The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-08-10
A TERRIBLE DOUBLE TRAGEDY.
VIM. Dolan, IL BooK-keeper, X ills his Wife
aud Then Himself

BALTIMORE Nd, Aug 4th.-Baltimor
had a shocku G tragedy on Saturday night
last.
The following entry on the blotter AT
the central police station tolls briefly the
story of the double tragedy: about
/ .30 p. M. Saturday William Dolan,
No. 1913 East LIuvale street, shot and
killed his wife and then shot and killed
himself at their home. 1t is not known
what cause he'd to the desperate deed
Coroner Hill deemed an inquest unneces
sary." Dolan was thirtv years old and
book keeper for J. & II Mann. No. 305
West Baltimore street, and HIS wife, who
was formerly Miss Amelia l.. Ballard.
was twenty years old. They had been
married four years. the ceremony having
taken place in New York, and they had
no children.
Saturday night they went to the Acad
envy of Music. They returned to their
home, on Lanvale street, west of Barclay
street, about quarter past eleven o'clock,
and those who saw them walking from
the car to the house noticed nothing par
ticular in the conduct of either one. The
rest of their life was seen by none after
Dolan locked his front door. A few mo-
ments later four shots were fiji ed i'll rapid
succession in the house, and Sergeant
Meehan and patrolman Fletcher, who
were near bv, entered the dwelling in the
rear by climbing over the back fence, and
at the head of the first flight of stairs, in
| a small hall between two bedrooms, they
| found Dolan and his wife lying dead.
| He was on his back, with his head in the
| rear bedroom, and she on her left side,
| with her arm supporting her head, which
| lay in the front room.
Before going upstairs the two had evil
| IDENTIFY had light lunch in the dining
| room. In both the bedrooms the gas was
| burning, and Mrs. Dolan had gone into
the back one and partly disrobed for the
night, while her husband, in the other,
had removed his coat and vest. Marks
on ner throat and bruise on her left
| cheek seemed to show that he had choked
her and thrown her down before killing
her. The bullet had entered about two
inches on the left of the left nipple. and,
passing through the lungs, stopped inst
below the skin on the right side. The
wife's skin and clothing were scorched
| by the discharge of the revolver, which
was seven shooter of thirty two caliber.
| DOlan held the weapon much nearer
himself as he turned it from his dying
wife, for the bullet tore a great Jagged
L shaped wound in his left breast, Oh the
left of the nipple, and it was afterwards
found by Coroner Alexander Hill pro
truding from the right side of the dead
man. A third bullet struck the wall OF
the stairway, and the fourth bullet could
not be found. No one will ever know
whether the bullets which missed their
mark were intended for Dolan or his
wife. The revolver, with four shells
empty, lay under Dolan. Though the
bodies were still warm when they were
found, death in each Instance must have
been almost Instantaneous.
Everybody was inquiring the cause oil
the shooting, and nobody could give a
satisfactory explanation. Though some
persons said that Dolan was in the habit
of overwhelming in drink after the close
of business, nobody in the neighborhood
saw anything strange in his conduct Sat
urday night, and the fact of his wife &C
companying him to the theatre would
seem to show that he was sober Some
in the absence of any other plausible
theory, assigned jealousy as the cause
but it such we're the case everybody who
knew anything about them asserted that
the wife had given Dolan no cause fol
such feeling against her. They were
little known to the neighbors, but haC
always appeared to be very fond of each
other. Apparently the crime was the
result OF a momentary impulse to mad
ness the origin of which will forever be
concealed. 1t was said that Dolan, who
was pretty well known in the bushes,
part of the city, had bad temper, ant
though he was generally liked by those
who knew him, he would be very dis
agreeable when he was in a rage.
His employers speak in the highest
praise of him and can assign no reason
Tor his crazy act. He was apparently il
a good humor on Saturday when leaving
the office and showed no signs of uneas
ness.