The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-03-11
A SHOCKING TRAGEDY.
THE BLOODY SEQUEL OF A WlFE'S
4NFIDELlTY.

A Married Woman Elopes With Lover
and is Followed by Her Husband Who
Kills Her and Ends His Own Life.
ST. PAUL, Minn., March AT the
Astoria House, In this city on Saturday
night, Theodore ?. Rich shot his wife
dead and then killed himself. Mrs.
Fannie S. Rich and DR.. II. S. Gale
arrived here IN company short time
ago from Bismarck. They left Cobles-
kill, n. Y. on January &c for New York
city, and from there they went direct to
Chicago.
Mrs. Rich was pretty woman of 38
years, with petite form and a pleasant
face. Her hair was brown, thickly
silvered with gray, which had been so
since she was Is years old, when she
ran away from school for clandestine
marriage with Frank Trimble, son Of
John NJ. Trimble, we'll known in New
York and Albany years ago as an ar
chitect and theatrical manager. Trimble
still lives in the town from which the
two fled last month. She was unusual
ly bright. fine scholar, and of good
parentage, being daughter of the Hon.
Henry Smith, Of Albany, at one time
Speaker of the Slate Assembly and q
leading member of the Albany Bar.
Her marriage brought upon her the rage
of her father, but he relented and spared
no wealth to make her life pleasant.
But after short honeymoon her love
for Trimble died out, and the two part
ed, and for three years they did not
meet. Ten years ago. after obtalnlnga
divorce, the woman who retained her
beauty i" spite Of her troubles, became
the wife of Rich.
Less than year ago DR.. Gale be-
came acquainted with Mrs. Rich at Co.
bleskill. He is a we'll appearing man,
thick set, with grayishbrown moustache
and with we'll bred air. He dresses
we'll, and is appeartly a man Of educa-
ton and standing. When he first saw
Mrs. Rich he was struck with her beau
ty and with feeling of pity that her lot
with her husbrnd was so hard, for he
SAYS Rich used to abuse and annoy her
in every possible way. Feelings OF pity
for her lot and admiration for her beauty
soon grow into love, which, he says,
was returned. He was her physician.
His visits to his charming patient were
thought by the gossips to be more tre-
uuent than necessity required, although
she was said to be victim of the NOR
phine habit. Finally they decided to
elope and get married as soon as dt-
yorce could be procured for her. DR..
Gale left wife and two children destl-
tute: Mrs. Rich took $4,000 with her.
From Chicago they went to Bismarck,
were proceedings for divorce were be-
gun. They then went to st. Paul.
Yesterday they received letter from
J. B, Smith. an uncle Of Mrs. Rich, say
ing that Rich had discovered where they
were, and was in a terrible rage. They
had heard from their attorneys at Bis
marck several times, and in three weeks
the divorce would have been executed,
and then they would have been married
at once. Rich arrived yesterday morn
inc, and the first the couple saw of hun
was at the supper table. From there
Rich and his wife retired to Gales room
where the former tried to prevail on his
wife to resume her relations with him.
This he was unsuccessful in doing, so
finally agreed to accept s., 900 and allow
Of q divorce being taken. Within few
minutes after this resultwas reached two
pistol shots were heard, and on breaking
into the room Rich and his wife were
found, each with bullet through the
brain. The man was lying OIL The floor,
his head against the wall, with re7ol-
cr clutched In his right hand. The wo-
man had not fallen from the chair,
which was near the centre of the room,
hut her head had fallen to one side, and
from her left car q stream of blood was
running, which had trlcklcd down on
her dark dress. A book she had been
reading had fallen, half opened beside
the chair, and the blood had turned some
pages crimson. The book was entitled
* Wirc's Honor" 1t is quite certain
that there was struggle. The woman's
hand was found clinclcd, and it was
burned, and the flesh was torn some
what by the fatal bullet. 1t is thought
that she attempted to push away the
muzzlc of the revolver, but he overpow-
cred her and rammed the muzzlc into
her ear and fired while she still grasped
the revolver. A will exists giving all
her property to her uncle, j. S. Smith,
living at Cobleskill, in the event OF her
death.
| Rcfupe For Criminals.