Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-16
Lon Derry Kills His Wife at Poplar
Bluff

| Special Dispatch to the Globe Democrat:
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. April S.-The
| nnst blood curdls.,g tragedy that ever
| took place here WAS enacted t,-Dight..
at $3.50 o'clock. Five shots in rapid
| suc,rssi"n We're lIsAsxi in the upper
stor, of Louis Derryss building. occu-
pied nbove as a DIV. ling hy Derry aud
| fainily, hich {, insisted of himself and
wit and two children, ae-si rep 'ctive-
| iy 6 and s years. The shots were heard
ny some IL the neighbsEs, but a. the
.in,- it was Thought at they were re-
,"ris fr.iii the hr-akii & of ~ b.,x. At
hr time of the shu~sing MIR. DtrrS's
twn ci.il.iren We're playing together In
the yard below. A lady called and
! ,SKei one ,f the children if her mother
aa- at home. The little girl said she
| was, aud seaniper-d up the stairs whirh
ads Ia the upper fi"pr from the out
side /; the building. Thr liitl girl at
tempted to open lhe ont side door !. I'd
lng Into the hail, hut WAS at, first una
I'll to do so. AT last she sueceeietl in
rowiiug The iunr par ly OPEN aud
,in re-, lying III her own blood. with l,er
head AGAINST the door, was her mother,
odd i'll ,ieath. The little one scream. Il
y ith terror at the revolving sight She
ran back down the stairs, screaming:
'Man,m. is kill q! Papa his killed
mammal Charles w. Ady. C.,llertor
Il ou.ier County. VS. passing near the
,.'ase at the Time. and, h.aring the
-cr. ans of the little one. ran UP the
stairs and open a the door whi..h the
iitIe one had just glanced through.
There. lying stretched on the hDr he
lore him, II, an everyday dress, which
vas saturated with hl ,od about the
Aaisi, Was Mrs. Louis Derry AT the
opposite eni of the ball. twl.ve feet
away, lay the body of Louis D.riy.
Fully two CATIONS OF hlosat cavpred the
tton. around him. aud the scarlet fluid
,ad trickled Il wn over his gi,astly
cuuuienance, He wsa dead aud ia.
,aenral heat hal lett his rxtr-miiies.
Lying hy his side was II 44-caliber Smith
4 W,ss,n. revolver. In each CHAMBER,
as - blank cartridge. Evidently ev-
cry chamber had recently he. n fired.
VI his f-et, just heyond his reach. lay
u small 32-caliipr revolver. Each
ch mber was loaded. An examination
revealed the facI that bullet had p-r-
-trated the brain OF LOUIS Derry, hav-
ing entered unlern.a att the chm. The
.ould was a CHASTITY one and his brains
,ad opzrd out on the Il or. Mrs. d r
ry's right hand was bruised and
.iuoiy 1t would seem that she had
drown mp her hands and rec-ived q
scratch from bullet that passed on
ti.rnugh her body. penetrating her
,eart I.di''ations are that she died
with ut a struggle.
At7n'cIock your correspondent ar
rived at the blo dy sc ice and W as adj
,nitted t. the room where the terrible
Iced had been committed. The two
.-nrpses lay Oh til. tir'r Where they had
ialian. The Coroner's jury was taking
evidence. An examination revealed
the fact that Mrs. Derry had been s..ot
four times through the body with the
large revQlver. From the evidence it
appears tnat there had been trouble
brtwrtn the two for some time owing
to j,al ,usy. 1t il alleged that intinIa-
" hal -xisted for some time between
Mrs. d rry and another party which
rirnve her husband to the conimittal Of
this double murder. 1t is trlieve.i hat
,- frs, emptir.i the contents of four
ciiamb rs If hi. revolver into the body
f his wifi, and then, placing the
weapon under Iiis own chin. fired the
hot that sent his soul into eternity.
Four years ago Louis Derry sh 4 and
Instantly killed James D,n,l.y in - sa-
lnnn in this tnwn AT the time Derry
was CITY Marshal. He had arrested
Dn,lry for suin- nfnse. and D"oIty
vas So ff,.nied th;.t he. it WAS alleged,
>diu cstbt
that Ia. frarei mis- life was in Danger,
aud. 81 piping int, n saInon witt, u
doubled .r."i-d fawling piec.., si,ot
D.mley, killing him instantly. He uas
tried ard acquitted ON th.. plea of self
.irf.ilse, x-ti,,vrr,r.r Chas. r. Jnhns.,n.
IF ST Louis, acting as one nf his at
tority~. u year ago, ut the Apring
el.'rtion, ID rry was elected Councilman
from the 5 .c.,iid Ward. Mrs. Derry
was siSt r of Mr.. Thomas ID. Fergrs-
,,n, Circuit Clerk of ti,.s county.