Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-07-25
A DOUBLE TRAGEDY
A Farmers Desperate Attempt
 to Kill His Wife,
HE SHOT HER THREE TIMES
Thinking She Was Dead He Blew Ou1
 His Own Brains.

The Tragedy Takes PIac. In a Blackberry
 Fatch-Thc Young Wife Surprised by
 Her Husband With n Revolver in Hand.
 Three Ba.-s Entered the woman's Neck.
 Her erAnte-M"rtem statement-A General
 Belief that the Husband Was Insane.
 NEW YORK, July 25.-Grace Kniffen, the wife of Chauncey Kniffen, a young farmer who lived in large white house about mile south Of Lake Alahopnc, not far from the Lake Mahopac branch of the Harlem hallway, awoke with the sun on Tuesday morning and, after saying to her husband,
 T am going blackberrying; if I am not back by noon come after me-" set out for the blackberry patch which was a quarter of a mile from the house.
 Her husband was scarcely awake when she spoke, and apparently went to sleep again, so she was surprised when after she had been picking berries for few min utes, she saw him approach her. She was more than surprised, she was frightened when he got near enough to distinguish his features. His face had q fierce expression and therc was u wild and angry glare in his eyes.
 'Chnuncey, you frlghten me, what makes you look like thatW she said
 The look passed away as she spoke, and his face assuming its ordinary expression. he began silently to help her pick berr1es' Reassured by his change of countenauce Mrs. Kniffen showed him the basket containing the berries she had picked. saying:
 'Chauncey, see what nice lot of berries Tve got"
 Let's go into the next field" he said in reply.
 "As soon as Ive picked what there is here," she said, and turning her back to him she resumed picking with energy.
 The next thing she was conscious of was nearing loud report, and something struck her on the back of head, near the top, knocking her down. She got up immediately, and saw her husband pointin a revolver at her. Before she could say or do anything he fired again. The bullet struck her In the neck, below the left ear, knocking her down q second time This time she was afraid to get up. As she lay on the ground and cried out: ''Don't shoot meP' her husband fired third time. This ball also entered her neck
 Mrs. Kniffen neither moved nor smoke after the third shot, and her husband, pre- sumably thinking he had killed her, moved away about thirty yards. While he was still in sight his wife saw him put the re- volver to his forehead. There was no report and presently he passed out of sight
 As soon as her husband had disappeared, Mrs. Kniffen arose and began to totter feebly toward the house, with the blood streaming from the wounds in her neck When about half way she met her hus- bands elder brother J ohm Henry Kniffen, who, with the assistance of a neighbor, carried har tho of tho Sbo unconcious from loss of blood when she got there. The household, which besides his wife and child consisted of Kniffen,s mother and two sisters, supposed that he was still near by and likely to attack them. so In addition to summoning physicians, they sent word of what had occurred to Justice Isaac Badeau of Lake Mahopac, with request that he would bring help. On tho way over accordingly the Justice got two csnstables to accompany him, but when he reached the Kniffen farm John Henry Kniffen told him his brother was dead
 The revolver had missed fire when Mrs. Kniffen saw her husband point it at his head, but it had exploded when he was out of sight and hearing. The bullet entered his right temple and came out on the left side of the head. Death must have been instantaneous. He was found with the weapon near his hand.
 The first bullet which struck Mrs Kniffen ploughed along the top of her head without injuring the brain; the second did not pen citrate her neck beyond the reach of the probe, but the third took a downward di- recton and lodged where it can not be got at, probably ill the right lung. Although she survived the loss of blood which at first seemed likely to prove immediately fatal, she will probably die of blood poisoning
 Mrs. Kniffen recovered consciousness sufficiently to describe her hvsband,s at tack on her ill the form of an ante-mortem statement before Justice Badeau After the statement had been made, Justice Badeau got together jury which found that "Chauncey o. Kniffen came to his death by a gunshot wound in his head, produced by pistol In his own hand"