The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-11
Freda Sweeney Victim Of Bullet From 38 Cali
bre Revolver Held in Hand Of Louis Offron
at Home, All johnson ST. Last Night.
SHOOTING PURPOSEFUL
Mother and Father Ran Screaming and Crying
About as Popcorn Man Flees to Brother at
Fruit Store on Main Street.

AvA04AA MA ~~6e
had been keeping house for them.
Sweeney had been separated from his
wife and was away but went to the
home of his wife and daughter last
night to spend the evening.
Were Examining Gun.
Sweeney had come into the house,
intoxicated somewhat, and Offron
proposed to Mrs. Sweeney that she
make some coffee to quiet her hus-
lands nerves and sober him up. The
coffee made, the man, wife, child and
Cffron were sitting about table in
the front room drinking the beverage
when Sweeney said he would like to
buy a revolver. Offron having one,
got 1t from his room and after taking
out the cartridges, passed the weapon
around, each member of the table
group examining it. The little girl
also handled the gun and it was click
ed and passed freely from one to the
other as the charges had been re-
moved from it.
Reloaded the Revolver.
After the gun had been passed
around, Offron reloaded it and lit
tie later, arose to leave the room to
put the pistol in his bed room Walk
ing to the door which lead from the
living room to Offron's sleeping place,
the Greek pop corn vender was about
to pass through, when the gun, trig-
ger or hammer, he knows not which,
caught on the front of his shirt and
the discharged ball passed through
the middle finger of his left hand and
found Judgement in the little girls
body. The revolver is Harrington
G. Richards and is in possession Of
Chief of Police Schevers.
Wild Excitement In Home.
/ The father and mother jumped up
when the shot struck the child and
Offron was struck dumb by what he
had done. He passed nervously to the
front door of the place, his hand
bleeding from the shot and the girl
fell from her chair to the floor
Offron then went out the back en-
trance of the house and walked up to
Fifth and Main. Then he retraced
his steps to the alley between Main
and Johnson on Fifth and started on
a run up the alley to Seventh street
4 and around to the fruit store where
his brother and George LOOMS, the
bowling alley proprietor and owner
! OF the fruit store, were.
Too Excited to Call Doctor.
Offron told LOOMS what had taken
place, as best he could and a few
minutes later. after a physician had
been called, Officer Conn placed or
/ from under arrest. Officer Baldwin
who was standing at the Hotel Keo
kuk corner at the time Mrs. Sweeney
ran screaming into the street, went
hurriedly to the home. Night Cap
tain Fuqua having received a cal
for the patrol, went to the house ant
i Affected by Affair.
4 Oferon who was having his powder
stained and bullet torn hand ant
finger dressed at the police station
after II o'clock last night, inquired
about the child he had accidentally
shot. When told that she would prob
ably die, oh was all he could nut
ter.
The bullet punctured the bowels il
the right side of the abdomen of tn,
girl and chances for recovery wer'
said to be slight. today, by Docto
Hogle, the attending physician. be
cause of the perforations in the in
| testines. AT 10 o'clock this morning
the child was barely conscious.
Talked of Her School.
| During the night, in consciou
moments, the little Sweeney gil
talked about her school and elias
companions, almost increasingly. TIL
unfortunate tiny miss, lying in agony
pore bravery ner pain and the case l
one which ELECTS sympathy.
Were Angered at Greek.
A large number of spectators VIII
gathered about the Offron place o
Johnson street, Immediately afte
the shooting last night, not acquain
ed with the facts and believing ths
the Greek refreshment stand man ha
meant violence to the child, spok
threateningly about him, it is SAT-
Offron evidently fearing rough han'
| ling of some sort, rushed up the allie
| when he became aware of what he ha
accidentally done.
j offron who spent the night in tn