Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-05-24
DOUBLE TRAGEDY IN A SCHOOL,
A TEACHER MURDERED BY HER
HUSBAND, FOLLOWED BY HIS
SUICIDE.

SUICIDE.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE
little girls attending the third
grade IN the Jefferson public schoo
building, in the southern sector
of this city, were standing in thu
aisles of the schOOlrOOm at 3 O'Clock
this afternoon, about to be dismiss
ed, when their teacher, Mrs. SaIal
+. Allen, was fatally shot in Their
presence by her worthless husband
who then killed himself.
Allen had been supported out Of
the earnings Of his wife as a schOO
teacher until some time ago, when
she left him on account of his dis
sip ated habits and frequent abuse
and violence. He has annoyed and
threatened her several times since
she refused to have anything more
to do with him, and she had been
warned very recently to beware oil
him. This afternoon he hired a
cab on Pennsylvania avenue, and,
after stopping at a saloon, told the
driver he wanted to go TO the JEFF
fersOn school building. Arriving
there he babe the driver wait for
him, and he immediately went to
the room where his wife taught,
and taking out his pistol, a su.all-
sized British bulldog of thirty.twO
calibre, in the cloak room, advanced
toward his wife's desk. The chill
dren were the first to see him, and
when they showed how startled
they we're at his appearance be
called on them not TO make any
noise or he would shoot.
Mrs. Aliens attention had mean
while been attracted, and she start
ed to move, but her husband was
by this Time upon her, and saying,
"Now, I've got you where want
you," he fred at close range, the
ball taking effect near the right
ear, and passing through the head
lie then turned the pistol on him.
self and inflicted an almost lnstsn-
taneOusly fatal wound, the bullet
entering the right temple and pas
sing through the brain. The MUIR
dered wife and the suicide fell to-
gether on the schOOl-rOom floor,
his arm around her neck and the
revolver laying on her cheek. The
startled, terrOr.strlcken children
almost created a panic, but some of
the more collected OF them ran for
other teachers, who succeeded in
restoring order. Police and physi-
clans were sommoned, who did
every thing possible to make Mrs.
Aliens last moments free from
pain. She fingered only semi.con-
scious for some time and then
passed away. Her husband ex.
pred a few minutes after the arri-
val of the police.
Mrs. Aliens maiden name was
johnson. Her father, r. W. John.
son, is an old and we'll known resi-
dent OF this city. About thir teen
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, in
dOlent fellow, with no trade or
means OF 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 we're born to
them. She was a good teacher and
was retained in the pUblic schools
Notwithstanding her marriage aud
her husbands drunken and vicious
habits. She supported her hus'
band until his abuse became In
tOlerable, when she lett him. lie
has often been sent TO the work
house for vagrancy, and since he
came into the possession of a few
hundred dollars a short time ago
has been almost constantly in the
hands OF the police for drunken
ness. Some time ago. while Allen
was berg washed with coal OIL IN
the workhouse to rid hun OF yermln,
one of his fellow.prlsoners held a
lighted match near him and he
was badly burned.
The fright of the children in Mrs.
Aliens school at the sound of the
uprOar which followed the killing
caused somewhat Of a panic in the
other schOOlroOms in the building.
The children, thinking that a fire
had started, rushed down stairs
pell-mell, knocking over one an
other, but fortunately dong no in.
ury. The fire engines we're called
to the spot by one of the children
who had run to the engine house.