Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-05-28
GIRL.
MISTAKEN FOR
BURGLAR; SLAIN
Leonard Tells Jury of Tragedy
Caused by His Locking
Door to Bathroom

ATLANTA, May 25.-A coro-
ner's jury, assembled in the tiny
bedroom where shot fired by L.
f. Leonard Monday morning
took the life of Miss Grace
Bowles, 19-year-old girl. Monday
afternoon returned a verdict of
justi6able homicide after an in
quest in which Leonard, Mrs.
Leonard and others explained
how the girl had come to be mis-
taken for a burglar and shot.
Preliminary hearings against
Leonard, who had been held on
a blanket charge of dlsorderly
conduct, were dispensed with and
all charges against him were dis
missed.
The girl was in the Leonard room
tiptoeing her way to the bath
room, when Leonard, mistaking her
for a burglar, fired one shot from
45-caliber revolver. The shot severed
the girls left jugular vein and she
died almost at once, according to evil
dence given at the inquest.
Tell of Tragedy
Explanations offered by Leonard,
Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Horton and Mrs,
S M Chunn, roommate and lifelong
friend of the girl. who testified at the
investigation. were based on the pre-
sumption that the girl had started to
the bathroom shared by the second
floor boarders, found the hall door
way locked, and had tiptoed through
the unlocked door of the Leonards'
room in order to enter the bathroom
through door in the Lenards' apart
ment
Locked Door
The bathroom door leading into
the hallway, which all the boarders
except the Leonards are accustomed
to use, was found locked Monday
morning.
Before retiring, Leonard had bath
ed and during his ablutions had lock-
ed the door that led from the bath in
to Miss Bowles' room. When he had
finished his bath, he neglected to I'M
lock the door.
Then when Miss Bowles awoke she
found her way barred She knew that
the only other entrance to the bath
was through the Leonards' room.
1t was her evident desire to keep
from disturbing Leonard and his wife
as they slept.
In this desire, she tiptoed into the
hall and then quietly turned the knob
of Leonard's door and entered.
Mrs. Leonard heard the door click.
There has been al epidemic of bur-
glaries in the neighborhood. Leonard
was armed against such intrusion.
His wife GREATNESS, awakened him
quietly "There is a burglar in the
room,' she whispered. and Leonard's
hand went under the pillow for his
revolver.
The figure moved stealthi1y from
the door toward the bed. Leonard held
his fire 1t moved completely around
the bed, passed the foot and then
halted.
Then Leonard's pistol barked.
The shadowy form sank to the
floor.
Then silence.
Hears Means
Leonard feared a ruse. He was
loathe to make light.
He turned on the light and then be-
held his fellow boarder, gasping and
bleeding on the floor.
AS he dashed out to telephone for
doctors and an ambulance, his wife
tenderly gave the girl what aid she
could
Her husband had fired but once.
but the bullet had sped true. 1t had
struck the girl in the neck and severed
herd jugrlar vein.
Mrs. Leonard says that Miss
Bowles attempted to speak but died
before her words became ineligible.
The story of the events of the ira
gic morning was repeated almost
without variation by the Leonards,
Mrs. Norton and Mrs. Chunn, who
was awakened by the shot and who
hurried to the assistance of her friend.
Lieutenant T. o Sturdivant and J K
Banke. of H M Patterson & Son, de-