The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent., 1922-01-20
Fatal Shooting
At Gillette, Wyo.
Gillette, Wyo., Record.)

+
(Gillette, Wyo., Record.)
Grover H. Goodman came tc his
death an January 9th, 1922. by q gun
shot wound inflicted by accident"
Signed by Thos. K. Cassidy, z, o. Lo-
gan and Bert L. Harrod.
The above Is the verdict of the cor
oner's jury. convened by Coroner Jas
per Brown to investigate the death of
Grover Goodman, and the verdict ap-
parently meets. with general approval.
A crowd of interested spectators was
present at the examination # Wit
nesses at the hearing Tuesday after.
llOon.
The first session Of the coroner's in
quest was held Monday evening at the
office of the county attorney. Mrs.
Grover Goodman was then placed on
the stand and asked to tell the story Of
the death of her husband.
She testified that the last time she
had seen her husband alive was the
night before his death. There had
been quarrel, but had slept in
cave where they have a bed which is
sometimes used for an extra bed and
for men who work for them.
Monday morning he came to the
house and started the fire. Mrs. Good
man was still in bed. She knew her
husband was in the room and that he
had built the fire. She has one good
ear. and one with which she doesn't
hear well, and she was lying on the
good ear, and had paid little attention
TO what was going on. She heard the
report of gun. and got up. She ex-
claimed. "Grover, what in the world
have you done??" and he answered I'm
killed, accidentally. The gun fell out
It my pocket"
She testified that she and her hus-
band quarreled occasionally, that on
occasions he had struck her. and that
she had struck back They had quar-
relied the night before over plans for a
house, that he thought she was hold
ing back something. that he became
"peeved." that he was very hot-tem-
pered. and that about 8 o'clock he had
taken the lantern and gone out. pre-
sEmably to the cave. where he spent
the night.
The witness said that her husband
had never threatened TO take his life
He had said, following one of their
auarrels. that he had told her that
when they quarreled he felt like kill
ing. but did not say that he felt like
killing anyone o- anything. She testi-
fed that he was "sort of suspicicus;'
that he had a disposition to be that
way he could not control.
The last occasion when he had
struck her was few days ago. caused
by the attempt of her husband to burn
scme of her magazines. when she in
terfered. He did not hurt her, just
slapped her.
The inquest was convened Tues
day afternoon at the court house and
several witnesses We're examined in
cluding DR.. Hunter, DR.. OFarrell, DIR.
Setxon. Sheriff Hardy and Mr.. Marshall.
DIR. Hunter identified four X-ray pic
lures as having been taken in his Of
5ice of the body Of Grover Goodman.
rr. O'Farrell stated that he had as
sisted with a post mo:tem examination
of the body of Grover Goodman. and
that he had died CT an internal hem
crrhage caused by a bullet severing or
puncturing the abdominal aorta. He
| gave the exterior location of the wound
and the location of the bullet when
faund. The wound was slightly tc' the
right of the center of the abdomen
and the bullet had passed through the
l
muscles of the back at the edge of the
vertebrae, about an inch and halt
or two inches lower than the place CT
entranoe. He testified as to to the prob
able time that elapsed after the shoot
ing and before death came, judging b!
the exterior condition of the wound
and gave the opinion that six hours
Lad probably elapsed He also testi
fed that in his opinion a person Nigh
have been shot ir the way Mr.. Good
man was by a pistol dropped on tn
floor, but he would have tc' be stoop
inr over. bent nearly double.
DIR. Sections testimony was Yer
lsimilar to that of DIR. OFarrell. ex
lcept that what O'Farrcll had called
"scab" on the wound. Sexton though
was merely "aried blood Sheriff
Hardy exhibited the gun In question.
.32 calihre Savage automatic. and ties
tilted that he had eX1erimented wit
shells to see If the gun could be dis
charged with the hammer down an
; the safety "on,' as the gun was fount
lie had removed the bullet from a cart
ridge, lowered the hammer, put o
the safety. and hammered the hamme
with a blacksmith hammer, but the ca
would not go off. He mad then cooke
the gun and pulled The trigger an
the cap snapped. He exhibited the va
rious shells, and explained his exper
ments
= Grover Goodman was born -Augu.
rs. 1892. at ouitman, Ark. His wido'
was formerly Miss Elsie McCray
Gillette.
Deceased came to Campbell count
Wyo.. in 1914, and his brothers. E
: and Dave, came about the same tim
! He served in the world war. was sta
: toned at Camp Macarthur, Waco. Texa
? and was member Of Campbell Coul
g ty Post He was married to Miss E
! sic McCray Oct. 30, 1890. He has
!. homestead in Campbell county. but I
and his wife have been making the
home on Mrs. Goodman's homestea
: which Is about four miles west Ct al
!. l-tte, where his death occurred.
- The funeral was held in Gillette
January l: under auspices of the Al
crcan Legion.