The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-09-01
Stating That James Was Bent
On Deliberate Robbery
When He Went To Get Sup.
posed Drink Of Water
At SIayef''s Home

With the death of w. j. James
Thursday night at the Lawrence hos
pital in Columbus, there has come
lot of speculation about the city as to
whether the May grand jury will be
summoned to investigate the shooting
ARRAY or whether the matter will
hang fire until the November grand
jury goes into session. Another mat
ter that is likewise commanding at
tention is the nature of the charge
that will be made against Mcmahon
with this new turn in the situation.
In connection with the above, Chief
of Police Parker states that, in his
opinion, difficulty will be encountered
in convicting Mcmahon, particularly
since James's death. The chief re-
grets the death of the latter doubly,
as he has felt all along that James en-
tered the Mcmahon yard with the de-
liberate intention of burglarizing it's
owner
The chief justifies this contention
by the following line of argument:
James and his companion, Donald Nc
Claim, were supposed to have been
down at Loudonville on fishing trip
and yet, they purchased their equip
ment at Brink Haven, which consist
ed merely of one pole-a significant
fact in the chiefs mind, Arriving
there, they repaired Immediately to
the water tower, right by the McMa-
hon home and stayed there all day un-
til midnight, no person seeing them
actually fishing. Again, IL James
worked for the Pennsylvania railroad,
he knew, from stopping at the water
tower, of the miserly habits of McMa-
hon and his tendency to keep all his
money in the house. Finally, ,McClain
disappeared as quickly as he could
after the shooting and all efforts to
locate him since have proved futile.
This mass of facts indicates pretty
strongly to Chief Parker that James
entered the yard with burglar
GUS intentions. This is borne out by
the statement Mcmahon has made
that, when he opened his front door,
on hearing q noise, an electric pocket
lamp was shining in his face. He
claims that he then and there shot
James.
There is not much doubt but that
Mcmahon was standing in an elevat'
ed spot when he pulled the trigger, as
the course of the bullet was down
ward in James body. This fact
seems to belle James statement that
Mcmahon rushed out in the yard and
shot him, as the course of the bullet
in that case would have been straight
The many sides of the case and its
pos sible outcome are, indeed, most in
tGresting.
Sheriff WooIison's Opinion
Sheriff Woolison returned Friday
night from Columbus where he attend
ed the autopsy in the James case. The
sheriff stated that full report of the
autopsy would be sent to Prosecuting
Attorney Cromley.
The sheriff is of the opinion tha
the grand jury will be unable to in
dict Thomas Mcmahon on any charge
There were no witnesses to the shoot
ing. Mcmahon claims that James
came on his property and to his doc
and that he was protecting himsel
against the intruder when he fired thu
shot. The sheriff believes that McMa
v hon viii be placed under bond at hi
hearing before the mayor next weel
and that he will be allowed to returl
TO his home near Brink Haven.
While at Columbus Sheriff Woollso