The Marlin Democrat

March 25, 1908

ACCIDENT CAUSES DEATH

     On Sunday noon King Scruggs, colored, aged 17 years, was fatally wounded by a charge of shot received in the abdomen from a shot gun in the hands of an youthful negro, whose name was not learned, dying at midnight Monday at the Armada hotel, conducted by John Graves, colored in this city, where he was brought for medical attention. The shooting, it appears, was purely accidental, and occurred at the of the dead negro on W. J. Finks farm west of the river. The Scruggs boy and his unknown companion were doing more or less frolicking stunts when the gun, which was in the hands of the unknown negro, was in some unaccountable manner discharged, the load tearing, gapping wound in the body of the Scruggs boy through which his life ebbed away. He was brought to Marlin on Monday, but was more dead then alive when he reached here. The body was prepared for burial this morning and shortly after noon was started back to his home, where the funeral will occur. So far, no inquest has been held and if any investigation is made of the occurrence, it will be at the scene of the accident