Wichita eagle., 1889-06-14
CLAY CENTER TRAGEDY.
hr. hosenheim's Graphic Account Of the Shoot
ing' the Causes that Led to it, and the
Parties Implicated.

MS fathers bedside Before Mr.. Rosen-
helms arrival Wellington was dead, He
Immediately proceeded to notify his
friends by telegram and had the body EN-
balmed and sent to Peru, Ills, where he
has living his mother and two sisters.
His wife will go with the remains from ST.
Louis to Peru. The dead mans son re-
turned with Mr.. Rosenheim to this city;
he also brought back with him his yalise;
his trunks was sent on with the corpse.
The following interview with Mr.. Rosen-
helm will prove especially interesting as
it is the only authentic account published
here and does justice to all connected with
the unfortunate affair.
Sometime ago." he said, "Wellington
met Mrs. Head, they became friends and
friendship soon ripped into love- Mr.. Head
was not cognizant Of the fact until some
time later on when he received letcer
friend. Mr.. Brown, of Ottawa. This letter
was from Mrs. Head TO Mr.. Wellington
and the same letter was opened by Mr..
Brown. Previous to this Mrs. Head and
Wellington met clandestinely at Kansas
City; they were together for two days,
whereupon the lady returned to Ottawa,
whittier she pretended she had gone in the
| first place. In the meantime
Wellington returned to Clay Center. As
he entered the parlor OF his hotel (having
learned on the way OF Mr.. Browns treach-
ery) he fell to the floor as though dead and
was very sick for four days, he thinking
| that he would die. During this time Mr.
| Head called twice at the hotel with the
avowed purpose of killing Wellington; of
course he was not permitted up stairs and
! soon after Mr. Head allowed his wife to
return to her family.
wellington has been to Clay Center
several times since then and the affair was
the common talk upon the street. Any
one who understood Wellington's charac
ter knew that what he made known of
| this affair was not Intended as a boast.
Now follows the correspondence, of
which there is considerable, and of which
| have a stack foot high q have every
thing, his private letters and alp. Their
letters managed to reach their destination
somewhat out of the ordinary channels,
and as consequence was an open secret to
mutual friends.
Wellington arrived at Clay Center last
Friday. His intention evidently was to
place himself in the proper light to the
doctor; he persisted for two days in his
desire to meet him. He failed Of his pur-
pose; in the meantime it had became ap-
parent to Wellington that the doctor was
seeking to avoid him and to have nothing
whatsoever to do with him Here is where
the matter eliminates; Wellington had
been proving around the doctors
house for two days and nights;
he was determined to carry his
point, and Tuesday morning he met DR..
Stewart in the barber shop When the
doctor saw him his first impulse was to
kill him wellington was in the chair be-
ing shaved, and, of course, upon second
thought controlled himself and walked
out. Wellington no doubt thought the
doctor was running away from him. He
returned to the hotel and ten minutes later
came down the street.
DR.. Stewart was on the sidewalk sur
rounded by a dozen friends. Wellington
brushed against him, whether with intent
or not nobody knows (the supposition is
that he wanted to provoke quarrel AS he
did this and half turned himself, young
Mr. Park called out, 'Look out, Doc, he is
going to shoot" Just as this was
calculated the doctor raised his
cane and broke it over Wellington's back.
Wellington thereupon ran into the street
and was twenty feet away when the doc
tor raised his pistol and fired.
cit is remarkable fact that the ball
struck him IN the most vital spot when it
it is considered that the weapon is a self
cocker and the doctor was the poorest shot
in the county. Ut is something that would
not have happened once in hundred
times.) And looking at the matter calmly
the question arises, why should the doctor
have used his weapon when he saw the boy
fleeing from him? Wellington was not
armed and was never known to be. There
was no weapon found with his effects He
was no coward and would rather have
braved three men than one. He was not
drunk at this time. He was not
drunk at all while he was in
that town. 1t is true that he was with his
friends, but it is well known now that
they are the ones that made the racket
while Wellington kept himself very quiet.
(rhis must be stated in justice to the de-
ceased)
when the ball struck him he leaped
three feet in the air, fell upon his back,
and never uttered word afterwards He
was not conscious, but lay in stupor and
intense agony for nine hours. expiring at
o'clock the same evening. Wellington be-
ing stranger, and every body knowing
the circumstances. the feeling was all with
the doctor Since then a great many be-
gin to realize that there two sides TO the
story, and if facts count for anything
at all, it can be proven incontrovertably
that the woman in the case is
more TO blame than the man.
She has not had the courage to stand by
the man in his trouble, and as she is re-
sponsible for the whole affair and has
given the man every encouragement, it
was her duty to stand or fall with him.
Wellington lost his first wife by
natural death. She had not been true to
him and the man who had stepped be-
tween them was compelled by Wellington
to marry her.
"Welliugton's second wife never WAS
divorced from him, thought only recently
she had petitioned the court for legal
separation. Wellington had openly de-
clared he would marry Mrs. Head. He
was sincere and positive in this. 1t was
for that reason that he had repaired to
Clay Center to get himself in readi- |
ness. All those who saw him on
his last visit declare that he
was not rational; he would listen |
to no one and set for hours and brood over |
the affair. He was warned by all to leave |
town; it only made him all the more |
defiant. He said he would have the |
woman or die.
"Dr. Stewart is a man apparently fifty |
two years old. He is very tall and does |
not impress one as man OF more than |