Hopkinsville Kentuckian

A. HAYDON ARRESTED
Many Witnesses Corroborate Haydon's Statement That He Shot In the Air.

A young negro about 17 or 18 years old named John Coleman was fatally shot at the park Friday night about 9 o'clock and died Saturday morning about 10 o'clock. He was shot in the back near the right kidney and the ball came out an inch above the navel.

Several negroes climbed upon the plank fence about sixty feet west of the gate and the two top planks, nailed sideways, were broken off and two of the negroes jumped or fell inside the park. They started running through the crowd in different directions. Officer Ricketts pursued and soon captured one of them, Wm. Wright, who was subsequently locked up and given a fine of $5 for disorderly conduct.

The other one, John Coleman, ran across the east end of the park pursued by several parties. Officer Amos Haydon joined in the chase, calling to Coleman to stop. As he continued to run the officer drew his pistol and fired into the air to frighten him into stopping. Coleman continued to run and following the second shot of the officer, some unknown person fired one shot -some say two- from a different range and Coleman fell near the "Maude" tent with a bullet in his back.

Thinking he had stumbled and fallen Haydon ran to him and ordered him to get up. Coleman said he was shot. Haydon replied, "Get up, you are not hit. I shot into the air." He was helped up and two officers assisted him to walk to the gate, where he was taken in a buggy to police headquarters. Drs. Harned, Woodard and Jackson were speedily summoned and as soon as his wound was dressed he was placed on a mattress and taken to the home of his father, John Coleman, Sr., on Second street. It was apparent that the wound was fatal.

Coleman made an ante-mortem statement to the effect that Officer Haydon shot him. This was taken by Judge Polk Cansler and after Coleman's death his father got out a warrant charging the officer with "willful murder."

Learning of the warrant Mr. Haydon hunted up the sheriff and surrendered. At 1:30 o'clock Judge Breathitt heard the case and said he would fix bail at $2,500, as the killing of another by an officer in the discharge of his duty could be no offense greater than manslaughter. Mr. Haydon waived examination, as the grand jury was near at hand, and gave bond with his brother, Herbert Haydon, and L. L. Leavell as his sureties.

Judge Breathitt suggested that it would not be proper for Mr. Haydon to act as an officer pending the investigation and his duties Saturday were performed by a substitute.

There is no reasonable doubt that Coleman was shot by some other person than the officer. Numerous witnesses saw Haydon shoot upward and several saw the other man shoot straight out. He was dressed in dark clothes, but no witness so far has been found who knew him. A number of people were pursuing the negro and hundreds saw the tragedy. The carnival management paid the expenses of the dead man's funeral.

The coroner, J. L. Allensworth, held an inquest and returned a verdict that Coleman came to his death from a ball fired from a 44-calibre pistol in the hands of Officer Amos Haydon. The jury was Clark. The shooting was held to be "unjustifiable." The verdict was based upon the testimony of Homer Southern, col., that he saw Haydon fire three shots, the first over the man's head and that Coleman fell at the second shot. J. C. Hornberger, a painter, said he saw Haydon fire two shots and saw Coleman fall.

The latter's dying statement was: "I climbed over the fence last night at the park. Was pursued by several officers. Officer Amos Haydon was in front and shot me."

Coroner Allensworth asks the publication of this card:

Grand Jury Takes Case. The grand jury empaneled yesterday will at once investigate the case. Officer Haydon is under bond and will resume his duties whenever he wishes to do so. He will be able to show by the testimony of 15 or 20 eye witnesses that the two shots he fired were both in the air. Three or four witnesses will also state that they saw another man shoot the flash from his pistol being on a level. It is very doubtful if the grand jury can find evidence to warrant an indictment against the officer.