Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-08-01 | Page 1 | Child Killed as Boy Twirls 'Unloaded' Gun

CHILD dub KILLED AS BOY TWIRLS TWIRLS' UNLOADED GUN Bullet Strikes Girl Girlin in inSide Side Police Detain De Dc- tam tain L Lad LadA d dA A year old girl a year 17 old youth and a gun spelled death Saturday an and l brought t tragedy to two Salt Lake City families Robin Adnire Adaire Paulson 9 daughter daugh daugh- ter of Mrs Irs Louise Louise Paulson East First South street was wan shot and killed at 1050 a. a m. m while she played in the bac back yard of a boarding house hOWle at East First South street Youth Detained Police booked Gordon Ashby 17 son of Mr and Mrs H. H E. E Ashby East First South street t at the city jail for investigation while they conferred with the county a attorneys attorney's attorneys attorney's torney's tor- tor ney's office Ashby admitted they said he fired the fatal shot As Detective Chester R. R Colborn and Patrolman John Allen AlIen reconstructed reconstructed reconstructed recon recon- the shooting from stories of ot witnesses Robin Adaire was playing wit with a puppy on the rear steps of the boarding house Gordon has a shack about 40 O feet from the back porch He was standIng stand standing ing in the doorway doorway- twirling a a caliber revolver around a finger of his right hand when it was discharged discharged discharged dis dis- dis- dis charged h he said r Struck l l In i Side SIder The bullet struck Robin Adaire dalr In tn her right side below the ribs ranged upward through her stomach lungs and heart and lodged beneath th the flesh just over the heart The child screamed and ran around the corner of the h house ue 63 feet up an art alley beside the house and collapsed not far from the side side- walk Mrs As Ashby y heard t the e shot and screams and ran after her A passing motorist took Robin Adaire to the emergency hospital hospit l. l Sergeant William Beckman of Fort Douglas carried her inside and the girl died in his arms as he entered the operating room l Io Mother her Collapses Mrs rs Paulson collapsed She said her husband had died two years ago Mrs Paulson's mother Mrs Sarah Edwards is confined to the small Paulson apartment under care of ot ofa ofa ota a nurse She suffered a heart attack attack attack at at- tack several weeks ago Two Two Two-ey eyewitnesses itne ses to the shooting Frank Carthey Cartney 11 son of ot Mr and Mrs J J. J F. F Carthey East First South street and Arthur McArthur 12 son of Mr and Mrs D. D D. D McArthur McArthur Mc Mc- Arthur Arthur 1325 Browning avenue told their stories to police We Ve were playing with th the gun gunIn gunIn gunIn In the shack they said saidI I 1 was standing by Gordon Arthur Arthur Arthur Ar Ar- thur related when he took it from Frank He Ha started twirling it il around in his fingers and it went ent off Child Falls Robin was sitting on the rear steps of the house playing pl ying with R Robin bin yelled She ran through the driveway and Mrs Ashby Ashby Ash Ash- by ran at after her and she fell at the thc front of ot the ilie house After conferring with J. J Allen rHe ty county attorney young Was booked to Detec- Detec ct on Pane Pale Two wo I Column Column Seven Beven r In S S. S L. L Tragedy a edY 1 fr i 1 j Gordon Ashby i held for r I investigation UNLOADED GUN KILLS S S. S L l. GIRL I Continued from Page One tive tivo H. H K Record and Patrolman I C. C T. T Smith for investigation anc and I Iwas was lodged in the city jail Pending Decision I I Police said they would hold Ashby r pending decision of the county attorneys attorney's attorneys attorney's at at- attorneys torney's office and the juvenile court The officers were somewhat t puzzled by the course of the bullet t through Robin Adaire's body Gordon said I 1 had the gun II in ri rimy my hand when I heard the little dog doi yelp elp and I turned around to se see e what he was yelping for and I it t went off oCt I didn't know it was wa S SI I loaded oa ded Robin Adaire was a light brown S haired blue eyed youngster She C was clad in a gaily colored striped 1 dress of ot gray red and green She did not lose consciousness fo for some time Her last gasp came came a. a as she was being carried into the emergency emergency emer emer- gency gooey hospital operating room hc her r mother by her side Mrs Paulson collapsed collapse and was carried screaming scream scream- screaming ing into an adjoining room where when e she wa was placed on a bed as physicians physicians clans announced her daughter dead Robin Adaire was an only child