Murder of Ada King

In 1919 20/21-year-old Josephine Berry and 18-year-old Ada King were two colored neighbors in Washington, D.C. The two did not get along and some news articles claimed that they were fighting over a man. But it could have been over a previous assault.

On the morning of October 29, 1919, Ada and her husband had come home after he was acquitted of assaulting Josephine. At 11:30 a.m.  Josephine shot Ada in the neck and killed her. Josephine would claim it would be in self-defense and that she was "Tired of being the dog for one crowd of people."

After the shooting Josephine would go and sit the front door of her home waiting for police. She refused to be arrested by police out of uniform.

Ada's husband would claim that a friend of Josephine's a 19-year-old Howard Dudley gave her the gun. Josephine would say that she didn't see Howard that day and that she had gotten the gun from under a pillow.

When she was found guilty and set to hang Josephine fainted in court. People were advocating for Josephine to get life in prison instead of being executed. Petitions were sent out to be signed. Her hanging would be postponed several times and on October 14, 1920, a day before she was to be hanged President Wilson commuted her to life in prison.

Because  of Josephine's small stature of being 5'0" and 70 lbs if she was to be hanged weights would have to be tied to her feet so that her neck would have broke.


SOURCES:
Evening Star October 29, 1919
The Washington Herald October 31, 1919
Evening Star December 29, 1919
The Washington Herald Jan 24, 1920
The Washington Times February 21, 1920
The Washington Times February 22, 1920
Evening Star October 7, 1920
The Washington Times October 14, 1920
The Washington Post October 15, 1920