The record-union., 1891-10-06
HE Was JEALOUS.
Richard Van 0linda Murders His Wife
and Then Suicides.
Bloody Tragedy ON Street Yesterday
Afternoon-She Had Refused
to Live With Him.
"Mv God. Dick. don't do it y,

''AIy God, Dick, don't do itl''
The answer was two loud reports from
a revolver. and the next instant pretty
and petite Mrs. Van Olinda lay dead upor
the cold pavement, bathed in her owr
blood.
There was pause of a few seconds, an6
then two more shots rang out-and Rich.
ard Van Olinda fell corpse beside the
body of his wife:
The pistol shots, the shouts of excited
men and the screams Of frightened
women attracted people from all direc
tions, and within a few moments after
the tragedy | street, between Fifth anc
Sixth, was almost a solid mass Of
EXCITED HUMANITY,
All inquiring, "What was it?" "Hou
did it happen?" ''Who were they?" etc
Police officer Kripp was one Of the frs
on The scene, and with difficulty kept the
crowd from pushing in and trampling OF
the bodies. Word was finally sent to the
Coronor's Office, and the dead Wagon
came for the two bleeding corpses.
MURDER AND SUICIDE.
The tragedy occurred at about 4:2t
O'Clock yesterday afternoon on the side
walk III front OF Skelton's woodward, OF
the south side of L street, between Fiji
and Sixth.
Richard Van Olinda, a blacksmith by
occupation, murdered his wife, and then
blew out his own brains.
jealousy was the cause.
They were married something like six
years ago. She was Maggie Duifee, q
pretty little black-haired lass Of Wash
ington, and "Dick' was Il big, good
natured fellow whom everybody liked
Hc was injured in an accident some time
before their marriage, and she nursed
him until he was well. Il warm attach.
ment, which was nothing short of love
sprung up between them, and they be-
came Mr.. and Mrs. Van Oliuda.
\ boy and girl were born TO them il
the course of years. The former is now
four years old and the latter two.
LIQUORS work.
While never q strictly temp man
yet Van Olinda never indulged to extreme
excess in liquor until during the past two
years. He became worse and worse and
when i'll his cups was very violent and
abusive toward his wife. He would lc-
cuse her Of unfaithiulnes3, and when she
protested her innocence he would, it is
said, beat her cruelty.
The wife stood this treatment for some
time without informing any one Of it.
They were living at Tenth and 0 streets
at the time, but subsequently moved tc
| Twelfth and L streets. Here he resumed
his carousals and demeanor at home, and
eventually news of it reached Mrs. Van
Olinda's parents and brother. They al
once sent for her to come home, and she
was only too glad to accept the invitation
This only served to make Van Olinda
worse.
After his wife's departure his dissipa-
tions We're of nightly occurrence, and
while in this state he would wildly de-
clare that he would murder his wife OF
sight.
WANTED AN INTERVIEW.
Yesterday forenoon Van Olinda sent
word to his wife that he desired to meet
her at their former home, in order thai
they might agree what should be done
with their furniture. After some hesita-
ton she decided to go.
Early in the afternoon she left her rela-
tives' home in Washington-never to re-
turn again alive.
After doing some shopping, she started
for the Capital Furniture Company
factory at Sixth and II streets, where hen
brother, E. Duffee, is employed. 1t is
believed that she desired to consult with
him before seeing her husband.
But she never reached there.
Near the corner of Sixth and / streets
she met Van Olinda. They stopped and
conversed for a few moments about
what nobody knows exactly, but it is be-
lieved that he was
ASKING HER TO RETURN TO HIM
And to abandon her proposed suit for di.
vorce. They walked down l street, talk
ing as they walked, until they reached a
point just in front of the wood yard She
had evidently refused to live with him
again or to drop the divorce suit, for he
suddenly turned toward her and cried
out, Then nobody else shall have you
because l am going to kill you -
This, and her appeal to him not to
shoot, was all, so far as can be learned, that
was heard of their conversation.
All four shots took effect. The first
bullet entered the unfortunate woman's
head through the jaw, just to the right OF
the chin. The pistol must have been held
very close to her, as her face was badly
powder burned. The second bullet
crashed through her brain, entering al
the right ear. She died instantly.
Van Olinda's aim was equally true
when he turned the murderous weapon
upon himself. He sent two bullets into
his brain, both through the right side oi
the head, near the ear. Both presented
sickening sights shortly after the tragedy.
being covered with blood and lying in
great pools of the clotted life-fluid
HER BROTHERS. STORY.
L. Dufee, the murdered woman's
brother, was seen by a RECORD UNION
reporter last evening. "When we learned
that Dick was beating her," he said, 1--WE
sent for her to come home immediately.
1t appeared, however, that he had been
in the habit OF beating her for some time
before that. She came right home and
stayed with US. She is one of the best
dispositioned girls in the world, and |
am sure no man could ever have had
cause to complain that she was otherwise.
l think that she thought great deal of
her husband, but was afraid of him."
Van Olinda was 36 years of age. and for
some time was employed in Blues black
smithing establishment. Lately, how
ever, he was employed in Duffy's black
smithing place. His wife was only q
years of ace.