The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-07-17
Young C0Iored Man is Facing
A Trial That May Mean His
Death or at Least lmpris-
onment for Life.
INJURED WOMAN EX-
PRED TUESDAY NIGHT.
Grand Jury Has Been Ordered
To Report on Next Friday
And an Immediate Investi-
cation Will Be Made.

Mrs. Lon Fisher, colored, who was
band. died at 10 o'clock Tuesday night
at Reid Memorial hospital. The wom-
an made a hard fight for her life and
the attending physicians thought she
had bare possibility of surviving
her wounds but her death was not un-
expected. Since the time she was
shot. Mrs. Fisher was very low. new
er taking a turn for the better. This
morning at 10 o'clock an autopsy was
performed on her body.
The death OF Mrs. Fisher means
that the charge of assault and battery
with intent to commit murder. under
which Fisher was arraigned Tuesday
morning in the city court, will be
changed to murder i'm the first degree
which is punishable by death or life
Imprisonment. Fisher probably will
not be brought to trial on this charge
until this fall 1t is thought that he
will enter a plea OF not guilty and that
his defense will be insanity Fisher
has no funds with which to en- W an
attorney to defend him SO the court
will probably assign Pauper Attorney
p. J. Freeman to represent him.
When Prosecutor Jessup was noti-
fled OF the death OF Mrs. Fisher, he
at once petitioned the circuit court to
have the grand jury meet and investi-
gate the case. The court acted at
once on this petition and ordered tho
grand jury to report Friday of this
week. 1t is thought the grand jury
will be ready to return an indictment
against Fisher by the first OF next
week.
Fisher In Ignorance.
Up to the time of going to pre- SIS this
afternoon Fisher had not been in
formed Of the death Of his wife. None
of the prisoners at the county jail
know that she is dead and they proba-
bly, will not know until the city news
papers arrive there late this afternoon.
The sheriff states that Fisher is APP
parently stunned at the enormity of
his crime. He reclines on a bench
nearly all the time, his color is a
sickly yellow, the eyes hollow and the
cheeks sunken. He has little or moth
ing to say and spends all Of his time
broodinS.
There were many eye witnesses to
the murder committed by Fisher, but
the police have had much difficulty
in securing competent evidence. Pros
ecutor Jessup stated that IL any per-
son who had Witnessed the shooting
would report to him or TO the police,
his action would be greatly appreciate
ed and that he would also be doing a
public service.
There is considerable speculation az
to whether a jury can be secured In
this county which would favor the
death penalty for Fisher in the event
he is found guilty of murder in the
first degree 1t seems TO be the gen.
eral impression that IL would be hard
to secure twelve men who would favor
capital punishment for Fisher or. in
fact. any other man found guilty Of the
same offense There is strong
preiudice against the death penalty In
Wayne county, which can be traced
back to the time Bates was hung at
the county Jail in the early eighties.
This was the last public hanging in
Indiana and the effects of 1t hung like
A pail over this community for a long
time.