Jackson County MI Archives News.....Sherwood Shooter Apprehended June 6, 1915
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Denise Abrams dabrams17@yahoo.com August 13, 2006, 10:49 am

Jackson Citizen Patriot June 6, 1915
Norman Davenport, aged 9 son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Davenport, 538 North 
Blackstone Street, shortly before noon, today confessed to Detectives Henry 
Decke and Benjamin Phelps, of the Michigan Central railroad, that he fired the 
shot which killed Mott E. Sherwood, master mechanic of the Michigan Central 
railroad, last Friday night at the fairgrounds.

The boy, a typical youngster of the street, clad in a pair of knee pants, 
stockings plentifully sprinkled with holes, a pair of shoes that are several 
times too large for him, a cap and frock coat, made a complete confession to 
the officers.

To a reporter for the Citizen Press he told the story of his visit to the park 
on Friday evening, and of all the circumstances which surrounded the shooting.  
The boy said that he purchased the rifle from a lad, whose name he does not 
know, Friday morning, he said, paying 25 cents at the time he made the 
bargain.  This money he asserts, he found in one of the tents of the carnival 
which visited Jackson last week, he promised to pay the boy the remainder 
later.  With the gun he acquired some loaded shells.

He was "trying out" the rifle when he shot Mr. Sherwood.  Contrary to the 
belief of the officers, the boy was alone in the grandstand at the time of the 
shooting.  He positively asserts that there was no other boys with him at the 
time.

He amused himself shooting from the grandstand at objects in different parts of 
the fairgrounds.  A number of shots were fired by him at the steel fence which 
surrounds the ball park.  He also used two or three passing automobiles as 
targets.

When the machine in which Mr. Sherwood was riding came along, the boy began 
shooting at it.  He says he was just shooting at the machine but was not aiming 
at any particular object on the car.  He smiled as he recalled Mr. Bush and Mr. 
Sherwood getting out of the car and investigating the cause of the noises which 
had been made by the discharge of the rifle.  He says he had no intention of 
injuring Mr. Sherwood, or anyone else.

Following the last shot, when Mr. Sherwood was killed, the boy came out of the 
grandstand, hid the gun in some bushes nearby, and went over to the 
automobile.  He stood around the place for a time and finally went home.  He 
did not take the gun with him.  He said that he did not know that he killed Mr. 
Sherwood until Saturday noon.  On Saturday he got the gun and showed it to his 
father, according to his story, and asked his father for 15 cents with which to 
purchase some more shells.  His father gave him the money he asserts.  He did 
not tell his father or anyone else about the incident, fearing the consequences.

Two police detectives visited the Davenport home Saturday and when they learned 
that the boy had a rifle they questioned him, but he denied that he was on the 
fairgrounds on Friday night or that he had fired the weapon in the vicinity.  
the officers warned the father that the child should not be permitted to handle 
the rifle, and Mr. Davenport took the weapon from his son and secreted it.

This morning the officers received a tip which caused Detectives Decke and 
Phillips to visit Norman Davenport, and it was not long after the officers 
began talking with him that he confessed to all that had occurred in the park.  
It is understood that the tip which led to the discovery of the identity of the 
boy was given by Miss Iola Davenport, a sister of the lad.  Miss Davenport, a 
pretty young woman is employed by the Elite Ice Cream Parlour and Confectionary 
store on East Main Street.

"I am glad it is over now," said Miss Davenport to the Citizen Press.  "It was 
an awful thing, but my brother did not intend to do it.  Mr. Sherwood was so 
well known and he was such a nice man.  It makes me feel awfully bad to have 
this happen, but it is better to have my brother caught now than to wait until 
he is 15 or 16 years old when, if he was arrested for a thing of this kind, he 
would be sent to prison.  I wish that something could be done for him by 
sending him to some home or having him taken care of by some family."

"Norman has not had the care that he should have.  Mother is ill and she has 
been so bad that we took her over to my sister's, and now the boys do not have 
anyone to look after them and make them behave. My father also works, and he 
don't have much time to look after the kids.  I have tried to make my brother 
do differently, and I have talked to him, but it didn't do any good.  I have 
caught him in little lies ever so many times, and I have always been able to 
make him admit when he was wrong.  I thought I could make him tell the truth 
about this today.  He told the truth when he said he was alone in the 
grandstand.  He has a habit of going around alone."

Miss Davenport went to the jail immediately after she learned that her brother 
had fired the shot which killed Mr. Sherwood.  She urged the boy to tell the 
truth about what had happened and she assisted the officers in securing a 
complete statement from the child.  Tears came into the girl's eyes as she 
pleaded with her brother to tell about all that had happened and to answer all 
the questions the officers asked.

From what can be learned of the life of the child he has been permitted to do 
nearly as he pleases for some past time, there being little or no restrictions 
placed upon him.  He is the youngest child in the family.  There is one son and 
one daughter who are older than Iola, one of these being a young woman who is 
married, and a young man.  There is one daughter who is younger than Iola, and 
a son who is 11 years old.

Norman, the boy who is detained by the sheriff, is a pupil in the Lansing 
Avenue school, and is in the fourth grade.  He has been a frequent visitor at 
the fair grounds, and although forbidden to remain in the park in the evening, 
has frequently been there until quite late in the night.  When he was brought 
to the jail shortly before noon, a search was made of his clothes and a number 
of rifle cartridges of the same caliber as the one which killed Mr. Sherwood 
were found in his pockets.  

The boy hardly realizes the enormity of his offense.  He said that he did not 
know until Saturday that he had killed anyone.

Now that the boy has been apprehended, there is nothing that can be done.  The 
child is not responsible and it is believed by some of the officers that 
nothing can be gained by sending him to a state school.  It is agreed, however, 
that different home conditions must be found for the lad, and it is not 
improbable that he will be turned over to a family willing to give him the care 
he needs.

The apprehension of the youthful slayer brings to an end a search which has 
continued unceasingly since the shooting of Mr. Sherwood.  In this search, the 
sheriff, police and Michigan Central railroad detectives have worked day and 
night.  J.J. McHugh, chief of detectives of the Michigan Central railroad gave 
his personal attention to the case and directed the work of his officers.  Mr. 
McHugh, chief of detectives of the Michigan Central railroad gave his personal 
attention to the case and directed the work of his officers.  Mr. McHugh this 
afternoon stated that he desired through the Citizen Press to extend his thanks 
to both the police and sheriffs officers for their untiring efforts in the 
case.  While the officers were certain from the start that the shooting was the 
works of a boy, they earnestly desired to find the youth who was responsible.

Many clues were run down by the officers only to prove fruitless, and on 
Saturday evening the sheriff, through the Michigan Center officials, offered a 
reward of $50 for information which would lead to the discovery of the identity 
of the boy who fired the fatal shot.

The inquest into the death of Mr. Sherwood will be held Wednesday morning at 10 
o'clock in the supervisors' room in the court house.  The boy will be the 
principal witness, and his father will also be called.

It is probable that the boy-slayer will be kept at the Friendly Home until 
after the inquest and the officers have reached a decision of what is to be 
done with him.  This noon he ate dinner with sheriff Davis.  The little fellow 
is so small that it was necessary for the sheriff to seat him upon a pillow on 
one of the dining room chairs so that he could reach his place.  The dinner 
proved a big treat to the little "prisoner", who took delight in a generous 
supply of strawberry shortcake, the first he has had this year.

The funeral of Mr. Sherwood was held from the home, 110 Maple Avenue, this 
afternoon, and was very largely attended.  Many beautiful floral pieces were 
received from friendsand from the various fraternal organizations of which the 
deceased had been a member.  The Michigan Central Shops, where Mr. Sherwood was 
a master of mechanics, closed during the afternoon out of respect for him.

The body was laid at rest in Woodlawn cemetary.


Additional Comments:
See related article dated June 5, 1915, Jackson Citizen Patriot.

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