The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-01-20
Phillip Phelps Found Dying
BY Police, With Bullet
Wound in Head.
Eph Pervine Says Phelps Was
Working at Rear Door.
SUMMONS OFFICERS HIMSELF

With two bullet wounds in his head
Phillip Phelps. 22 years old, OF 1909
North Tenth street. died yesterday
morning about $3.50 O'Clock at River
side hospital after being shot about
$3.50 O'clock in the morning by Eph-
aim Pervine, colored, who asserts
hat Phelps was trying to, enter his
home. ll10 North Tenth street.
Police are working on the case. and
are sitting II TO the bottom. but the
evidence &C far corroborates the
Negroes story of an attempt 10 enter
his house.
II Is possible that Phelps became
confused and thought he was entering
his own home.
A telephone message reached police
headquarters early Sunday morning.
telling of the killing. and Police Lieu
witt. Detective T. J. Moore, Patrol
men Brennan and Terrell and Dr. l..
l.. Smith to the scene. When they
arrived Patrolmen' Gillian and Eich
had placed Pervine under arrest. De
tective Moore and DIR. Smith went TO
the body OF the man and they found
him lying on his left side with a
wound In the left ear. A pool OF
blood was under him. and an exami-
nation by DR.. Smith showed the man
was dying. He was placed In the
patrol wagon and carried to Riverside
hospital. but il was evident that the
bullets had done their work, and with
out regainlng consciousness the man
died.
pcrvine's Story.
The Negro's story Is that he was
awakened by his wife. who said she
had heard noise at the front door.
Perylne listened and this time some
one was at the back and prizing at
the door Pervine and his wife and
daughter. IL years old. jumped out of
bed and ran out OF the front door.
Peryine seized a small 22-caliber rifle
and went into the yard of Joe Archer.
colored. who resides next door. Per-
vine went around the house into
Archcr's back yard and he saw a man
pricing at the door. Pervine called
10 him, but received no response and
taking aim he fired three shots from
the rife In quick succession. Seeing
the man fall on the frozen ground.
Pervine called TO Archer to notify the
police that he had killed man.
This Archer did. and when found,
Pervine was walking up and down the
yard with the gun sun in his hands.
Before the patrol wagon arrived, Pa
trolmen Elch and Gillian. who were
on the beat. arrived on the scene.
They had reported 20 headquarters
near the. Cohankus plant and had
started down Twelfth street. when a
Negro told them there was trouble
on Tenth street. However. the Negro
had reference 10 a fight and they had
started when Pervine saw the patrol.
men and called to them. They placed
him under arrest and waited for the
patrol wagon.
Detective Moore identified the man
soon after his arrival. He searched
his oyercoat, but found only post
card and letter, which were no good.
In one overcoat pocket half pint
bottle of whisky and an open barlow
knife were found. In the hip pocket
OF the trousers was a registration re-
ceipt. with the name Phillip Phelps"
and issued from the Plow Factory
precinct. On the left arm Up. y.
Phelps" and several pictures wer>
tatooed.
Phelps hat was missing, but after
q search II was found at the front
gate of Pervine's home. The hat was
a brown derby. Phelps was well
dressed in a dark suit and DARK
overcoat. The clothes were not ex-
pensive, but Of neat appearance.
Acting Coroner c. w. Emery held
an inquest over the body of Phelps
yesterday and verdict OF murder
was returned by the jury. Pervine
had been confined In the city jail,
but after the verdict he was taken to
the county jail, where he is confined.
The principal witness before the cor
oner's Jury was Robert Litten. a hot
tamale dealer, who testified that
Phelps was at his home between IL
and 1 o'clock, and Phelps was not
drunk. He testified to hearing three
shots fred later, and the sound came
as from an alley in the rear OF his
!. home.
IN When found by the police. Phelps
1othes were muddy, and the presump