The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-17
| WOMAN BRUTALLY SHOT AND DAGNAk
 IS HELD FOR CRIME Inmates of Victor Hotel Give Conflicting Stories About
 the Shooting JEALOUSY PLAYED PART AND FOUR MEN ARE HELD Constable Daenan Claims the Woman Took His Pistol From Him and
 Shot Herself-Had Blood
 On His Sleeve.

The Victor hotel was the scene of a brutal shooting last night. Maud Par sons, white woman, was shot down in cold blood, and much of the evil dence points to Constable John Dagnan as the man who fired the bullet at his sisterin-law.
 Women screaming and crowds gath ering caused a considerable sensation following the pistol shot in the hotel on Third avenue between Twentieth and Twenty streets, just after II D. m.
 A few seconds later Policeman Fully and MT. Brooks climbed the steps to the second floor. and found the woman lying unconscious in front of the open door of room 24. MT. Brooks states that he found a istol on the bed in the room, and himself emptied the cartridges, finding one cylinder just fired.
 Had Blood On Sleeve.
 John Dagnan was found with blood on his sleeve in the hall and was im- mediately handcuffed and carried to jail. The facts gathered from various witnesses seem to be that Dagnan, who is a married man, came in from Adger with MT. Norton and ended up at the hotel where he had kept the woman, three months. With four other men he is. said to have began drinking in room 32, and was badly intoxicated when he became angered with the woman, and made a search for his pis- tol, which she had hidden. Finding it, he searched over the house until he found her, and it is claimed immediate ly placed the gun within few feet of her heart and fired.
 Several In the Room.
 In the house at the time were Claude Parsons, her single sister, Bes- sic Norton, her married sister; Alma Hemphill and Florence Hall. The men who were in room 32 with him are henry Bailey, John Miles and Frank Dagnan, his brother, all of whom are held pending an investigation.
 MT. Norton states that Dagnan has been on familiar terms with the woman for three months, and that he had done all he could to keep them apart. While he was away, it seems, the fellow went up to drink with the four men.
 Leaving the other in the room, on the third floor, Dagnan went down to the second floor with Frank Foster and spent quite a while with Alma Hemphill, Florence Hall and the Par sons women. He states that while playing with Maud she took his pis- II. I,art Evidently she had hidden it, for soon after he became angered and began looking for the gun. Bessie Norton, on the third floor, stated that he was up there swearing, and looking for tho pistol, and that he found it in room 32. John Mason, who rooms in the hotel, said that he was in room 30 with George Williams; that four women were standing in the hall when Dagnan came out of room 32 with a scabbard hanging by his side, and said, Here's my gun. I'm going to kill her.
 Mason says he saw him go on down around the landing and few moments later heard the shot.
 Sister Makes Statement.
 
 Bessemer, while in Greens ambulance with her sister, on the way to St. Vim cents hospital said that she came in from Bessemer yesterday to see her sis- ter, and that while the two were in room 24 Dagnan came in and started out. Maud tried to prevent him, saying that he was too drunk and the police would oa fc,, hin, She foIIoued g1ip, in the hall but he turned and shot her.
 Florence Hall, in front of whose room the murder occurred. told Officer Street that Dagnan went into the room where she was alone. looked around, started out, met Maud, and fired. Afterward at the city jail she declared that Dagnan was with her in the room when they heard d shot fired.
 Tom Johnson said that he was on the first floor when he heard the noise and that Claude came running down the steps exclaiming, John Dagnan has killed my sister"
 At the jail Dagnan showed a1e had been drinking heavily. He said: q had intro- duced Alma Hemphill to Jim Foster, when we heard the pistol fired in the hall. I rushed out and caught Maud in my arms, because loved her. {,
 Woman Lived In Pratt City.
 Maud Parsons home is in Pratt City. She is about 2S years of age. At the hospital at a late hour it was reported she had no chance to live. The bullet passed through the left lung. Dagnan is constable for Beat 8 and he objected to being arrested on that ground.
 While nothing definite could be discov- cred, it seems that some other man Tn the crowd is implicated. and that Dagnan was angry with the Parsons woman from jealousy of another man then in the house.
 The four men who were arrested refused to open their mouths on the subject, ex- cept to claim that the woman killed her. self. Officers Street, Smith and Fully made the arrests and believe they have strong evidence against their man.