Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-06-05
MAN KILLED
ATT CARNIVAL
Was Fleeing Through Crowd
ed Park After Breaking
Down Fence.
A. HAYDoN ARRESTED.
Many Witnesses Corroborate
Haydon's Statement That
He Shot In the Air.

A young negro about II or 18
years old named John Coleman was
fatally shot at the park Friday night
about 8 o'clock and died Saturday
morning about 10 o'clock, He was
shot in the back near the right kid
ney and the ball came out an inch
above the navel.
Several negroes climbed upon the
plank fence about sixty feet west Of
the gate and the two top planks,
nailed sideways, were broken off and
two of the negroes jumped or fell
inside the park. They started run
ming through the crowd in different
directions. Officer Ricketts, pursued
and soon captured one of them,
VIM. Wright, who was subsequently
locked up and given a fine of So for
disorderly conduct. The other one,
John Coleman, ran across the east
END of the park pursued by several
parties, officer Amos Hayden joined
in the chase, calling to Coleman to
stop. AS he continued to run the
officer drew his pistol and fired into
the air to brighten him into stopping.
Coleman continued to run and fol-
lowing the second shot of the officer,
some unknown person fired one shot
some say two-from a different
range and Coleman fell near the
"Maude' tent with a bullet in his
back. Thinking he had stumbled
and fallen Hayden ran to him and
ordered him to get up. Coleman
said he was shot. Hayden replied,
Get up, you are not hit, l shot into
the air." He was helped up and two
officers assisted him to walk to the
gate, where he was takenin a buggy
to police headquarters. Drs. Har-
ned, Woodland and Jackson were
speedily summoned and as soon as
his wound was dressed he was placed
on mattress and taken to the home
of his father, John Coleman, ST., on
Second street. 1t was apparent that
the wound was fatal.
Coleman made an ante-mortem
statement to the effect that Officer
Hayden shot him. This was taken
by Judge Polk Cansler and after
Coleman's death his father got out
a warrant charging the officer with
''willful murder" Learning of the
warrant Mr.. Hayden hunted up the
sheriff and surrendered. At 1870
o'clock Judge Breathitt heard the
case and said he would fix bail at
81, 800, as the killing of another by
an officer in the discharge of his duty
could be no offense greater than
manslaughter. Mr.. Hayden waived
examination, as the grand jury was
near at hand, and gave bond with
his brother, Herbert Hayden, and l..
L. Leavell as his sureties.
Judge Breathitt suggested that it
would not be proper for Mr.. Hayden
to act as an officer pending the in
vestigation and his duties Saturday
were performed by substitute.
There is no reasonable doubt that
Coleman was shot by some other per-
son than the officer. Numerous
witnesses saw Hayden shoot upward
and several saw the other man shoot
straight out. He was dressed in
dark clothes, but no witness so far
has been fond who knew him. A
number of people were pursuing the
negro and hundreds saw the tragedy.
The carnival management paid the
expenses of the dead mans funeral.
The coroner, j. L.. Allensworth,
held an inquest and returned a
verdict that Coleman came to his
death from a ball fired from a
44-calibre pistol in the hands of Off
Ger Amos Hayden The jury was
n. AL. 4. ? -.