Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-05-23
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ABLooDY TRAGEDY.
A Man Attempts to Murder his Step
son and then Commits Suicide.
IErom the Albany Lnnrnal MAJ l6

son and then Commits Suicide.
From the Albany Journal. May l6.
Yesterday afternoon shocking trage-
dy occurred at the corner of Bowery and
Robin streets, which caused great excite
ment in that vicinity. A German named
Charles Gauss, who, it appears, had some
difficulty in which his step son was in
volved, met the latter at Hartnett's meat
market, at the above named localiay,
and drawing a revolver, fired at him.
The ball missed the intended victim
whereupon Gauss Immediately applied
the weapon to his own head, looked
around him for moment, lowered it.,
and then raised it again and discharged
its contents with fatal effect. The ball
entered his head in the vicinity of his
ear.
The wounded man was picked Up
alive though insensible, and conveyed in
wagon to the Fourth District Station
House, the step-son accompanying him.
He survived his injuries about four
hours. The deceased was native of
Germany, and was resident of New
York.
Coroner Mulligan this morning, at ten
o'clock, held the inquest at the residence
of Mr.. John Metz, in Washington ave-
npe. The first witness called was John
Matthieson, who testified as follows:
Reside in Madison avenue; deceased
was named Charles Gauss; he was my
step-father; he has been married to my
mother four or five years; they did not
live happily together he always quar-
relied with her, and cleared her out of
the house when they lived in New York
my mother told me he did not support
her; last spring brought my mother to
this city to live with me; deceased kept
cigar store in New York until last fall !;
the first time / saw him since last fall
was yesterday, at Peter Hartman's sa-
loon in Central avenue; he was talking
about our family matters; he said he
had the property in New York, which
belongs to my mother, signed in his
name, and / could not recover it. We
had couple of drinks before this; he
called me to one side so that no person
could hear what we were talking about
Mr.. Hartman was in the saloon while
we were there we went out and re-
mained talking there few moments,
about the property in New York he
was little excited told him the rea-
son that I took my mother away from
him he wanted her to support him in
stead of him supporting her; he stood
alongside of me with his hands in his
pockets, and commenced to move away
from me he drew his hand out, and the
pistol must have caught in his pocket, as
it went off before he could raise his arm
ran into the saloon, stumbling as 1
went in the door and fell deceased must
have thought was shot; I got up as
soon as / could and went as far as the
counter, and heard another report; !
then went to the door and found deceased
lying on the sidewalk with blood ooz.
ing from his nose and mouth, and ]
thought he was dead.
The keeper of the saloon, Peter l.
Hartman, testified substantially the
same facts so far as the occurrence of the
homicide related and DR.. Beckett de-
scribed the character of the wound.
The jury found the verdict that the
deceased came to his death by pistol
shot wound received at his own hands.
Mrs. Gauss, it is said, owns property
in New York valued from $4,000 tc
S14000