The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-10-26
Neoro Meets Death On Farm in
Des Moines Valley Yester-
day After Trouble With
Trespasser.
coRONER'S JURY REPORT
Body Unable to Name Man
Who Held Gun James
Ayres Tells Of Attack
Made on Him.

WIN 44V4S4 ~ OAx " C3A4AOo
Ayres Tells of Attack
Made on Him.
coioHER'S JURY VERDICT.
That William Ross came to his
d.ath from a gun shot wound and we
are unable to say who fired the shot.
B. o. MINER
WALTER SPALDING
EDWARD HUSTON
IN effect, this decision releases
James Ayres and the case will be
dropped unless further evidence 10 in
troduced at some future time.
The coroner's jury reported in JUS
tice of the Peace Burrows office at
2:15 o'clock, after taking a recess at
noon for dinner.
william Ross, colored, was shot
and killed, supposedly accidentally,
Yesterday afternoon near his home in
the Des Moines valley.
According to the story in the pos
session of the authorities, doubled
barrel shot gun belonging to James
H. Ayres, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Peter
Ayres. Of 425 South Twelfth street.
which Ross had taken from young
Ayres and hit him with during an
argument concerning hunting on his
land. was accidentally discharged
while in Ross" own hands, the load OF
one barrel entering his breast.
An ugly wound was made by the
shot and death was probably in
stantaneous Ross staggered about
seven PAGES from the spot where the
accident occurred and then fell face
downward on the ground.
Notified the Police.
Mr.. Ayres first ran to Ross home
! and told the dead mans wife of the
accident and then went to the nearest
| telephone and notified the police.
Officer William Wilson went down in
| an automobile with DR.. F. B. Dorsey,
Jr. The young man met them at the
Des Moines bridge and took them to
the body Life was extinct.
After Coroner Burrows had been
called, the body was taken to J. J..
Crimmins & Sons. Ayres was placed
under arrest and brought up to the
police station where he spent the
night
Story Of Accident.
According TO the story Mr.. &yres
told the police, the shooting was an
accidental one, the gun being IN
Ross hands at the time. Ayres stated
that he was hunting yesterday after
noon in the Des Moines valley. be-
tween the bridge and the Hilton
road.
He said that he had gotten on
Ross land and that the man had
come up to him and ordered him off,
saying that he did not want hunting
there.
Ayres said that he crossed couple
Of fences then and thought that he
was clear OF Ross farm and free to
hunt again. A rabbit ran across his
path and he fired at it.,
This attracted Ross and he is said
to have run up to the young man,
swearing at him. Ayres told the po-
lice that Ross hit him over the right
eye with his fist, knocking him down.
Was Hit With Cur.
The blow dazed him and the gun
fell from his grasp. The young man
got up, but Ross picked up the gun
by the barrel and using the stock as
club, struck Ayres on the shoulder,
according to the story.
The barrel was towards Ross and
the impact OF the stock. which was
splintered, on the young man
shoulder, discharged one Of the bar
rels, the load entering Ross breast.
He dropped the weapon and stag
gered for several PAGES. blood squirt
ing from his wound, and then drop
ped face downward on the ground.
Mr.. Ayres then ran to Ross house
and told the mans wife Of the acct.
dent. But she was sick in bed and
could do nothing. He went out OF
the house and hailed a passing team
driven by man named Spalding, and
was taken to nearby place where
there was a telephone. Here he call
ed the police station, notifying the
authorities of the accident.
Ayres Has Injuries.
The young man has bad cut over
his right eye, where he says Ross hit
him, and both of his shoulders are
bruised, bearing out the story of the
attack. His eye was dressed by DR.
Dorsey.
The stock of the gun was splintered
and broken and was found where II
mad been dropped. Both shells had
FALLEN out Of the gun. One had been
discharged.
Punctured Aorta.
. The load entered Ross left breast
between the third and fourth rib and
ranged to the left and upward, but re
NAMED in the body. The heart was
not touched but the arch of the aorts
was punctured. causing excessive
bleeding. A hole about the size Of 8
uollar was made in the mans breast
The load first struck Ross arm anc
after tearing the flesh away near the