The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-12-18
BOY COMMITS
HORRIBLE DEED
EDWARD CUNNINGHAM, AGED 16.
CHARGED WITH MURDER OF
4-YEAR-oLo GIRL.
DECLARES IT WAS AN ACCIDENT
Youth Placed in Jail, Maintains That
It Was Case of "unloaded
Gum"

A terrible killing took place Sunday
morning at the home of G. W. Hicks
about TWO miles south OF Mt. Pleasant
when Mr. Hicks little four-year-old
daughter was shot and instantly
killed by Edward Cunningham, a six
teen-year-old boy whom Mr. Hicks had
befriended
1t appears that the Cunningham boy
was sitting inside the house by an
open window and the little girl and
Mr.. Hicks Sky ear-old son were
throwing gravel and small stones at
him. He is said to have warned them
to stop, threatening to kill them il
they did not. They did not take the
warning, SO the Cunningham boy is
said to have picked up shot gun and
to have returned toward the window.
The little boy ran away, but the lit
tie girl remained. The Cunningham
boy fired at her at close range, and
the little girl fell over dying, her little
body torn and mangled by the shot.
The father came to Columbia and
swOre out a warrant before Esq. Hayes
charging murder in the first
degree, and Deputy Goad was sent to
the scene to arrest young Cunningham.
The Cunningham boy is said to have
been wild and unmanageable. His
mother is dead and his father has re-
1t is said the boy could not
get along with his step-mother, and
about three months since ran away
from home and came to Mr.. Hicks in
want The latter took him in more |
in charity and kindness than because |
be might be useful, and has since
treated him as a member of the fam
ly.
Ed Cunningham was seen by a Her
lid representative at the jail Wednes-
lay and appeared to be almost heart !
broken over the killing, which he de-
,lared was an accident pure and sim
de. He said the gun with which the
was done was kept in rack
n one Of the rooms, but that he and
he children had been In the habit OF
,etting it down and playing with 1t.
That the day before the shooting Mr..
Hicks went out hunting and failed to
AXE the shell out of the gun. That
lie got the gun down to play with 1t
md had 1t pointed out the window.
hat the little boy ran around the
ouse when he did so, but the little
irl did not move. That he did not
AXE aim at the little girl and did not
now that the gun was pointing to-
yard her or that it was loaded. He
aid he did not pull the trigger, but
tarted to pull back the hammer with
is thumb and it slipped, the gun mr.
lg as the hammer fell.
Cunningham denies that the chill
rem had been throwing at him or that
a had threatened them" ] would
OF have shot the little girl for any
ling in the world" he said. "Mr.
ticks had been kind to me and had
.eated me as one of the family and A
would not have hurt the little girl or
ave done anything to have hurt the
.elings of any of the family. ! sup
ose Mr.. Hicks thought did 1t on
lrpose and so had me arrested, but n
told him it was an accident" l!
The boy was sincere in manner and Il
as evidently deeply grieved. He r
i'd he did not know where his father e
That he only knows he is working n
r the railroad somewhere's in Ala d
ina and that when last heard OF he Fl
as in Huntsville. g