The record-union., 1891-10-07
SHE FEARED Him.
Mrs. Van 0Iinda Expected Death at
Her Husbands Hands.
Saw Him Following Her Before the
Tragedy and Sought Protection
Result of the Inquest.

Coroner George Clark held an inquest
last evening in the cases of Edgar Van
Olinda, better known as ''Dick'' Van
Olinda, and the latter's wife, whose tragic
death Monday afternoon shocked the
community.
Quite large crowd of the morbidly
! curious gathered about the morgue prem
lses in the hope of obtaining view of the
remains of the murdered woman and sui
eide. But none were admitted except
witnesses, jurymen and relatives of the
dead persons.
The evidence given by the principal
witness at the inquest, George Methena,
developed the fact that Mrs. Van Olinda
knew that her husband was armed with
pistol Monday afternoon, and was seek.
ing to kill her. Methena is married to
Mrs. Van Olinda's sister. and to him she
went for protection shortly before the
shooting.
WAS WATCHING HER.
Mathena testified that he had known
the dead woman since she was seven
years old. She was born in Camden, \.
}. lie last saw her alive on Monday af-
ternoOn at 4 o'clock, twenty minutes he
fore her death. She called at the place
where the witness was employed to see
hlm about some peaches which she was
going to can. While they were talking
she pointed toward the corner of Second
and } streets and said: There's Dick:
he's been following NE. Iknow he has
pistol. and Pm afraid he Will shoot
me-"
The witness told her not to be alarmed.
that he did not think that ''DiclI'' would
GO anything of that kind. She insisted
that he would kill her, and begged the
witness to walk with her. He consented,
and as they started toward Front street
/ Van OIlnda overlook them.
See here, George that is my wife and
l want to speak with her." said Van
! Olinda.
"All right" said Mathena, "go ahead
and talk
! The husband and wife then walked up
/ street together. Mathena followed them
! for some distance and then lost sight OF
! them. A few moments later he heard OF
! the shooting.
! Mathena said that on several occasions
! Van Olinda had threatened to kill his
/ WIFE, Several days ago he visited Wash
/ lngtOn and told the witness that he wanted
! his little boy. Mathena said he guessed
/ he could have the little fellow if he wanted
! him. lie added, also, that he might have
his wife, too, if he would not abuse her.
,'Al CIlilNlG CetIu u6 ttiCl IlOI want MS vile,
! lie sad he had a pistol in his pocket for
! her, and intended TO kill her on sight.
! Mathena tried to talk him out of it, but
! he only grew the more demonstrative.
! Mrs. Van Olinda happened to be away
! with the children at that time, or her
/ husband might have done his bloody
| work then.
| TOLD HER TROUBLES.
Il. S. Beals, the photographer, was the
next witness. He said that Mrs. Van
| Ohnda called at his place to get some pic
lures OF her children. While there she
told the witness her troubles She said
/ that her husband had been in the habit OF
/ getting drunk and beating her, and that
/ she bad left him. She said that he had
frequently threatened to kill her, and she
was afraid of him. At that time. how
/ ever, she did not seem to think that he
! would go so far as to kill her
! Mr.. SHELTON, the wood merchant in
/ front of whose place the tragedy took
! place, was sworn, and testified that he
! was standing on | street near his place
! when Van Olinda and his wife came
along. They both appeared to be quiet
and neither was excited, to all appear
ances. Witness was looking at them.
Suddenly he saw Van OIinda push his
/ wife against the woodward fence and saw
something to her. At the same time he
! drew Il revolver and shot at her. AS
she was falling he fired again. Then
/ he put the revolver to his own head and
! shot himself twice.
! p. Mcdowell testified that he was stand
ing on the corner of Sixth and I streets
! when he heard two shots. Looking down
! / street he saw Van Olinda shooting him
| self. lie ran down to where the tragedy
! took place, arriving there about the same
time Mr.. Shelton did. Justice of the
/ Peace Henry arrived there shortly after
ward and turned Van Olinda over on his
! back. The pistol with which the bloody
! work was done was lying underneath the
! body. By Judge Henry's instructions
the witness took charge of the pistol.
! Mr.. Mcdowell identified the pistol. II
/ was a 3S-caliber fiye-shooter Four cham
! bers were empty. The one unexploded
! shell bore marks Of having been struck
! by the hammer, but had missed fire.
HAD A NARROW ESCAPE.
| G. E. McKenna, another eyewitness to
| the tragedy, proved quite an erratic wit
ness. He had evidently not yet recov-
| cred from the excitement of the previous
day. He gave very dramatic descrip-
! ton Of the shooting and illustrated all OF
! the movements and tremors of the Van
/ Olndas.
Il was only about forty feet from them
when the first shot was fired,'' he said.
breathlessly,. ''and the bullet whizzed
right by my head. | heard it plainly. 1t
made loud, buzzing noise as it went by
my ear"
The witness was probably little ''rat-
tied" There Were just four shots fired,
and all four bullets were found in the
dead bodies. 1t has been suggested that
the bullet which McKenna heard whi2
was a stray one from Chinatown. But as
the young man is very positive about the
matter, it is safe to conjecture that be
saw the bullet as it went by.
After summing up the evidence, the
jury simply found that Mrs. Van Olinda
came 10 her death at the hands of her
husband, and that the latter committed
| suicide after killing her.