Smyrna times., 1908-04-22
SWINNEY TRAGEDY DOWN
ASHVILLE SHOCKS SMYRNA
DR.. c. o. SWINNEY SHOOTS HIS
DAUGHTER AND TAKES HIS LIFE
Miss Nellie Swinney MraculousIy Es-
capes Although Two Bullets Hit
Herin the Head Story of Tragedy


Miss Nellie Swinney formerly of
Smyrna, one of the students at the
Normal and Collegiate Institute of
Ashville, North Carlina, was shot
an almost fatally wounded Wednesday
afternoon by her father DIR. Curtis
O. Swinney who then turned the
revolver on himself, and placing it's
muzzle in his mouth, pulled the
trigger, his death resulting almost
instantly. The news of the awful
tragedy was a severe shock to Smyrna,
where until few years ago DIR.
Swinney was prominent physician.
The scene of the awful tragedy was
in the reception room of the school
building, where for the past session
Miss Swinney has been a pupil. No
cause for the shooting can be assigned
further than that DIR. Swinney,
whose mind is said to have been
unbalanced for sometime past, had
been brooding over some harmless
schoolgirl pranks of his daughter
until they assumed the proportions
Of actual wrong dOings, and Wednesday
went to see her with the deliberate
intent of committing double TRACED.
1t is said that he has never been in
the habit of carrying concealed wea-
pons, and did not own pistol, and it
is supposed he stoppd at pawnshop
on his way to the school and bought
the pistol and cartridges, the weapon
being a second hand one.
Shooting Was Deliberately Planned
When DR.. Swinney called to see his
daughter, he was shown into one of
the reception rooms on the first floor.
A few minutes later his daughter
came down and going into the room,
closed the door behind her. Half
an hour later teachers and girls
were startled to hear four pistol
shots ring out and a moment after
! ward Miss Swinney came running
from the room with blood streaming
from two wounds in her head and
made her way to the Principals room
before falling For few moments
all was confusion, women teachers and
school girls running here and there,
but Miss Robinson speedily restored
order and getting the injured girl in
bed hastily summoned physician.
Seing that DIR. Swinney was beyond
aid, DIR. Reed locked the door of the
room in which the body lay and
devoted his attention to the wounded
girl. Two of the bullets fired at
Miss Swinney took effect, both of
them striking her head.
Cause of The Awful Tragedy
Miss Swinney who is a handsome
little brunette of sixteen years, is
one of the most popular girls in the
school and a ring leader always.
April the first a crowd of the girls
left the school without permission,
and she was one of them. For this
prank, it is understood, the girls
were seriously reprimanded, and her
father, hearing Of it and other HARM
less pranks, brooded over it until he
came to look upon them as serious
matters. Wednesday, it is said, he
went to see her with the declared
intention of taking her to task for
them. Just what happened prior to
the shooting cannot be learned, as
there were no witnesses and Miss
Swinney's account is very vague.
She was seated at the piano playing
for her father up until a moment
before the shooting occurred. The
first shot fired, she said, whizzed by
her ear, but the physicians think that
was one of the bullets that struck
her, striking her just back of the
right ear. The second shot struck
her in the top of the head, ranging
down and lodging in the skull just
above the temple. The third shot,
it is thought, went wild, striking the
wall above her head, while the fourth
ended the life of her insane father.
How she escaped from the room is
not clear to Miss Swinney, but she
found her way to the principal s
room before she fell.
Coroner's Jury Investigate Case
DIR. Morris, the coroner, was sum-
moned, and after viewing the body
of DIR, Swinney, had it removed to
local undertaking establishment.
When the coroner arrived a brief
investigation of the body and the
room in which the shooting occurred
was made. The body was lying
face down on the floor against the
wall farther from the piano, with the
almost empty revolver under the
body, almost in the clasp of the
llteless hand. DIR. Swinney, was 5!