The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1905-11-14
DUN Hunt in Clark's River
toms Ends in Tragedy.
public
slve In
ingly Bee yohnsOn's Gun Was Acci-
quarterly Discharged and Killed
pose on His Friend.
that ho
first III
looking
be mistI.IY ExONERATED TODAY
He'll


OF single barrel shotgun carried by
Lawrence johnson. about mile be-
yond Mechanicsburg on the Benton
road.
The two boys and Brown Weineck,
James Sanders, Ellis Darlington. T..
T. II. Sisk, sydney Dixon, Frank
Brown, and Alonzo Sledd. and others.
were 'possum hunting.
According to reports the boys had
been out for sometime. and had kill
ed one 'possum. They were seeking
others. the Johnson boy carrying the
gun on his arm with the barrel point
cd behind. Merritt was In the rear.
Suddenly. and johnson says he does
not know why. the gun went OFF and
the load struck Merritt in the left
breast He sank In his tracks and APP
parently died instantly. The boys
we're panic-stricken. The gun was
thrown away and they ran to the
nearest house. that of Mr.. w. c. Ro-
ark. and telephoned to the city. Lieu
tenant Tom Potter detailed PATROL
man Moore Churchill 20 the scene.
and the Johnson boy was taken into
custody until the accident could be
fully probed.
Coroner Charles Crow was arous-
ed and had the body brought to the
city. The dead youth is son of Daniel
Merritt. OF Az South Eighth street
THIS moE ming Coroner Crow held
an inqw.Et az the Paducah Undertak-
ing company's paH-iors. The evidence
showed that the boys went hunting.
leaving by the Illinois Central tracks
past the depot. Thirty stopped for a
boy who lives near Tyler, and he
could not accompany them. so they
proceeded 10 the Ciark's fMsr bot
toms, and had turned and were COM
ing back.
The Only gun they lad along was
Johnson's old breechloading, single
barrel gun. and II had been fired
seven times during the evening II
was In very bad condition, and came
unbreeched when fir.h, Il seems.
AZ the time OF the accident. three
or four OF IN boys had run ahead
and conceab.li themselves from the
others. johnson was carrying the
gun. and had not yet shot II himself
during the evening.
There were about ten in the crowd
AMI the coaCensus OF evidence was
uhat the crowd was simply coming
homewsrd. with Merritt slightly be-
hind Joanson, when the gum wen;
OF from no apparent cause. They
wee alb In coed humor, and there
had not ben cross word during |
the evening between anyone. One |
boy said that Merritt was standing |
almost against the muzzlc of the |
gun whfls Johnson was trying TO fix |
70 so il would Shoot and that john
son remarked that u wouldn't |
breech, when someone told him to |
close II with his hand, and he hit It |
to close IL, when n went off.
There was only one witness, how
ever. who testified to this johnson !
himself testified before the coronei's |
jury, and said that they were return
, ing hoira when the gun, which he |
was carrying, and didn't even know |
was loaded, suddenly possibly from |
a Jolt, went on. He was badly ex-
cited, even this inornfng. Last night |
he was almost crazy. When the gun
went OF and Merritt sank to abr |
ground dead. blood spcashed all ovep
him from the gaping wound in his
breast, some of the boys fled in ten
ror, but soon returned. Johnson |
ran to Merritt and lifted him and
trh.d to get him TO speak, but life
WAS extinct. During the remainder
of the night johnson was hardly ra-
tional. and had not completely re-
covered today.
The Jury, after hesrmg the ov;-
6imoe this morning, returned and the |
foreman admonished Johnson to
break up the gum and be more care
full In the future, and read the fol-
lowing verdict:
I'VE, the jury duly impaneTrd and
sworn to inquire into the cause of
death at Prenio Merritt. now lying
before us dead. find from the evil
dencr that he came TO his death from
a grnlshot wound inflicted by the az
oiiental discharge OF a gun in the
hands of Lawrence Johnson, We do