The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1917-01-19
ENUMERATED BY
CORONER'S JURY
Killing at Danville of Q. & c. Engi-
neer BY Another Proves
Case of Self Defense

| WY nsAiihS VI waiter Jones, eXOner-
lated Lawhorn as it developed that
Lawhorn killed Jones without seeing
him. When Lawhorn appeared at the
front door, Jones stepped through
the dining room into the kitchen,
which was dark. Lawhorn started for
the kitchen for a drink of water, not
Knowing Jones was in the house. AS
Lawhorn reached the kitchen door,
Jones is said to have told him to
stand back, and then fired. Lawhorn
fired five shots, all of which hit Jones,
% was ascertained by the jury. Law
horn. did not know that he had even
Init Jones until neighbors came in
and a light was turned on in the
kitchen. The body of Jones was taken
to Somerset for burial. Lawhorn is
in. the Danville hopital and will re-
cover. The verdict of the coroner's
Ijury was that Lawhorn killed Jones
and that he acted in self-defense.
In its story of the killing the Dan
iville Advocate said:
Mr.. and Mrs. Lawhorn had not
been living together; Mrs. Lawhorn
had been holding a position in Nor
wood, Ohio, which Mr.. Jones assist
ed her in getting. She heard her lit
tie girl was sick and returned to
Danyille, going to the home of Mr..
and Mrs. Jones' on Soth bird street.
Mr.. Hawthorn agreed to rent a house
fQEShsr and their children and to
support them but would not live with
Them. He had room in st Mildred's
Court. He often visited his children.
He arrived at the depot from his run
Shortly before seven o'clock last night.
IA hackman was there and before GO
|1ng,to his room he thought he would
(drlxe out and see his children. He
drove to High street, got out of the
vehicle and went into the house and
asked for his children. His little girl
was there but the little boy was play
ing with Soma children at the home
of a saeis ybor.
lHksaM MIS- Daws orn nc w.nsed q.
drink and started back to the Kitchen
where the water was. The kitchen
was dark. There was only one light in
the house and that was in the front
room and the dining room was be-
tween the front room and the kitch-
en-.
Lawhorn started into the dark
kitchen. When he got to the kitchen
door, according to his statements to
Chief of Police Thurmond as testified
to before the Coroner's jury, some
one cursed him and fired shot at
him. Lawhorn fired toward where the
flash appeared and never saw Jones
until after he was killed. However, he
said that he recognized Jones' voice
when he spoke
Jones staggered over to a basket in
he died. Mrs. Lawhorn stated on the
witness stand that she went to him
and lifted up his head and asked him
if he was dead and that he never
spoke. He was dying. He had shot
Lawhorn in both arms and in the
back. Lawhorn had shot Jones under
the left arm, near the heart, in the
hand and in the side and one bullet
just grazed one side.
Mrs. Lawhorn said the shooting be-
gan at the same time and that she
never knew which fired the first shot;
that she heard some talking but did
not know which was doing the talk
ing nor what either said. She was
terribly frightened.
She said Jones came to the house
late in the afternoon and that she
thought it was about 6 o'clock. How
ever, it was after seven.
Mrs. Lawhorn said that she knew
that Jones frequently carried a gun
but that she did not know that he
was armed that might. She said he
had a quart bottle with small
amount of whisky in it. Chief Thur
mond took the bottle out of his peck
ct and it was on exhibition at the
Coroner's inquest. Mrs. Lawhorn said
that as Mr.. Lawhorn came to the
door Mr. Jones stepped back in the
kitchen where it was dark. According
to the best information, Mr.. Lawhorn
did not know that Mr.. Jones was
there as he had just gotten in from
his run to Oakdale, Tennessee.
1t was stated to the coroner's jury
that Jones and Lawhorn had been at
outs for more than a year.
Mrs. Lawhorn said that she meet
Mr.. Lawhorn in hospital at Somer-
set. He was i'll and she was trained
nurse in the hospital
1t will be remembered that one of
their little girls was burned to death
about two years ago at their home,
corner Second and Broadway.
Mr.. Lawhorn is a native of Rugby
Road, Tennessee, but had been living