The Cairo bulletin., 1906-01-02
SHADOW OF THE

living room of the house. According
to the elder Mrs. Legg's testimony
she left few minutes after her son 4
arrival to borrow some article of foot
} from a neighbor, and when she went
from the house her son and his wife
were quarreling. In very short time
afterwards young Dickey came to the
house of the neighbor where she was
and told her of the death of her son
She returned Immediately TO the house
she had Just left and there found the
body of her son still warm, though
through the body with 22-caliber
Winchester
The elder Mrs Leggs story is that
the younger Mrs Legg told her at first
that Legg had killed himself, then
that she had killed him, but by acct
dent.
A young man named Ashley testified
that he was passing the house. and
hearing screams. went In and found
the mans dead body lying there and
she told him her husband said the gun
was not loaded that she insisted Il
was, and that he then told her TO
snap" it, which she did, with fatal
results.
The Dickey boy, Mrs. Legg's brother
said he was awakened by the shot and
saw his sister supporting her husband,
who soon sank to the floor and expired.
DR.. Hamrck testified that he was
there probably two hours after the kill.
ing, and that the wife said her husband
told her to hand him the gun from
the rack above the door; that she
started 20 do so, and in some way pull
ed the trigger. discharging the wea-
pom and killing him
A friendly neighbor, one Russia Mol
lohan, told that Mrs. Legg was at her
house some time after the killing, and
in talking about her mother-in-law
the elder Mrs, Legg,, said she had bet
ter be careful or she (the younger
Mrs. Legg) would fix her. that she
had already put one out of the way"
The story of the defendant is that
her husband asked her to hand him
The gun from It's place on the rack over
the door; that she got II down, and
in some way unaccountable 10 her
it was discharged, the bullet entering
her husbands breast and causing his
death almost instantly
Sunnortinn TaStirnanv
This is borne out to degree by the
testimony of man named Young who
had sold the gun to Jay Begg, who
said it had habit OF going off at un-
expected and incpportune times while
he owned it.
Legg was five feet ten inches tall
Mrs Legg is not more than five feet
two. The bullet struck him in the
chest, somewhere above the nipple and
ranged down, coming out three inches
below the place of entrance. This is
an improbable, though perhaps not an
impossible course for a bullet to take
If fired from lower level The theory
of the defense is that when Mrs Legg
took the gun from the rack she was
reaching about as high as she could,
and that as she took it down with
arms extended above her head 1t was
discharged in some way unknown to
them, and the bullet then easily took
the downward course.
This is, briefly, the history of the
case. 1t occupied but day and half
in the trial. and the jury was out less
than two hours when It returned a YER
dict of guilty of first degree murder,
without the recommendation of mercy
that would have allowed the Judge to
fix the punishment at life imprison-
ment.
Judge Samuel C.. Burdette, of this |
city, presided over the court that tried |
Mrs. Begg, and IT became his duty to |
pass sentence upon her, after care
fully examining the record to find any |
possible error Failing to find any |
thing that he thought would justify /
setting the verdict aside. on the last |
day of the April term he called her
case for .entence. She came into |
court accompanied by her little girl. |
and when asked TO rise that sentence !
might be passed. had difficulty to do |
so. the child clingng SO tightly to her. |
She finally struggled to her feet. how.
ever. and uniiinchingly met her sen.
tence
Have you anything TO say why sen
tence should not be passed upon you?"
asked the Judge, after reciting the find. |
ing Of the jury and telling her what it
meant,
She slowly shook her head in mega.
ton.
Then" said Judge Burdette sol
EMMY. and with quivering voice. Il
paGs sentence upon you that you be
removed To the state penitentiary at
Moundville. where. on July Z, 1906, |
you will be hanged by the neck until
you are dead"
Fight For Life.
Mrs. Legg's attorneys. A. J, Koran |
NJ Nicholas county. and bis brother. !
T. o. Koran. OF this place. applied |
for a writ Of error. which was grant