Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-05-03
BLEW OUT HIS BRAIN
4 Ssnsatonal Suicide at elm;sa
b Avoid Arrest
ON A CHARGE OF INCEST.
6laAsS Y0assssa.Y Yeas~Oe1 Danshese
CoaGsnssA she Cptae anA Q
Wasrans Ne lnDu0A.

EIMIRA. Mich .May4-Ouso The most
sensatioasl tragedies ever enacted In
this portion oe the state was mads pub
lie last night when . man named 6lsdt
blew the top a HE he'd into smith
Greens with . shotgun. The history Of
the events which led up 20 this scnss.
tionxl suicide 10 fraught With disgusting
details. Slsdt and his wife separated
some time ago and the woman has been
living With man named Kent in Grand
Rspids. since the separation. A H-yesr-
old daughter remained with her father.
and they had been living together for
the past year or two in this vii
lage. near the coal kilna The daugh-
ter'a name 10 Mabel. and her general
appearance of late had become untidy.
evincinG evidences of . lack of self-re-
spect 10 such an extent that the neigh
bors began ~ comment upon the mode
OF living Of the daughter and father.
Suspicious became prevalent that Sladt
was taking improper liberties with his
child and ehe Was closely questioned
about the relations between hcrself and
her father. but she persistently denied
to the ncighbors that there was any
thing wrong. The matter dropped here
and nothing further Was done until by
circumstance the true condition of at
ing an accident to the child which nearly
Saturday Mabelwasout in logging fallow
where her father and . neixnbOr were
at work. A log rolled against her. caus-
ing serious injury which, 1t was
thought. would result fatally. She was
carried into the house and word was
sent to her mother In Grand Rapids
conveying the news that her daughter
had been fatally injured and asking her
to return home. When she arrived the
child had IA far recovered that hopes
for her entire recovery were entertained.
but the mother remained to caro- for her
for few daya
The Child Couleesea.
II vas ut this time that the suspicious
Of the ncighbors were confirmed by q
complete confession by the girl to her
mother of the disgusting liberties which
her father was taking with her. Yester-
day Nirs- Sladt procured . warrant for
the arrest Of her husband charging him
with having committed tho crime Of in
ccst She took her daughter to the
residence Of neighbor named Fitzpat-
rick, where they have been staying for
helastfew daya Yesterday Slsdtlearned
that . warrant for his arrest had been
issued on complaint Of his wife, and last
evening went over to FitzpatRick's resi-
dence, where he attempted to shoot her
With ~ weapon BY which hs endled his
own life. He opened the doeeaoA drew
his gun 10 fire at his wife, but Mr.. Fitz-
patrick knocked II to one side, and he
did not fire. The infuriated man then
rushed from the house. and after going
a short distance placed tho muzzle Of
the gun to his own head and pulled the
trigger He bounded into the air and
fell backward. Fitzpatrick. supposing
the shot had been fatal, ran
for help. When he returned with
a neighbor Sladt had disappeared. but
shortly afterwards a second report was
heard short distance away, and they
found him lying on his back with the
top of his head blown of. Tho lobes of
the brain were lying near by and ~
skull was lying in fragments on the
ground. The coroner was called and
the body was taken to a neighboring
house.