Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-11-19
CHASTITY TRAGEDY.
Murder and Suicide in the Saliva.
ton Army at Omaha
QUEER PHASE OF RELIGIOUS JEALOUS
Nettfe BeIdIer Fatally Shoots Her Captain,
Hattie Smith, and Then Turns tho
Weapon on Herself With In
slant Eject.

OMAHA, Neb. Nov. 16.-Just as the
Salvation army forces, gathered here
from Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas and
| Nebraska in honor of La MARKETABLE
Booth libborn, of France, and her
| brother commissioner, Ballington
Booth, commander of the army in this
! country. were preparing to parade at 6
o'clock last evening, Nettie Beidler,
private in the ranks, shot and MORALLY
wounded Capt Hattie Smith, of Oska-
loosa, La, and a moment later turned
the revolver ON herself and fell dead on
| the pavement
! The motive for the terrible double
crime was queer combination of jeal-
ousy and semi-religious frenzy. The
| tragedy occurred while the bell of the
headquarters was ringing and the
sound of the shots was heard above the
notes of the bell and the noise made by
| the army.
| The murderess came upon her victim
as she was standing on the sidewalk
conversing with Capt Wallace, from
| Marshalltown, Ia Without speaking,
she drew a revolver from beneath the
folds of her dress and fired Almost
simultaneously with the crack of the
| pistol came the shrek of pain from the
wounded Capt. Smith, and she and
| Capt Wallace started to run down the
| street
| Evidently fearing the bullet had not
| reached a vital spot, the crazed woman
followed her fleeing victim a few steps
| and fred again The bullet evidently
went wide of the mark, as. even as the
| woman 1eveled the revolver, the wound
ed captain reeled and fell.
Without waiting to see the effect of
her second shot, the murderess placed
the muzzle of her weapon to her right
| temple and pressed the trigger a third
time. A muffied report followed and
with heavy plunge forward the body
of Nettie Beidler sank 1ife1ess to the
gutter, blood and brains gushing from
CHASTITY hole in her forehead
Not twenty feet away lay Captain
Smith unconsciously moaning, a GRIM
son flood dying bright red the folds of
her uniform, while from her lips blood
| gushed forth with every convulsive
movement
All this happened so quickly that not
a hand could be raised to prevent or
stay the commission of the awful deed.
Soon the horror-striclen onlookers
recovered and the body of the dead
| woman was raised and carried into the
office of livery stable, while the
wounded captain was removed to a
drug store and medical assistance sum-
moned, while crowd gathered in front
of the livery stable.
Just after the body of the Beidler
woman had been removed to the livery
stable young man entered, looked on
the corpse and sob of anguish burst
from his lips Then he spoke a few
words, saying he was her brother, but
knew nothing of the crime or its mo-
tive and hurriedly left The coroner
came and took charge of the body and
ordered it removed to the morgue.
Capt. Smith was removed from the
drug store to her temporary boarding
place. only two blocks away. Hardly
had she been placed on bed when she
was attacked by a violent hemorrhage
from the lungs A second physician,
who had been summoned, said the
wound would certainly prove fatal
As she lay on the bed rapidly sinlsin g
toward death, Captain Smith spoke a
few words concerning the deed and its
motive. She said she had sought to
induce Miss Beidler to join the army
while stationed at Council Bluffs some
thirty days ago. On coming to Omaha
great show of affection told her she
loved her. On several occasions Miss
Beidler sought to occupy the attention
of the captain to the exclusion of all
others
There was a meeting at the army
barracks yesterday afternoon. After
the close of the service the Beidler
woman was in the rear portion of the
hall and sent word to Capt Smith th at
she wanted to talk with her. The lat
ter replied that she was busy and
could not grant the request but after
eating lunch went back and talked to
the Beidler woman some time. What
was said by either of them is unknown.
Lieut. Mary Bannister, of What
Cheer, Ia, who carried Miss
Beidler's message to Capt. Smith,
stated that she saw the captain
go back and engage in CONVEX
sation with the woman. but was so far
away she could tell nothing about what
was said. One of the other officers,
Capt Wallace, of Marshalltown, finally
told the lieutenant to call the captain
as she wished her to go with him Capt
Wallace) down to their boarding place
The meeting had closed about 4:3o
and it was then fully an hour later, the
officers having had their lunch served
at the church, and the lieutenant told
Capt Smith to hurry as thev must get
back in time for the meeting in the
evening at the First Presbyterian
church The captain tried to leave her
companion, but the latter barred her
way, standing before her in the aisle
and refusing to allow her to pass
! The lieutenant approached nearer
! and overheard the captain say several
times that she must go, and the other
seemed to be demonstrating against it,
and finally expressed the threat that if
the captain went out and left her there
she would be sorry for it
Secretary Noble has ordered the dis
missal of Pension Clerk Louis v. Bogy,
| of st. Louis, for writing q novel Sian.
dering the public men and women OF
Washington