The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-04-14

one bore testimony to the faIthfuiness of
his wife. He was of q morose, churiish dis
position, and during the short period of
their married life had proved 80 i'll tempered
that thus early his wife had thought of sep
aTatiDg from him.
The mother of Phillips, wife, Mrs. Smith,
was notified of the death of her daughter.
She Immediately pronounced it the result of
the husbands jealousy, which, however she
claimed to be groundless, saying that her
daughter was good woman and that Phil
lips bad no cause to believe that she was un-
faithful to him. Further investigation de-
ve!oped the fact that Phillips and his wife
had attended the celebration Of the colored
Odd Fellows at the Exposition grounds
on The evening before, and IS they
lett home his m0ther-in-iaw overheard
him say: "You had better tell your
mother goodbye, for this is the last night
you will ever see her." Mrs. Smith pom
dered over the remark, and being fearful
that harm would come to her daughter.
armed herself with a revolver and followed
the parties to the Exposition grounds. Here
she saw them separate, the wife entering and
the husband remaining on the outside for
want of money to pay the entrance fee.
Mrs Smith then returned to her home, but
Phillips afterwards managed to gain access
to the Exposition grounds, and it was mat
ter of remark among the colored people that
he appeared more morOSe and distant than
usual, and monopolized his wife's attention
TO the exclusion OF every one else. He &C.
companied his wife home after the enter
tainment and the mother saw that the two
had been quaTreling, Phillips being morose
and reticent and remaining in the house
but few minutes, during this time
refusing to give any account of his ten days
absence from the city, from which he had
that day returned. After he had gone away
the young woman told her mother that she
ho1 I'd aNN I,nl olol~-
because her husband had watched her so
closely and would not allow her to talk to
anybody except himself. 81 don't know
what is TO become of us" she said SORROW
fully, ''for Bob is so hard to get along with"
The family went to bed few minutes later.
and about 80 O'Clock the next morning
Phillips came back and awoke them, saying
it was time for Lou" This wife, to go to
work. as she had an engagement to do iron
ing at house on Ohio street. She got up
and dressed herself and left the house with
him. This was the last that the mother saw
OF the young wife until she received notice
of the sickening tragedy in which her daugh-
ter played such terrible part.
Phillips was taken to the City Hospital,
and the following letter was found upon his
person:
INDIANAPOLIS. June -, 1885.
Mrs. Hannah Phillips, No. lO2 Howard street:
ny DEAR MoTHER-My troubles have overcome
L
been trying to outlive my troubles, but it is not
werth while for they grow worse every day Mo
ther, please write to G. A. Ennis, Russellyile, Ind,
for my clothing and give them to John. This is
the last report from Robert G. PHILLIPS.
Phillips renamed at the hospital several
months, the wound in his neck proving
troublesome, and there being danger of his
death from suffocation unless attended by
the physicians. In order to enable the
wound to heal over, an incision was made in
the throat Just above the breast bone
and silver tube inserted, through
which he continued to breathe during his
Incarceration. He was at last brought to the
jail, but the next evening he came near dying
from sufiocration, and it became necessary
to send him back to the hospital About
half of his time since the murder OF his wife
was passed at the hospital
When he was tried in January for the
murder he was very quiet, but took deep
interest in the proceedings. The Courthouse
was crowded, and the trial lasted nearly a
week. When the jury was instructed it re-
tired for deliberatien but the jurors dis
agreed as TO the punishment two or three
favOriDg life sentence on the first ballot.
When the verdict was announced Phillips
sat perfectly still and gave no evidence of any
emotion. Since that time he has been very
quiet and beyond an occasional expression
that the sentence was very severe, he never
gave any evidence of feeling concerned about
the matter. His last hours were the most
trying to him, as everything conspired to
present to him his doom in its most horrible
form, and when his sister called to see him,
Tuesday, he wept bitterly.