The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-20
A DOUBLE TRAGEDY IN CHARLES
TON.
Napoleon Levelle Shoots His Wife, Who
Has Been Separated from Him and q
Prominet Merchant.
From the Anullsta Chronicle.


CHARLESTON, S. G., Feb. 1.-the
whole city was shocked Tonight by L
double tragedy, the like Of which has
never been known excepting periIaps
on one other occasion.
The firm of B. Feldman d Co., is
one of the best known King street
grocery firms in the city. Feldmann
is about So years Of age and is married
to the sister Of his junior partner,
Robt. Tesky. 4 younger sister Of
Tesky married man named Napoleon
Levelle several years ago. Lcvellc and
his wife did not get along very we'll
together and about eight or ten months
ago Levelle, who is 4 carlenter by
trade, left the city. His wife lived
with her sister Mrs. FeldnaMn.
SHOT HIS WIFE.
Recently Levelle returned to the city.
He says he wrote several letters to his
wife, asking her to return to him, but
failed to receive any reply. Tonight
he called at Feldmann's and rang the
bell at the door adjoining the store.
His wife came down stairs to answer
the bell, and he shot her, firing two
shots from a pistol that he I'ai on his
person. The people in the store ran
out, Feldmann in the lead. When
they reached the alleyway lead
ing to the second floor of the building
they found Mrs. Levelie lying in pool
of blood. Without saying a word
Levelle turned his pistol on Feldmann
and shot him, the ball entering his left
breast. By this time a crowd had
gathered and the murderer was over
powered and sent to the police station.
He was seen by this correspondent
later in the night and asked what his
motives were for the deed. He replied
that he had no motive, but that he
was glad he had killed Feldmann.
At this time both Feldmann and
Mrs. Levelle are in a critical condition.
The woman cannot live till morning.
The man may recover.
The tragedy has created a great SEN
sation as all the parties are we'll known
in the city. There is nota breath Of 4
suspicion of a scandal. Mrs. Levelle is
sister of Mrs. Felmann and had lived
With her nearly all of her life.
THE VICTIM OF LEvELLE'S BULLET
PASSES AWAY.
ICharleston World, 19thl
Napoleon Levelle will be held on the
charge Of murder.
Mrs. Levelle died yesterday morning
about $50 o'clock. The physicians
who had sat by the bedside until day
light had left her. Death seemed no
more imminent then than at 1 o'clock,
and although they all knew that death
must come, they could not anticipate
the hour of its coming. She was sur
rounded, however, by Il number Of her
lady friends, who caught the last gasp
for breath that the poor woman gave
before soul and body finally separated.
With such wound as that which
she suffered, it is remarkable that she
lived so long-thirteen hours. The
carotid artery severed is regarded as
almost instantaneous death, and had
it not been that DR.. Thompson
staunched the flow Of blood so quickly,
and provided hot bottles and ether in
iections, the physicians all agree that
She could not have survived many
minutes.
There was not one moment Of all
those thirteen hours that she was sup
posed to have been conscious.
Mrs. Levelle will be buried this af
ternoon at 1 o'clock from the Went
worth Street Lutheran church. All
day yesterday lady friends were calling
at the house with floIal tributes.
Among the callers was Miss Irving,
the principal of the orphan house
school, who had formerly been Miss
Belle Teskey's instructress, for she was
brought up in the orphan house after
the death of her parents, until Mr..
Feldmann received her under his care.
Mr.. FELDMANN's CONDITION.
Mr.. Feldmann was reported as doing
very we'll yesterday. His constitution
is not strong, and his affection for his
Young niece, to whom he and his wife
has been as father and mother, was so
great that the family feared to let him
know that she was dead. He had no
idea that she was even badly wounded.
When first shot he bade thenl 60 and
look after her; but they would not tell
him, in his fearfully nervous state, how
badly she was wounded.
He was placed on a bed III a room
out of hearing of the stir downstairs,
the coming and going of friends, and
that mutf1ed tread which always char
acteriZes the step of those who walk in
the presence Of death. Mrs. Feldmann,
the noble wife that she is, having over
come the first shock, bore up bravely
and ministered to the cares Of those who
needed her assistance.
The statements made Monday night
in regard to the matter were made by
persons for the most part laborlng
under great excitement, and ia ken
under difficulties, and were, therefore,
incomplete. Mr.. Feldmann urged Le-
ve!le to live in the house with him; he
would have his niece near him. But
Levelle refused, and that at all times
Mr.. Feldmann would have gladly eN
tended hand to help him. He had
proven himself at all times unable or
unwilling to properly support his wife.
He was, they say, for some cause mis-
erable failure as man. he expected
his wife to return and live with him,
and in company with friend had Wis
tied, with view of renting 4 house in
the upper part Of the city.
Not a Candidate on 1.-The Negro Question"
1Greenville Daily News.