The Washington herald., 1910-10-14
SISTER AT SUPPER
SLAIN BY ACCIDENT
George Hale Grief Stricken
by Home Tragedy.
FAMILY MADE HYSTERICAL
Aged Mother Falls 10 Floor and
Clasps Dying Daughter in Arms.
Fatal Mishnp Occurs While Broth
or Is Cleaning Mothers Revolver.
Held ON Technical Murder Charge.

George r, Hale, an ice dealer. acct
dentally shot and killed his sister, Miss
Josephine Hale. twenty-seven years old,
in the dining-room OF their mother S
home, rs f street southeast, about s
o'clock last night.
The accident occurred in the presence
Of Mrs. Josephine Hale. the aged mother;
Mrs. Elizabeth Elliott a married daugh-
ter; Rodney Elliott. a grandson. and Miss
Jennie schaefer. who lives in the house
They were gathered about the supper
table, while George Hale sat near by in
a chair. cleaning and oiling a .S2-caliber
revolver. Hale was putting the chamber.
containing five bullets, in the revolver
frame wnen the weapon suddenly closed.
There was loud report. Josephine Hale.
who sat opposite her brother with her
elbows on the table, clasped her hands
TO her breast and slipped from the chair
to the floor
Brother Becomes SpeechIess.
Her eyes closed and she lost conscious
brother bent over her. Then they saw
a dark red stain appear on her white
waist, just over the heart, and knew she
was dying Hale sank in a chair and
buried his head in his arms on the table,
speechless with grief. The aged mother
fell 20 the floor and clasped the body Of
her dying daughter in her arms.
Mrs. Elliott. sister Of the dying woman.
became hysterical. Some one in the room
ran to the front door and called for help.
An unknown man sent a message TO
Desk Sergeant Morgan at the Fifth pre-
cinct station, and a minute later Bicycle
Policeman Farquhar and Policeman Mof-
fatt were hurrying 10 the scene of the
tragedy.
Morgan telephoned to Casualty Hos
pital. and DR.. Albert Tibbetts arrived in
an ambulance. The physician witnessed
a scene hard to describe. George Hale
was sitting by the table, not having
arisen since his hand accidentally sent
the bullet into his sisters breast,
Aged Mother Faints.
The grief-stricken mother shad tainted.
The other women were hysterical. and
the little nephew of the wounded woman
was crying Dr. Tibbetts made an exam
ination and pronounced the woman dead.
George Hale was taken in custody on
technical charge of murder. AT the
station Hale told the story of his sisters
death.
Last night, he said, he went 10 the
home of his mother for dinner. His
mother lived there with her two daugh-
tiers and Miss Schaefer. After dinner
Mrs. Hale procured revolver and asked
her son to clean It. The mother kept
the weapon in her room, he said, and
always kept it loaded Hale then told
of the gathering i'm the dining-rOom and
narrated the events up 10 the time he
placed the cylinder I'm the frame He
could not tell how the weapon was dis
charged.
The bullet entered the breast Just to the
right OF the center of the body and be-
tween the third and fourth ribs. taking
a slanting course and probably pene-
trating the heart II is the belief or
the physician that death occurred almost
The body was viewed IN the
house by Coroner hewitt, who will prob
ably order an inquest at the morgue
to-day.