Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1908-01-02

On the morning OF Friday. Deem
! Der q, 1907, Agnes Burton. coIored.
was SHOT by her husband. Edward
Burton and painfully injured. About
3 O'Clock OF the same morning Ed
ward Burton was also sLo, and died
from the effects of the wound about
I'm. The shooting occurred at the
home OF Nelson Bronze, colore6, near
Hurry, in Milestown district.
Justice George r. Garner. acting
coroner, summoned jury With w.
A. Hurry, foreman, and made pains
taking investigation OF the tragedy.
After examining the body and hear
ing the testimony Of DIR. Walter B.
Dent and "the rs. the jury rendered
verdict that Agnes Burton. colored,
was shot by her husband. Edward
Burton. coloaed, and that subse-
quently Burton shot himself and
died from the effects of the self-in.
fected wound.
About 10, A NJ, Friday, Justice
Garner was notified of the affair and
the statement was made TO him that
foul play was suspected. Immedia-
tely after disposing Of a pending
case at Chaptico. the Justice, ac-
companied by Constable W B Long.
went TO the Cross Roads and when
they reached there were informed
OF Burton s death They then went
TO Nelson Brome's the scene Of the
tragedy about a mile and a. half from
Hurry, pOstofice On their arrival,
they found Burton dead as reported
and DR.. Dent dressing the wound OF
Agnes Burton
In her evidence before the jury
Agnes testified that her husband
shot her, and she believed after
wards shot himself An examina-
ton of the body OF the dead man
showed that he had been shot in the
right temple and that the bullet had
passed almost through the head,
lodging somewhere in the left side
thereof. Powder marks on the tenn
pie showed that the pistol had been
fired at close range. A revolver
was found in Burton right hand
saL
in it and two chambers seemed to
have been recently discharged-the
other two empty chambers appear
ing little rusty.
Other evidence was 10 the effect
that on the night OF the shooting,
Agnes Burton and her step mother
went 10 visit friends some distance
below the Cross Roads. On their
return home they were accompanied
by a brother OF Bronze 8 wife and by
Burton. Just before reaching Mel.
son Rrome's, Burton stopped his
wife to talk to her-the other two OF
the party proceeding towards the
house. After waiting a short while
they called Burton s wife to come
on, which she did 1t was then that
Burton shot her When the house
was reached, Nelson Bronze was
awakened and sent for DR.. Dent. On
his way TO the Doctors, he testified
that he met Burton going apparent
ly towards his house. Before
Bronze return. and approximately
ABOUT clock, the inmates of the
house saw that they heard a shot
in the yard, but no one went out to
Investigate. About light, when
Bronze returned from the doctors,
he saw Burton lying partly 10 the
door of the corn house-a low log
structure. He did not go near him.
but afterwards went to the Cross
Roads and reported the matter; then.
some OF the people went to Bronze s
and found Burton unconscious and
apparently dying. Then Justice
Garner was sent for and the inyesti-
cation was held as reported.
Both Burton and his wife have
recently been before Justice Garner
the man charged with assaulting
his wife, aud the woman with dis.
orderly conductive Justice limos
ing fines and costs in both instances.
After the assault, Burton 5 wife |
left him but returned al d they again |
quarreled.