The record-union., 1891-01-13
FORGOUS IN TEARS.
He Weeps and Means Over the Re-
mains of His Dead Wife.
The Coroner's Jury Charges Him With
Murder-ForgousD Does Not Make
a Statement.

husband, AuguSte Forgous.
The eexamination-room was uncomfort-
ably crowded with witnesses, jurors and
spectators, and outside a large crowd
gathered to hear the verdict.
Forgous arrived shortly after the TAX
Ing of testimony began, and was accom-
panied by Police Captain Lee and officer
Lowell. Forgous seemed calm enough
at this time. When asked if he desired
to see the body Of his wife before testify
ing, he answered in the affirmative, in
French. He was led into the rear room
and the corpse exposed to his view.
For few seconds Forgous stood and
stared at the marble-lilze face and uttered
not word. Then with moan he fell
upon the corpse and began kissing the
cold lips with fervency, and sobbing the
while.
''Oh, Marie. Marier' he called, and
then fell upon the floor in an apparent
pRroxysm OF grief.
WOULD NOT TESTIFY.
Officer Lowell lifted Forgous to his feet,
and led him back into the examination
room.
Forgous sat upon a chair and continued
TO moan piteously. He could not be COM
Yorted, and when asked il he wished to
testify, replied that he was too sick-that
ne felt too bad. He said he had already
made q statement to the police and would
not say anything different now.
Finding that it would be impossible to
get him to testify at that time the Coroner
excused Forgous, and he was taken back
TO prison.
Captain Lee was then sworn, and the
statement made 10 him by EorgOus
shortly after the shooting, and which
statement was published in yesterdays
RECORD UNION, was read. Captain Lee
said il was a correct reproduction OF For
gous' statement. The Captain then showed
the jury how Forgous had illustrated the
scuffle between himself and wife, and
now, as he claimed, she had shot herself.
II asked him. said the Captain. ''if she
kept on shooting herself in the heart,
and he said yes On Sunday night he
told me that his wife fired first at him
and the bullet just missed his head. Then
he seized her by the arm, and she shot
herself. To-day I told him that no bullet
had been found i'll the walls, and then he
said that she did not fire that first shot at
him.
THE DEAD woMAN's DAUGHTER.
Mrs. G. Il. Heisch, daughter OF the dead
woman, was the next witness. "The de
ceased was my mother" she said. ''She
was about forty three years and eleven
months of age. | called on her yesterday.
Her husband was there. They had q
quarrel in my presence. He was under
the influence Of liquor. She told him to
behave hiInselfin regard TO drinking. He
told me that my mother was drunk, but
] knew that she was not. There were no
threats made by him then, but he has
threatened her at other times. I left
about O'Clock. As | was going ont, For
CONS followed nee and called out: Mamie,
don't You ever come back here-you or
your husband-as / viii Kill YOU He
had his pistol then and ! believe that had
! remained there be would have shot me,
too.''
Ibid you ever have conversation with
your mother about a pistol?'' asked Coro-
ner Clark.
'.Yes," replied Mrs. Heisch, "Forgous
had shot dog, and my mother told me
that he got so excited that she was afraid
he would shoot her, too.v
The witness then Went on to say that
torgous and her mother quarreIled fre-
quently-or rather that he gave her no
peace. Witness had advised her mother
TO hide forgous' pistol, as she was afraid
he would use it.
AT another time they quarreled,'' she
said, ''and l ran out Of the house. My
mother came out later and gave me q
pistol, as she was afraid he would use it
on her. / know that he has threatened TO
kill nay mother and himseif-that nothing
would part them"
DRINK CAUSED IT.
In answer TO questions by City Attor-
ney Hart, Mrs. Heisch said that the quar-
rels between FoTgous and his wife were
mostly on account Of his drinking. ''She
would demonstrate with him." she said
sand ask him not to drink. He was also
very jealous. He was jealous of my hus-
band and me. My mother went upstairs
where the pistol was kept, once while
was at the house Sunday, but she only
went up to get some baby-clothes for me.
she did not get the pistol, l am sure.
Forgous Went up afterwards, and, / be-
Heye, got the pistol. When my mother
handed me the package OF baby-clothes he
got angry, and told me not to command
mother not to do anything for me. Then
he ran upstairs and came down very
rapidly and eXcitedly. That was Just as
was going out, and when he told me not
TO come back or he would shoot me. For
gous is nay stepfather. My mother had
been married three times"
Mrs. Schiminger, the next witness. said
she wasa neighhor of the Forgous family
Sunday afternoon she saw Mrs. Heisch
leave the house and heard Forgous call
after her something in French. lie was
very excited. After she left heard the
door slammed and bolted,' said the wit
ness. "Then / heard sone.loud talking
inside. and a little later scream followed
by a pistol shot Then there was another
scream, and
THEN THREE SHOTS
In rapid succession. / ran over toward
che house and Forgous came out into the
front garden. ] asked him what he had
done-wbat had become of his wife. lie
said, oh she's all right. She's got a
little too much in the head asked him
to let me so in and see her, but he said
she was asleep and would be all right
pretty soon. lie SAID she was drunk, but
7 knew that was not SO, because [ saw
her about l o'clock and she was sober.n
''D[ Mrs. ForgouS ever say her hliS-
bcr0 had threatened to shoot her?'' asked
Coroner Clark.
'.Yes, she has told me that be got excited
when he was drinking and threatened to
use the pistol. l advised her to hide it, I
have seen ForgouS intoxicated many
times, but never saw Mrs. Forgous un-
der the influence OF liquor, and l have
known her fourteen or fifteen years. I
always knew her to be hard-worki ing.
honest woman. The scream that / heard
was that of woman. l could not be
mistaken-it was not mans voice.
Police officer Lowell testified regarding
the manner in which hearrested Forgous,
and the finding of the smoking pistol on
the floor near the dead woman's body
lie added that Forgous was very much
excited at the time of his arrest. ForgouS
told the witness that his wife fired at him
first, and he lodged the bullet. The
prisoner was also very abusive in speak
ing of his wife. He applied vile names to
her; said she was drunk and no good. !.
Witness took the pistol and examined it.
1t was a British pun dog, and four shots
had been fired from it. Witness had
since examined the deceased's body and
found four bullet wounds upon il.
WHAT FoRGoUs SAID.
George II. kunz, who lives at Tenth
ana L streets, testified that shortly after
the shooting he was walking down Tenth