The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-03-27
A HUSBANDS VENGEANCE
wREAKgD ON HIS wrFg's PARAmouR.
John Clements, Street Car Driver, Dis
covers Lloyd Rowland in His Wife's
Room and shoots Him Through
the Heart-The Tragedy.
Tuesdays Daily Sentinel

own wife led to his death. At an hour when
be should have been at home surrounded by
his family ne was slain by an Infatuated hus-
band, with whose wife he had been too init
mate.
The scene Of the tragedy was at No. IL Nc
Carty-st., the home OF John J. Clements, a
street car driver.
At o'clock last evening Mrs. Clements,
whose reputation on her own confession is
none of the best, visited the wine rooms of Ed
Jones, corner of Massaehusetts-aye. and Yer
mont-st. There she met Rowland, to whom, ac-
cording to her own testimony, she had been
introduced a few weeks before by the prOprie-
tor. She had not been at the place long when
she started home in the company
OF Rowland. When they reached her
residence he insisted, so she states, on going in.
She warned him that it would be dangerous, as
it was close upon the time when her husband
was accustomed to come home from his work.
They entered the house and locked the door.
A revolver lay on the bureau. That's pretty
handy If he does come" said Rowland, grimly.
1t proved true, but the who welded it
was the husband himself and Rowland was the
victim. 1t was not long before Clements was
heard at the door trying the knob Finding that
Spouse he grew apprehensive that all was not
right He tried the door with some force
when his wife opened it. Inside he found
Rowland.
what are you doing here?' he demanded.
"My GOdi let me out, seems 10 have been
Nowland's reply. scuffle ensued, Clements
in the meantime having snatched his revolver
from the bureau. 1t was soon over. One, two
and three shots were fired. The
second took effect in Nowland's hand
h. raI 20 he
The third passed through the heart, causing,
of course, instant death.
When the awfulness of the tragedy began to
dawn upon Clements he went outside and blew
his police whistle. Sergt. Bruce and PATROL
man Bristow answered the call and placed the
| slayer under arrest Such are about the facts
as gathered from the only two witnesses, Mr..
and Mrs. Clements.
The faithless wife, fearing her husbands
/ anger, had in the meantime shut the door, lock-
| ing out her husband and locking herself in with
| the yet warm corpse. The police found some
| difficulty in gainining admission.
When at last trembling with fright she
/ opened the door, the police met horrible
/ sight Signs OF a scutie were everywhere visl-
| bic about the room. Upon the bed opposite
| the entrance was a trail of blood. The bloody
| print of a hand upon the floor, a
! crushed and torn hat lay beside it, while near
the door and a little to one side was the victim,
| his features now set in death.
Rowland had evidently made an attempt to
/ get out for the stain OF his wounded hand was
| upon the door, and he had no doubt received
| his mortal wound while opening it.
| When seen at the police station an hour later
| by SENTINEL representative. Clements was
| found stretched out on his iron cot, his eyes
| open wide and fixed the ceiling.
/ He jumped up quickly In answer
to the call of his name and readily told his
| story. After telling his occupation and place
! of residence he said:
II was going home from work about S O'Clock.
| / generally find the door unlocked. | tried the
/ door and found it locked. When the door was
| opened put my arms about my wife and
/ kissed he-, as / generally do. As
did l heard man at
/ the window in the back room, which had
nailed down. AS ! looked up saw man
/ coming toward me. He was coming with his
hands up. / don't know whether he had any
thing in them that he was going to hit me with
or not | grabbed nv revolver from the bu-
reau and fired. The lamp that was sitting on
/ the bureau then went out"
"Was your wife behind you and near the
lamp"
Il don't know; she may have been. After
/ the light went out judged the man was COM
ing on to me again and fred again. | Judge
that he was near the bed this time. 1 asked
| my wife to open the door. She did SO, and l
saw the man and fred again"
"Do you know who the man was?"
| "No, | never saw him before. l went out
side them" he said continuing, 'and blew
the police whistle which had, and the police
/ came and gave myself up"
| lt was more difficult matter to get any
| information from Mrs Clements. While
| at the house the police could get moth
| ing from her except that she did not
/ know who the dead man was and had never
seen him before. Later she said that she had
| come home about o'clock and she saw that
| the light had been turned down. She had gone
/ in aud was about taking off her hat when her
husband came home. She grew more
aud more confused in her statements
as to the circumstances. but firmly main
| tanned during croSs-questiOning for over two
hours that she did not know who the dead
man was. In reply to inquiries as to where she
! had been while out she stated that she was
only mp town walking around. She finally
! prepared some supper TO take 10
her husband at the police station, and
was escorted thither by Patrolmen
Slate and Buscher. When she reached there
she was subjected to more rigid crOss-exam
nation, but held out for a while to the one
story that she did not know the murdered man.
Finally she admitted having gone to see a
| friend.
"And this man took you home, didn't hep
| asked THE SENTINEL reporter.
well, yes; I'll tell the truth. He did
From that admission it was but short step tC
full confession. After having stated where
she met Rowland, having arranged
last Thursday night at Jones to meet
| him last evening at the same place. She told
| Of their having gone to her home. When she
reached the door she stated that she was afraid
| for him to go in and told him il would be
| dangerous. A still further confession OF guilt
was then given by her which, If all be true, in
dictates that Clements had discovered enough
to infuriate him and TO take the life of his
| wife's paramount.
Rowland was about forty years OF age and q
| man OF family having n wife and three child
! ren, two OF whom are now living. Mrs. Now
lands maiden name was Glover and her father
was at one time secretary of state. The resi-
dence Of the family IS so far out that they pos
! sibly did not hear OF the awful death of the
agony this morning will bring to them car
only be imagined.
Rowland was also rather prominent as local
| politician, having been a candidate before the
| republican county convention for representa-
tive. he was member of the typographical
union, and had on his person receipts for paid
up dues. At the time of his death
| he was engaged on the Jersey Bulletin
located in the Thorpe block. j. H. L. Rowland
| the dead mans father, is one of the pioneers o
the county and universally respected. Ed
Rowland Of Cincinnati, who was some time ago
in trouble in regard to an alleged embezzle
ment, is a brother of the murdered man.
| The woman who was the cause of the tragedy
is the daughter of Col. John Blake of North
indianapolis, once quite a well-to-do citizen
! She said last night that she had watched hel
| husband oft times and she felt that she wal
doing no worse than he, in going where she
did. Her given name is Fannie. She wa,
locked up IN the police station last night tC
give testimony before the mayor tins morning