Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-04
The Reporter Sees Kit.ie.

uO pm. olNAG.ilS uCptii SCh, anu bLAS
woman, Kittle Clarke. resting easily, the
reporter went to her room and found her
able to talk, the wound paining her cOnsld-
erably, though she was able and willing TO
talk Her Story runs something like this:
II have known Frank Simons about two
years. He always came to see me when
here, and was persistent in his efforts to
get me to go away from here and marry
him. l always refused, and always tried to
get him not to talk about it, but ne would
grow angry and invariably threaten to kill
me and himself. He also knew | had
gentleman friend in the city, and
often said he would kill my friend, myself,
and end his own life unless l married him.
He came to the city. 1 think, Thursday
night, came to see me, and was here at
various times since. He remained here
Saturday night. Monday evening he sent a
note for me to come to his room
over a downtown saloon. l did not
go. He then sent hackman
for me, and l went. l remained quite
awhile, and then returned to this place, and
during my visit to his room he made the
anything, was more desperate, and said |
should not tell his friends where
he was, that no one knew, and if
they found him he would know l
told them and he would kill me
for it. Two of his friends came to me and
asked where Frank was. l refused TO tell
them. because | was afraid to do SO, and
upon my refusal to tell them l was severely
abused, and they accused me of secreting
him out some place, and so severely did
they curse, abuse and threaten me that
through fear of them | told where he was.
He came here this afternoon, came to
my room, and was intoxicated, and had
gun, and displayed it often, and said,
'Kittie, l have come to kill you unless you
consent to marry me-.
Il pleaded with him on my knees; told
him to consider what | was, and his stand
ing among his friends.
ITO h with my friends. l can make a
living anywhere said he, all the time hav-
ing his gun pointed at my heart. 4 have
been promised a passenger run out of Gin
cinnati, and you must go with me to Gin
cinnati and we will get married. We are
both Catholics, and can go to a priest and
have him marry US when we get there.
Will you gol'
LAS said before, all this time was on :
my knees pleading with him not to shoot,
and so frightened was l and so near ex-
hausted that fell over, resting on the side
of the bed, and asked him for Gods sake to
let me get breath of fresh air, and he
lowered his pistol. l arose and walked out
in the hall expecting every second he would
fire. l went down stairs, after
he said he would give me five minutes TO
return and give him an answer, fell on a
bed in one of the girls rooms, and told the
girls in there what had happened. They
were scared, and | once thought l would
ask the madam to go and see if she could
get the gun, then 1 thought of her be-
ing sick, and as my time was
up, l went back and endeavored
to persuade him to be quiet He told me
to order some beer. l knew the saloons
were closed. but to humor him l called to
Al, t~,,s..
turned and sat in the rocker, while he sat
on the side of the bed. He in a moment
said, Well, have you decided to
go with mel' and again cooked
the gun and pointed it at me, and
he looked wilder than l ever saw him. l
told him to go to his friends and come for
me tomorrow morning, and l would go.
I did this, thinking could keep out of his
way, could | get HIM to leave the house, but
he raised up and said No, you'll go now or
never and just as | stood up he fired, and
so close was ne to me that you see the powder
burned my clothing. l fell on the bed. He
looked at me a moment and turned the pis-
tol toward his temple and fired, and at the
sound of the shot a stream of blood gushed
from his head and he fell over by my side.
arose, rushed from the room and felt as if
1 would fall at every step, tut the
thought that he might get up and
shoot me again caused me to rush on and |
do not remember anything of the stairway
at all, so badly scared was I, for I did not
know but what was fatally wounded, my
side burned so bad, and l felt the blood
gushing out and could see it on my clothes
The girls and some men caught me, and in
an unconscious condition l was brought !
to this room. l know 1 am not to blame for |
this awful occurrence, for did not love the |
man and could not consent to marry him, |
and told him he should not expect a woman
of my character to do so, as he certainly |
would be discarded by his friends and en- |
ployers."
Ibid he tell you he had living wifel"
'No. He never mentioned it to me,
though have known him for two years.