Mexico weekly ledger., 1917-01-18
SOLOMON FOX KILLS A. R.
.CRITCHFIELO TUES. NIGHT
Eighty-Year Old Man Kills Sixty
Three Year Old NeighbOr-.
Charges Tresspassing.
FOUR SHOTS FIRED IN ALL
Two Took Effect and Dead Man
Ran Fifty Yards Before Death
Halted His Escape.

Solomon Fox, eighty years old, shot
and killed A. R. Critchfield, sixty
three years old, shortly before nine
O'Clock Tuesday evening. The shoot
ing occurred in the rear of the Fox
home on West Jackson street, in the
same block with the North Central
School. Fox, when placed under ar
rest, confessed the killing and gave
as his reason that Critchfield was
tresspassing.
Shortly before nine o'clock Mrs.
Fox met Officers Wallace and San
ford, downtown, and said her hus-
band had shot man. They accompa-
MED her home and upon entering the
house found Fox waiting calmly for
their arrival. He said he had killed
Critchfield because he was tresspass-
ing and unlocking trunk gave the
officers a 32-callibre revolver with
which he said the shooting was
done.
Fox discovered Critchfield, accord
ing to his story, in woodshed in his
backyard. He fired four shots and all
but two took effect. Critchfield, who
has been staying at John Burgess
home, block distant, on the corner
of Olive and Monroe streets, was
found dead in a pool of blood on the
Monroe street side of the school play
ground. Evidently, after being
wounded, he had attempted to escape
and return to his room, but death
overlook him.
Fox is a former soldier in the Union
Army and relies upon his pension for
a living. Critchfield was employed
at the A. P. Green Brick Plant. The
latter is said to have a family at
Hallsville, Boone county. He came
to this city last October.
The Coroner's Inquest.
Coroner R. W. Berrey held the in
quest over the body of Critchfield
wednesday morning at 1000 in the
Roberts undertaking establishment.
The following jury heard the testi-
mony: M. T. Vandegrift, H. E. C.
Tucker, Ran Kendall, Norton Nelson,
DR.. A. c White and o. E. Bonsall.
The jury returned the following
verdict:
"We, the jury, find from the evil
dence that the body now lying before
US is that of A. R. Critchfield, and
that he came to his death on January
16, 1917, at Mexico, Mo-, as the re-
suit of gun-shot, fired from a re-
volving pistol held by Solomon Fox,
with intent and purpose of shooting
said A. r. Critchfield."
Mrs. Fox told what she could Of
the shooting. She is quite leaf and
it was rather hard for her to under
stand the questions. Mr.. Fox was
the principal witness. He said when
his wife left the house and did not
return, he arose from his bed where
he had been i'll, dressed, and taking
his gun, went to the backyard.
He heard voices in the wood shed
and, upon opening the door, struck a
match to see who was there. He
states his wife jumped between him
and the nan, who was in the shed
and whose name he did not know.
To frighten the man, Mr.. Fox said,
he fired into the air.
Crtitchfield then ran through the
door past him, according to his story,
and as he went over the rear fence
Fox said he shot again. Fox stated
he shot third time when the blurred
figure of the escaping intruder was
about forty feet distant. At this shot
he saw Critchfield stumble. He fired
once more and then entered the house
without seeing Critchfield fall. Both
shots took effect in the back.
Fox identified the revolver with
which he shot. He said he had not
fired it for five years and then to kill
rabbit at forty yards. Fox will be
eighty years old in September. He
said he did not shoot to kill, but only
desired to wound the man. Mrs. Fox
is as years old.