Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-01-24
WOMAN KILLED
BY own HAND,
JURY LEARNS
Negress Had Threatened Sui
eide; Leaped Out of Bed
and Seized Gun.

4 verdict returned by coroners
jury Monday night at the inquest held
over the body Of Mrs. Julia Conley.
colored. who was killed by a bullet
fired from 45 Colts revolver late
Saturday night in her home at 1916
Seventh avenue south, was in effect
that Mrs. Conley came to her death
from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
but failed to state whether the bullet
was fired accidentally or Intentionally
The inquest was conducted by DIR. l..
r. McBurney, county coroner.
Charles HI. Conley, also colored hus-
band of the woman who was killed, held
by the police pending the outcome Of
the inquest. was ordered released by
County Attorney w. J. Tighe follow
ing the reading Of the jury verdict.
Sister Testifies
Testimony of Conley and Mrs. Alice
Walker, sister Of Mrs. Conley, tended
to show that Mrs. Conley committed
suicide Mrs. Walker told the jury
that her sister had long been of NOR
bid disposition and had many times
threatened to kill herself. She also
said that Mrs. Conley's son. George.
aged II, had told her that Conley had
twice last WEEK ldhtu d IcSUlttE 1EOiB
his wife to prevent her shooting her
self She took the witness stand vol
unfairly to make these statements to
the jury in order to clear Conley of
any suspicion in connection with Mrs
ConIey's death, she said.
DR.. McBurney testified that he had
performed an autopsy of the body OF
Mrs Conley following the shooting and
said that the bullet had entered her
body Just above the breast bone. had
severed the jugular vein and left the
body above the left shoulder.
Bullet Fell on Bed
1t was brought out through the
testimony of J. J. Egan, police patrol
driver. that the bullet after leaving the
woman's body had pentrated a door
jam leading into an adjoining bedroom.
rebounded from the ceiling in that
room and dropped into the bed where
Mrs. Conley's two little boys were
sleeping. The bullet, a steel jacketed
army issue type, was scarcely denied.
It had spent it's force and dropped on
the bed without pentrating the covers
Egan said.
Conley's testimony revealed that his
wife took her life Immediately follow
ing an alteration between them re-
lCtltt NHiLu HIS SlSltE hdb
written him. They were lying in bed
discussing the letter, he said, and his
wife decided to get up and read it.
She turned on the light, got the letter
and got back in bed to read it, Conley
told the jury. She took issue with his
sister in regard to certain clause in
the letter. He maintained that his
sister had a right to write anything
she pleased to him, he said.
Took Gun from Grip
Mrs Conley appeared to be very
angry and jumped out of bed and ran
to his grip and grabbed his revolver
which he carries in his capacity as
railway mail clerk. He jumped out
of bed after her, he said. but she ran
into the other room. He followed and
caught up with her just in time to
catch her as she reeled from the in
pact of the shot. which she fired while
running into the room, Conley said.
He laid her on the floor and ran out
to neighbours to get them to call
doctor. She was dead when he returned
Conley told DR.. McBurney and the
police just after the shooting that his
wife had shot herself accidentally while
looking at the revolver. This state
ment was made in order to ease the
mind of Mrs. Conley's mother in
regard to the affair, he told the cor
oner's jury Monday night.