The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-07-03
A DUAL TRAGEDY.

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most thrilling tragedies yet recorded in
our city's annals, occurred in the vicini-
ty of the Catholic college. Hiram Cham
berlaln who has been resident of our
city since last October, shot his sister
in-law, Mrs. Chamberlain, the widowed
wife of his brother, and then sent bull
let into his own head leaving him in a
very precarious condition. The woman
is wounded in the chest, the ball enter
ing close to the collar bone, and is
lodged within. 1t is the opinion of her
physician that the shot will prove fatal.
The ball fired into the perpetrators own
head entered on the right side just back
of the eye, but did not touch the brain.
His injuries are not considered neces-
sarily fatal, but he will undoubtedly
lose the use of both eyes, if his life
should be spared.
Back of this tragedy there is a long
train of complicated circumstances,
which have led to this deplorable re-
suit, and which we can but imperfectly
give, us the tale of the two parties are
greatly at variance. 1t seems that the
Chamberlains formerly lived i'm the vi
entity of Owatonna, and the husband of
the injured woman became disabled by
disease, and the brother who did the
shooting last night was sent for, who
took the support of the family upon his
hands, and, he says, there was an UNI
derstanding that after the brothers
death he should wed the woman, and
that she refused eventually to fulfill her
promise. This she denies and main
tans that he simply became infatuated
and that there was no such agreement
between them. They came to Mankato
last fall, and the man was engaged with
b. ID. Pay q Son during the winter, be-
ing apparently steady and industrious.
They have been pretty well known
in police circles for several months,
having had trouble at different times,
and in the early spring the woman
made complaint to the authorities that
he was of unsound mind, and had
threatened her life. He wars taken be-
fore the proper examining board and
after thorough inspection they pro.
nounced him sane, and considered that
his infatuation was all that allied him.
1t is not known that they ever lived to-
gether since coming here, though he
has stated that they did cohabit as man
and wife before coming to Mankato,
and even before the woman's husband
died, all of which she positively denied.
Their trouble has continued right
along, she not bearing u strictly savory
reputation, which seemed to make his
feeling more intense. At one time he
went to her room and found other male
company present, at which time, it is
reported, he gave her sound threshing
Passing over intervening events, how
ever, we come to the tinalty which has
stirred the whole community for several
hours past. Chamberlain was seen
yesterday about town as usual,
not manifesting any undue agi-
tation, and toward evening was at
Mr.. Pays barn dressed in his
best apparel, and conversed naturally.
Nothing more was known of the parties
until the police were called to the awful
scene. The facts Us nearly as can be
learned are as follows: The woman was
on her way to her home, which is IN
the rear of the Catholic college, she be-
ing III company with u man whom
Chamberlain says was one of the circus
men. When they were ascending the
steep hill on Mulberry street south of
the Omaha depot, Chamberlain met
them from above, and it was there he
did his work. He says that he shot ut
the other fellow, then at her, and last at
himself. 1t is presumable that the 9TH
er man fled, and some doubt whether
he fired more than the two shots. Par
ties in the vicinity state, however, that
they heard three reports. and there
were three empty chambers in the
lay with her head toward the foot of the
hill, and he with his toward the top.
The woman was taken to her home
and her assailant brought to the City
Hall. DIR. Warner was sent to attend
her and DIR. McMahan waited upon the
man.
Mrs. Chamberlain has several chill
dren, all of whom have been bound out
to other parties excepting one little boy
who lives with her. The wounded man
maintains that some of the children are
his, and that he has supported her and
them since the husbands death.
The whole affair is sad tale to relate,
and is a convincing example of what de-
PRAYED human nature can come to. The
man of course was little unsettled in
judgement through the woman's tickle
ness, and to-day they lay before us, OBJ
jects of pity, through the force of reck-
less and wasted lives.
AS we 60 to press, Mrs. Chamberlain
is still living but growing weaker. She
realizes her condition and converses
nationally. She says that she has sis
ter at Ammo, Wisconsin, and that her
parents reside in Dakota. The sister
has been notified of the affair and direct
ed to announce it TO the other relatives.
She also says that it was one of the show
men who accompanied her home, and
that he is former schoolmate of hers.