The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-08-05
shot Dead by His wife.

A Hagerstown, Md, despatch says The
fact that young wife had deliberately
shot her husband at sharpsburg yesterday
became known here this morning by the
arrival Of the lady, Mrs. Ida Estelle Ben
ner, in custody Of constable ]. II. Poffen-
berger, and her Judgement in Jail. A COR
oner's jury yesterday found that her hus-
band came to his death by gunshot
wound produced with gun iu her hands.
The scene of the tragedy was the lodge
keepers residence at the Antletam Nation
al Cemetery, which is located ON the cele-
brated battle field, just outside the town of
Sharpsburg, twelve miles from here. Here
Mrs. Benner and her deceased husband,
Thomas H. Benner, who was employed in
assisting to keeping the cemetery in ORDER
resided with the keeper, Lieutenant Geo.
A. Haverfeld, as their boarder Several
times recently Benner who was of a very
Jealous disposition, has quarrelled with his
wife about the Lieutenant, and she in con-
sequence avoided his society as much as
possible.
Ou DaOuiuay hiBut Oohuot cdlho
with the Lieutenant shortly before twelve
o'clock and went to the room where his
wife was sleeping. He did not, however,
go to bed, for when his wife came down in
the morning, between halfpast seven and
eight o'clock, she found him lying on the
floor in the back room, with all the doors
open. He at once commenced quarreling
with her, accusing her of being unfaithful
TO him with the Lieutenant, saying that he
would make her confess, and if she would
not he would kill her. He then went out
into the kitchen and returned with sharp
ened case-knife and piece of wood about
two and a-half feet long.
With the knife uplifted he advanced on
his wife, threatening again to kill her. She
denied having anything to tell and retreat
ed to o corner in which there was a carbine,
loaded by Benner short time previously
for the purpose of killing dog. Picking
this up she warned him to go away as she
would defend herself, and as he continued
ITO advance she discharged the gun. The
load entered his left breast, above the heart,
making large hole, the skin being burnt
by the powder and one of the arteries
leading to the heart being severed. Ben
ner turned at once, with the blood stream
ing from him, and stumbled through the
doorways until near the front door, where
he fell dead.
After the Coroner's inquest Mrs. Benner
was taken into custody, but on occount of
her delicate situation was not brought to
Hagerstown until this morning. She and
her late husband were married on the 1st
of December last, having run away from
home on account of the opposition of her
parents to her union with him. He was
about twenty-four yeare of age and she is
about eighteen. An effort was made this
morning, after her arrival here, to have her
released on bail. Her counsel, Colonel II.
Kyd Douglas, obtained writ of babeas
corpus and she was brought before Judge
Kotter, but the States attorney, Mr..
Edward Stake, not having learned any
thing of the matter until this morning, the
examination was deferred until two o'clock
on Wednesday, to enable him to ascertain
the facts in regard to the shooting and
summon witnesses.
Mrs. Benner in the meantime has been
given by the sheriff room in his dwelling
at the Jail, and is very calm. She has put
on mourning for her husband, who was
buried this afternoon at Sharpsburg, and
says she loved him devotedly, but could
not sacrifice her life to his jealous hate.