Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-28
a HUSBANDS VENGEANCE.
THE FATAL SHOOTING OF JOHN w. GRIMES BY LoUT
kAECuER.

! IhB FATAL SHOOTING OF JOHN W. GRIMES LOUIS
kAECHER.
| A neat looking two-sto-y brick at the southeast
corner OF 1h and streets SOut heast was the scene
oil fearful tragedy last night, about II o'clock.
This house has been occupied hy Louis harch'r. "A
man about - years of age. who is enployei I'm liz.
coast survey as draught>man. His wife. who's
filfen name was Molly iIerurth Is about - wears
OF age oi rather plump figure dark and COM, =
The victim OF the tragedy MS NN t,riln,S a m y
ab'll - years od. lao lived with his family. "a 8
Sth street southeast, ana MAS VlnVleycd IS a sew
lhE machine agent lie leaIeS a wife a'I several
chhdItll, the youngest being a babe only a lew
months Old The tragedy occurred in Ms kar,Il-
/ ttS oeq room, the principal room on the second
ii0ol. harCher, who @tuIieS another bed rooI. .u
'ile etfn no0r. retired early last Ncning utit wax
! ihS about IL O'Clock heard a mau'- voice, IN
ms "iies bed room. lie went 10 her door. hut Was
I itiuStu a'iilnttsince. lhtrsupol hp obtained 4
! hatchet and battered the door In. MaluxhIlr Mrs
harctl'r htd concealed her visitor In the CLOS. : II
appears that karcher attempted ia batter it rh,.
GvoT oI The closet aISn for tie rhS ~ the hltchat
can Ice seen In the woodwork. ,,riil,.- Il i ~-;l,-
posed attempted 10 come out, bpJ ~ corIrouf.,I
! lhueulltel! upon opening the door to- hlreucr
Win revolver harcher shot thret' times, one tau
NtIlklilg Grimes In Tie riS.4t cheek ANA IN other
TWO IN The lett breast producing death almost I'M
!tdi.utN MIS- karcher. At the time ut the Ira,,-
uA. VAS t1' GeSisabtte. Crimes Was partly dr SD,
! anu mad one shoe on The cries raised by Nrs.
/ harru'r oroGEuj Sergeant bailey "a The spot.
hai'her surrendered himself t0 the officer stating
ihdt he lad shot a man Mrs. karrher Was also
!aHth INTO CUSTODY The Tragedy created tn
v
er, IL l. said by the police, bears had rpuj alton.
and has been in the habit oT haVin men come Ia
.,, LEI hgu>e; Coroner Patterson ana I'r Hartgan
pil1Ileu an autopsy al the houSe 1t 10 O'Clock This
morning; During all the morning The house VAS
surrounded 10y crowd or people, dIScussillg the
Tragic event.
The COrOner's Inquest To-day.
lhe coroner began an lnqU, 81 in the case at the
eighth precinct station, where the prl>nf.rS ara
confined. shortly before noon to-day. The follow
iis Mtre The jurors: SAMUEL T. Arnold. Charles
"llANhSon, Charles Btail. Henry DdSey, George
Brown and Joh. I. Cannon
! KARCHER REFUSES TO TESTIFY .s To THE KrrTI~,;
! The prisoner karcher VAS the first one produced
before the jury. He Is a small man With a small
gray noliHache and TUT Of gray hair on his chin
His face Is somewhat florid uI looked !irflc haE-
gard from the effects Of The excitement and con
Hitlieht- lie Wore Hiectaot'o. "A dark suit o1
| clothes with a black 0Errr OaG. and clean linen
| with Byron collar and 40 craVaL tie appeared
7" be soineWhat stupeied. ana showed no emotion
during his examination.
Mr. T. j. Mackey. who appeared as attorney for
karcher. objected 10 hIS b,ig sworn naK, at,-
Ntoe'i him. said Mr. Mackey 40 make no stale
nent urlher than his Residence and occupation -
Inc coroner said he wor.ia have 10 Ice sworn.
haitbtr MAS sworn and stated, IA reply 10 an
street ScuI Iesst
Ibid you pass the night there?" asked the coro-
don't answer" said Mr. Mackey. "No man is
bound 10 eliminate himself
II Is Weli-knOwn fact.- said the coroner az If
ne passed the night here he Reason | asked tl,
| question Was thai the house where the body WIS
found Is hot on that street II fronts on The other
street L viii put the question different: Do vuu
refuse TO MAKE any statement ia regard 10 the Kill
! ing of Mr.. Grln,s:"
Acting under advice OF my COUNSEL saIi Mr.
karcher, Il decline
81 would not defend him." said Mr.. Mackey, "ir
| he made statement contrary To my advice"
20 the only Other Information eIICllcd was that
The prisoner WAS - years Old, ami eiipGyti as a
draIl SIN IN in the coast survey Office He ry-
planed in reply To a Juror that his house had two
J ~ n
the rest ui the inquest karcher occupied seat IN
/ the rOoIl
TESTIMONY N THE CASE.
Officer John L. Daley testified that about II
O'clock last hight some parties, including young
man named Huntington, came To the station.
| house. and reported that three pistol shots had
! been Tired. and a man had come running out oi the
/ hon'e corner OF .th ana ID. hahooinE murder"
! dhi police Witness H@:tt there fast a. he
/ could. and found karcncr Standing In the middle
oI lhe street. halloolrg "polce.7 When wIIuc~,
| approached him. karcher o.ii. ''COme with me.
Come up stairs, and Ill Show YOU where hc Is "
Witness went with him 10 the room up stairs
where either karcller or Dunnington lit Ia" --as.
lhtn ne pointed tn the man. aud said: IL shot him;
! shot him three times The man was lyfn, with
one loot In the closet. His body was gathered zap,
! so his head WAS underneath. Witness asked.
''WhereS the piSto:" karcner said: .IItrt. fl is
anu handed the witness the pistol karcher said
then: 81 am no fool
| GOT MY REVENGE
| he continued. "ThiS has been going on n long
|
in the front room when witness went up. lie
| thought there was light in the passage. Wit
| ness took karcher into custody and brought him
/ TO the station.
| Dr. Hartgan testified that he had examined the
body oT the deceased and found three listoi Shup
wounds. one bali entered the rtchr side or rl..
mouth. wounding the lips. the tongue. ana plough
Ing right through the teeth on b0th sides makinc
/ its exit at the corresponding point on the other
| slie The second bah struck the left collar bone
fracturng ii. and WAS found lodged IN the mu-cli-
| lar tissue 10 Meath The third wound the I'M
inediately fatal one. The bah entered between the
second ana third ribs. about an inch and a-half b.
low the second wound and passed downwardS pen
etratinT the let lung in two places. driving before
II portion OF The clothing. Death Resulted from
! the Internal hemOrrha-e and shock of this wound.
The third ball was not found. The deceased was
apparently about 30 years OF age. slim. and prpt-
ably about five tett eight inches in height
| lie thought he weighed about 1913 or 40 pounds
| KARCHERs STATEMENT TO SERGEANT MULH.LI-
Sergeant James F. Mulhall testified that hf ween
| 12 and O'Clock this morning he went ont to the
cell where karcher was confined. and told him that
the man was dead. karcher said THAI il lust as
| wanted II should be. lie had no business in my
! house" He then began AT the beginning nd made
In substance the following statement: He said ha
had not lett home since he had CONE nome from the
office. Not feeling well he had gone 10 bed about !.
O'Clock. \ short time previous to the shooting
| he woke up and thought he heard n mans voice
| in the front room. lie Went to tie front bed
room door and demanded admission. Nit -I,oS
room The prisoner said: "lliS vile" As
1t was not customary for them to sleep together.
she occupied the front room and he one of The bach
| rooms. After some r1rley, the prisoner said. she
opened me door for him. When he went into ti,.
| room, not seeing any one in the ronm he imncdi-
ately went TO the closet Finding, the cosat 10, ke,l
he demanded the key OF his wife. she said She did
| not know where IL was. He said: .'Uh. Well: 1 can
find a key that will open it,. lie went cut of he
room, witness understood him 10 saw TO procure a
htchet, that was the key he intended To Use. As
soon as he left the room she again fastened the bl
room door; When he returned with he hatchet he
threatened TO break the door I'm. and did some
force, but. eventually, she opened the door lie then
went to the closet door OF the room. and began
work upon that with the hatchet. The door few
open, and a. man attempted To rush out. Karcher
was too quick for him. He had his pistol ready and
1 shot him. He said he shot him three times. H,n
said he knew this woman had been doing this Tor
| some time.
I've don't care anything about that" inter-
| rupted the coroner.
"Will you permit this Witness said Mr. Mackey.
s'tO state the condition OF the deceased-whether
| he was dressed or not:"
"Seyeral officers had seen him previous 10 my
| shooting. When saw him he had ali his clothin,
on, except his hat, collar and one shoe The Wit
ness stated that karcher said he sorry that he
| had not left the woman some time ago.
Officer Daily was recalled at the request OF Mr.
Mackey, and testified that the dead man was bare
| headed and had his collar and one shoe of.
"Will you permit him TO state" asked Mr..
Mackey, whether the woman he saw there was
dressed or undresSed?"
"You may answer that. said the coroner
"She was In bed and had night gown on" said
Officer Daily. ''She might have had some gar
| ments beneath her night gown, but that was All 1
| saw"
"In what room was she:,
sShe was Ia the room that Mr.. Karcher told me
he occupied, said the Witness "and not where the
4 bOdy WaSn