Milford chronicle., 1912-11-29
FOUND DEAD WITH PART
OF HIS FACE shot AWAY

Nathaniel Harris, colored, aged 1s
years, was killed in the yard of a resi-
D dence near the Griffith FIGURING Mills,
three miles west from Milford on the
road to Pennington last Tuesday after
: : noon. With younger brother he had
been hunting in the branch back of the
mill, and he had gone to the house for
some reason, to which the brother fol
lowed a short time afterward, where he
found the young man dead in the yard
/ with one side of his face shot away.
J How he was shot or by whom the shot
was aimed, there scenes to be no actual
information. A woman and child were
in the house but neither of them could
give any intelligent account of the af-
fair. The shot entered the left side Of
the mouth, and death must have been
instantaneous. The younger brother
went to their home on the James Town
send farm, near Milford, and told the
/ parents of the death of Nathaniel. In
company with his father they went after
| the body. Coroner Cain, who lives near
Harrington, was notified and the in
quest was held on Wednesday.
d ben the Coroner held its inquest
N. 70&, remains of Nathaniel Harris
eS1o Zine of his father near Milfoid
Oh. N2.lesday afternoon, there was
r, m yrowd gathered out of curiosity a.
gQo, Nthe facts. The jury consisted o.
twelve citizens who are all well KNOWN
and they organized by making Aaron
Woodruff foreman, and Colonel TheON
Townsend the secretary. The witnesses.
gave very much the same testimony, ~
with the exception of two, one a very
small boy and the other woman of less n
than average intelligence. Andrew Don II
Ovan testified that he was at his home
about five hundred yards distant from Il
where the young man was killed, and
that his brother, Harry Donovan, Twas
with him, when Isaiah Holland, a small
boy, about eight years old, came run
ming up the road and told him that
'Natty' was shot at their home. They
went Immediately to the scene, and
found the dead body, where it had fal
len with one leg doubled back under it.
He stated that there was no gun about
the body, or on that side of the building
and that the young man had evidently
left his muzzle-loading gun leaning
against an apple tree at the northwest
corner of the house, while the body
was lying at the southeast end of the
house with a pool Of blood under the
head. The shot had entered the head
directly through the mouth, and was 10
such manner as to make it impossible
FOR the man to have shot himself DonO-
van and his brother assisted to take the
Dody to the home of Harris father,
winch is about half mile distant. Mrs.
Lizzie Deputy, who was passing the
house, which is between the road and
the pond Of Griffith's Mill, stopped her
team to look at the body as il lay on
me ground Just before the DOnovans
4f-rfRnA h11f Oh "a did ~
hat she could identify either through
ne windows, or about the place before
hey came. The only person in the
house was Sallie Bradley, when any of
he witnesses arrived. The brother Of
he man who was killed. testified that
he was IN the branch after a rabbit
when he heard a shot fired, and in a few
minutes the Holland boy came running
)y him and called out that Nattv was
mot in the house He was SO badly
frightened that he ran to his home and
old his father that Natty was shot. and
hey started after the body. The Hol.
and boy stated to the jury that he did
lot make the statements he was alleged
o have made made. viz, that he had
hot Natty, but said that Nattv had
allied at the house and asked for a
which he gave to him and
hen went back into the house and start
ID to play with a chicken, when be
leard shot and went to the door
where he saw Natty dead.
Sallle Bradley stated that she was son.
adly frightened that she could not 90
o the door and knew nothing about the !
Whole matter. other than that Nattv
vas killed. She denied seeing any gun
. the house where she was STAYING.
he Coroner found two guns in the room
7here the family lived, one of which
an exploded shell which had
cen recently fred. the other gun was
nloaded and the barrel showed eonsd
rable dust in it. The Coroner also
ound the muzzle-lOading gun leaning
gainst the tree where the witnesses
lated it was when they came to the
ouse along the road. and it was vet
'aded, with an unexplOded cap on the
ipple. There were no blood trails any,
here, and pool of blood under tho
0dy was the only evidence from that
'urce. The body was Just eight feet
'om the back door and twelve from the
tchen door, and resting onits back on
e bricks.
After celebrating, and hearing the
lidence of DR.. George w. Marshall,
no testified that it was an impossible
ing for the man to have shot himself,
dying from the nature of the wound.
le jury found a verdict that Nathaniel
arris came to his death from a gun
OF wound in the head; which was in
cted by party unknown and IN a
amer unknown to the jury.