May 3, 1895 - Hopkinsville Kentuckian SHOT BY GORDON IN AN ASSIGNATION HOUSE Details of the Bloody and Sensational Affair at Louisville BROWN'S BODY BURIED AT HENDERSON Tuesday afternoon about 12:30 o'clock FULTON GORDON shot and killed his wife and ARCH DIXON BROWN. The tragedy occurred at the disruptable resort of LUCY SMITH a colored woman at 1025 West Madison street , Louisville. ARCH DIXON BROWN was the oldest son of the Governor of the State and was employed at Frankfort as his father's private secretary. MRS. GORDON was MISS NELLIS BUSH before her marriage. Her mother MRS. NANNIE BUSH, was for many years State Librarian. MR SAM STONE BUSH, of Louisville was MRS. GORDON'S brother and MRS. GEORGE BERRY, of Frankfort her sister. FULTON GORDON was some years clerk at the Galt House and later manager of the Kenyon Hotel at Frankfort. He is now manager of the Merchants Advice. Gordon left the house immediately after the tragedy, but was arrested and taken to jail where he became completely prostrated from excitement and nervous strain. An inquest was held by the Coroner late Tuesday afternoon and after hearing the evidence the jury brought in a verdict of justifiable homicide. STORY OF THE TRAGEDY Brown and Mrs. Gordon arrived at Lucy Smith's house 102 West Madison street just after the clock had struck 11. Mattie Mattingly, colored, was in charge as Lucy Smith the proprietress of the house was away. The Mattingly woman says she was well acquainted with the pair for they had been to the house every Saturday for the past five weeks with the exception of the last Saturday. Half an hour lateror at 11:30 o'clock a man who proved to be Gordon rung the door bell and I answered the doorbell myself, said Mattie Mattingly. The man says" I want to engage two rooms. I have a friend who will be here shortly. Gordon at that time paid for the rooms. I took him into the front room, the parlor on the first floor, west side, said the Mattingly woman. He opened the door leading into the back parlor and said that his friend would take that room. He then took off his coat, hat and shoes and sat down on a chair near the door. He seemed nervous. Before I could go out he walked to all the doors leading from both the front and back parlor and bolted them. I did not think this strangge for most of the people who come here do that. The account of the terrible struggle in the room is given from the combined statements of Gordon himself, Mattie Mattingly and the house boy, George Wallace. The door leading to the room from the little hall at the top of the steps wa snot locked. Gordon had only to turn the knob and push the door wide open. As Gordon opened the door he drew his revolver, a 32 caliber of Hopkins & Allen pattern. The coupls sprang up to a sitting position in bed; as Gordon fired point blank at Brown, the latter rolled toward the far side of the bed. He rolled out of the bed and tumbled down into a narrow space between the bed and the front wall of the house. The first bullet passed into the muscle of his left arm crushing the bone a point of which protruded from the flesh. He hardly struck the floor before he was on his feet again, and made a dash for his revolver, which lay beside his cuffs on the dresser in the farterest southwest corner. As soon as his head showed above the bed again Gordon continued firing... ------He ran toward the ----- grabbed a pitcher with his other hand. With his right hand--- remaining four shot into Brown's body. (this is very illegible) In the meantime Brown had received his pistol and turning upon his assasin he began firing. He only fired two shots at Gordon for the latter was close upon him. He tossed his empty pistol upon the floor and with his disengaged hand grabbed Brown's right hand which held the other smoking pistol and at the same time dealt Brown a terrible blow over the head with the beer pitcher smashing the piece of china into small pieces. As the blow fell upon brown's head he loosed his grasp on his pistol and gordon had jerked it out of his hand. The with Browns own pistol Gordon aimed at his breast and fired. The ball passed into Brown's heart and he sank in the corner by the dresser dead. Mrs. Gordon sprang at her husband's back just as he gave Brown the shot which finished him. With tooth and nail and small fists she fought madly. The Gordon turned upon his wife. Two charges were yet in Brown's pistol which he held in his hand. He threw his wife from him fired at her bared breast. The ball entered above her left ----- and she fell over against the door leading to the stair way. The blood spurted from the wound and was smeared on the inner part of the door of the room. Though she received a mortal wound the woman succeeded in putting the door open and stumbling out and started down the steps running. Gordon ran to the door and fired another shot at the woman between the rails of the bannister. The bullet did not strike the woman. She ran on downt he steps and across the narrow hall and into the front parlor . She rushed to the door leading to the back parlor finding it bolted in the hall by her husband. Though a bullet that passed from a thirty calibre Smith & Wesson revolver --- her breast and entered through her body she was able to unbolt the door, open if and run out through the dining room and kitchen. As she ran out the kitchen door and started toward the rear yard she dropped to her knees on a little wooden porch at the side of the kitchen. She tried to rise but threw her hands out in front of her and fell at full length dead. Coroner Hood was summoned. He found the woman lying on the porch at the side of the kitchen, whwere she had first fallen. Coroner Hood found ARchie Brown's body just as it had fallen in the room up stairs. It was in a stooping position almost without any clothing. The head rested agains the side of the dresser. There were seven wounds in Brown's body. One was two inches above the right nipple. another was four inches below the right nipple. another to the left and near the bottom of the breat bone. One bullet passed through the fleshy part of the left arm, another through the upper portion of the arm near the shoulder. This bullet broke the one, part of which protruded through the flesh. Another bullet entered the right thigh. The top of the ear was clipped off also. (Continued) Betty - Trigg Co KyGenWeb - http://www.comsource.net/~kyseeker/kylines/kytg.html Christian Co KyGenWeb - http://www.rootsweb.com/~kychrist/christian4.htm WKy Families Database - http://www.dynasty.net/biz/kyseeker/public_html/wky/surnames.html * *****County Queries, Biographies and Surnames always welcome on the KyGenWeb County Pages!*****