The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-05-22
SHOT IN A SCHOOL ROOM.
ATEAcHeR SHOT BEFORE HER PUPILS
A worthless Husband Goes to the Room
Where His Wife Was Teaching and
Kills Her Before Committing
Suicide.

WASHINGTON. May 1.-THE little girls at
tending the third grade in the Jefferson public
school building in the southern section of this
city, were standing in the aisles OF the school
room at 5 o'clock this afternoon, about to bid
school good-by until tomorrow, when their
teacher, Mrs. Sarah E. Allen, was fatally shot
in their presence by her worthless husband,
who then killed himself. Allen had been
supported by the earnings of his wife until
some time ago, when she left him on account
of his dissipated habits and frequent abuse
and violence. He has annoyed and threatened
her several times since she refused to have any
thing more TO do with him, and she had been
warned very recently TO beware Of him. This
afternoon Allen hired a cab on Pennsylvania
ave-, and, after stopping at saloon,
told the driver he wanted TO go
to the Jefferson school building.
Arriving there be made the driver wait for
him, and Immediately went to the room where
his wife taught, and, taking out his revolver, a
small sized British bulldog of thirty-two cali
Der, in the cloak-room, advanced toward his
wifes desk. The children were the first to see
him, and when they showed how startled they
were at his appearance, he called on them not
to make any noise or he would shoot Mrs.
Aliens attention had meanwhile been attracted
and she started to move but her husband by
this time was upon her, and, saying, Now,
I've got you where / want yOu," he fired at
close range, the ball taking effect near the right
ear and passing through the head. He then
turned the pistol on himself and inflicted
fatal wound, the bullet entering the right tenn
pie and passing through the brain. The MUIR
dered wife and the suicide fell together on the
school-room floor, his arm around her neck and
the revolver lying on her cheek
The startled, terror-stricken children almost
created a panic but some of the more collected
of them ran for other teachers, who succeeded
In restoring order. Police and physicians were
summoned, who did everything possible to
make Mrs. Aliens last moments free from pain.
She fingered only semi-conscious for some time
and then passed away. Her husband expired
few moments after the arrival of the police.
~ Mrs. Aliens maiden name was johnson.
Her father, r. w. Johnson, is an old and we'll
known resident of this city. About thirteen
years ago, against the advice of her family and
friends, she married her husband, Oswald G..
Allen, who came from Charlottesville. Va. He
was known as worthless, incident fellow,
with no trade or livelihood, but the murdered
woman seemed to be infatuated with him.
The marriage was an unhappy one,
and Mrs. Allen frequently said that the only
blessing resulting from it was the fact that no
children were born to them She was a good
teacher and was retained in the public schools,
nOLWltDStanulng ner marriage anu u6I nus
bands drunken and vicious habits. She sup
ported her husband until his abuse became in
tolerable, when she left him. He has often
been sent to the work-house for yagrancy, and
since he came into the possession of a few
hundred dollars short time ago, he has been
almost constantly in the hands of the police
for drunkenness. About a month ago, while
Allen was being washed with coal oil in the
work-house TO rid him OF yermin, one OF his
low-prisOners held lighted match near him
and he was badly burned.