Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1904 — Shooting Affair This Time. [ARTICLE]

Shooting Affair This Time.

A Jealous Youth Shoots Sweetheart In The Leg. Another sensational affair, nn band oonoert night, took plaoe, last Thursday about 9:30 p. m. Joe Francis, a young man of about 20, living with bis father J. C. Francis 4 or 5 miles southwest of town, came to the oonoert with Miss Bessie Umphress, a Rensselaer youDg lady, with whom he had been keeping company for some time past. The young fellow as reported by acquaintances who were with them some of the time, was in a bad humor all the evening, and finally got into a quarrel with the girl, charging her with having gone with another young man, the night before. This she denied, but he insisted she had and she told him to have it that way if he wanted to. He then demanded his presents baok whioh she handed to him. She had in hei possession a revolver belonging to him, whioh she says she had insisted on taking from him, earlier in the evening, for fear he would do harm with it. The one cartridge he had she oarried wrapped in her handkerchief, At the time she was sitting on the stone ooping of the court house yard, dose to the walk whioh leads to the east court house door. She says he took the revolver and cartridge away from her put. the cartridge in plaoe, and holding the weapon low down fired.

Tbe bullet made a long grazing wound on the oalf ot her right leg, (Jutting the akin part of the distance and burning it the rest of the way.. It then struck the coping and bounding baok, hit her leg again, making only a bruised plaoe. The girl jumped up and ran eoreaming up the walk towards the court house, and Francis in dose pursuit. He overtook Her near the court house, and threw his arms around her. and Tom Owens the bus driver, who happened to be near, thought be tried to put his hand over her mouth. Owens yelled at the young fellow and demanded if he was tr>ing to kill the girl, and he then left her and hiked out. The girl was terribly frightened, and Tom says the sound of the pistol, like unto a young oanuon, together with the fleeing and screaming girl, and the fiercely pursuing man behind her was a combination that made his own hat raise off from his head. Young Francis’s story is that she handed him the pistol already loaded, and that it accidentally dropped and was discharged by striking tbe walk. The direotion of the wound, the faot that the revolver has a eafety look, with the hammer always at half-oook and cant be fired except by a steady pull on the trigger; together with the further faot that after the ■hooting the revolver was found out in the middle of the street, by Constable Viok, all tend to disprove his story. Right after the shooting Franois got his borse and buggy and left for home; while Miss Umphress was taken to Dr. Johnson’s office, and had her wound dressed. It is a very slight injury and very unlikely to oause her serious trouble. A severe attack of nervousness however followed the shooting, Later in the night Bqnire Troxell issued a warrant for Franois’ arrest, and Officers Yiok and Abbott went out and brought the young man in. The revolver is a 32 caliber; and the bynllet that did the work was found beside the coping, next

morning, by Constable Vico, as well as the nick in the ooping where it struok. Young Franois belongs to an exoellent family, and has always himsslf borne a good reputation, for a quiet and well behaved vonug man, The young lady also belongs to an exoellent family.