. which was penetrated by stray shot.
 A still greater crowd collected around the morgue of Coroner Tice on South Court Street. Until a late hour yesterday afternoon Coroner Tice al- lowed only relatives, intimate friends and representatives of the press within his doors. He was compelled to ask the assistance of the police department to keep back the throng of morbid people. When the doors were finally opened to the public. the police had to enforce a line to prevent the crowd from overrunning the morsue
 John Randolph immediately after the shooting surrendered himself to Sheriff w. R. Waller. He was taken to the Montgomery County jail, where for the first time the severe nervous strain under which he has been for weeks showed. He almost suffered nervous breakdown. Up to that time he had required all his courage, nerve and de. termination that he or any man could muster but on reaching the jail the relaxation came. He immediately sum- moned his lawyers and conferred with them for some time.
 Visitors to the Jail.
 During the remainder of the after. noon hundreds of Montgomerians young men. old men. business men professional men and men of all classe: visited the jail and offered sympathy and aid to John Randolph in his trou. ble.
 Deputy Sheriff N. N. Waller swort out a warrant against MT Randolph charging murder before Justice Michel H. Screws. The young magis. l L.--L L