The Daily Dispatch: October 22, 1864., [Electronic resource]

---

---

Murder.

--About half-past 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, a small white boy, about eight years old, named James G. Brooks, was shot by William Bohannon, of this city, sometimes employed on guard duty at the Seabrook Hospital. It appears that the little fellow was in the back-yard of his mother's residence, living on Broad street, in rear of the hospital, and getting upon the fence overlooking the hospital yard, Bohannon hallooed to him to get down or he would blow his brains out. Suiting the action to the words, he levelled his musket and fired, striking him in the centre of the forehead and taking the upper part of his head off. Young Brooks fell back into his mother's yard a lifeless corpse, when his brains, in one solid mass, rolled out of his skull upon the ground.

Bohannon was not on guard at the time of the occurrence, but was standing by his musket, which he had just put down. It is positively against the rules for the guard at the prison to carry loaded guns, and why Bohannon's was charged, remains unexplained.

Officer Granger, soon after the deed was committed, pursued and arrested Bohannon, and locked him up in the lower station-house for safekeeping till this morning, when he will be brought before the Mayor to answer the offence. When first arrested he denied the charge, but afterwards confessed it, and stated that it was an accident.

An inquest was hold last evening over the body, but owing to the lateness of the hour at which it assembled, we have not been apprised of the verdict of the jury.