The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-04-27
A NEVADA TRAGEDY.
The wife OF u United states Land ORt c
Register Attempts to XIII Her Hus-
and and Commits Suicide.

The wife OF a United states Land Once
Register Attempts to XIII Her Hus-
band and Commits Suicide.
Correspondence of the Inyo Independent.
AURORA New, March 12-About 10
O'Clock last evening the people of this
usually quiet village were suddenly
aroused by one of the most shocking
tragedies ever enacted in this country
The main points of the great horror, as
developed by the testimony given be.
fore the Coroner's Jury, are as follows
About q o'clock last evening Mr.. Wilson
Butler, Register of the United States
Land Office at Aurora, left public
store nnd retired to bis residence,
where he remained III his private office
writing till 9 O'Clock, when he retired
to bed, alone, and soon fell asleep.
Mrs. Butler was intoxicated at the time
and did not retire with her husband.
About 10 o'clock Mr. Butler was sud-
denly aroused by the firing of pistol
close to his head, and sEpposing him
self to have been shot, he
jumped from his bed and rushed
from his room to the kitchen, where a
lighted candle was standing on a
table. While running towards the
kitchen he heard IL second shot fired,
and on reaching the kitchen door a most
shocking scene presented itself to his
gaze. Mrs. Butler was just falling to
the floor, with the sulphury smoke of
gunpowder encircling her head, and
her life blood spouting through a pistol
shot through her brain. Mr. Butler
Immediately rushed to the street door,
holding his head with both hands (be-
lieving himself to have been shot there),
and shouted "Oh, oh 4, oh oh - III
tones that were heard all over the
town. Within few seconds several
gentlemen reached the scene of the
awful tragedy, Mr.. ". Fl. Ball, jeweler,
of this place, being the first to
enter the chamber Of death. He
found Mrs Butler lying at full
length on the floor, apparently
quite dead, with ler right hand almost
touching the fatal instrument of her
death, which lay near her, while the
crimson tide of life was fast ebbing from
her wound, and spreading over the
floor. On raising her head, however,
Mr.. Ball found her still alive and faint
ly breathing; but she was beyond the
reach Of medical aid, and ut 5 o'clock
this morning, seven holtfs after the fatal
shot was fired, the spirit of Julia But
Ter winged its flight to the great uu-
| known world beyond the dark river
Mr. Butler, on being examined by Mr..
S. G. Cobb and others few seconds
after the shooting, was found to have
narrowly escaped instant death. The
shot fired at him had passed through
both his over and undershirts, directly
over his heart, but had not touched his
body. About this time the fumes of
burning cotton were discovered issuing
from the bed room, and on examina-
ton the bed-spread was found on fire.
The ball fired at Mr. Butler had passed
through the bed-spread, two pairs of
blankets, Mr. Buffers shirts, the edge
of hair mattress, and then penetrated
h.<lf an inch into the hard-tinished
plastering on brick wall, whence it
dropped on the floor, mere flat piece
of lead about the size and shape of a
ten cent coin.
The pistol used was small five
shooter, belonging to Mr. Butler which
he left at his house over n month ago
empty, and with no ammunition about
the place. How Mrs. Butler got the
ammunition, and who, if any one,
loaded the pistol for her, has not come
to light, though several witnesses have
been examined by the coroner's jury on
these points All the preliminaries OF
the fatal tragedy are wrapped i'll pro-
found mystery. Mr.. Butler and his
wife have not lived happily together for
| about three wears and 1T is generally
thought that their domestic infelicity
and Mrs. Buffers well-known habit OF
lntemperance were the primary causes
of the schocking affair last evening.
Mrs. Butler was born in Ireland aged
about thirty-four She leaves two child
rem by her former husband, Samuel
Jones, and two by Mr.. Butler, who will
faithfully provide for the little ones SO
suddenly left upon his charge.
The coroner's jury returned verdict
substantially in accordance with the
facts above stated.