The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-09-04
FOUL MURDER DONE.
The Town Of Coventry Shocked by an
Awful Tragedy.

"A my sterious and shocking tragedy oc.
CURED IN the western part OF the town oi
coventry yesterday morning In the MUIR
oer OF Mrs. Susan A. Potter, 28 years oi
age. She was found lying dexd In hor bed
| Win q bullet hole In her left temple. The
mouse Is about half mile distant from
the nearest neighbor on lonely
country road. Gilbert Potter, hus-
Band OF the murdered woman,
ieit the house at 2 o'clock In
the morning and employed man named
Isaac Fiske 10 do the chores, as he was to
De absent for the day. Fiske reached the
fotter place about 1880 o'clock and called
10 Mrs. Potter several times. She made
no response, and finding the door un-
locked he went inside. He found the
kitchen floor Uttered with glass from a
broken window pane and strewn with
odds and ends from the sewing machine
drawer. There were other indications
that the house had been ransacked
and that something unusual had
occurred. Entering the bedroom he dis
covered that the contents OF bureau
drawers ana cupbosrds had been thrown
upon the floor. Mrs. Potter was apparently
asleep. Suspicious OF foul play were con-
hrIned by the discovery of blood trickling
from bullet wound on her temple. The
pillow and sheets were saturated. She
laid on her right side, one arm under,the
pillow, and the left hand partly
concealed beneath it. Death seemed
to have been instantaneous
as the features were free from any
trace OF pain and her eyes were closed.
On the side of the bed next the wall.
where Mr.. Potter had lain, the coverings
were partially turned back, but the bed
clothes covered the woman to the throat
and there were no indications of a struggle
or that she had been awakened.
fiske made fruitless investigation. He
found that the lock on the shop door had
been broken off, but nothing else outside
the house had been disturbed. He noti-
fled the villagers and Medical Examiner
Winsor who went to the scene of the
crime. The bullet. evidently from 22-
caiibre pistol, had entered the right tenn
pie. The weapon must have been held
within few inches of her head as her
hair was burned and the sheet was dis
colored. In an adjoining bedroom q
large trunk was found to have been
ransacked and its contents scattered
about. On the bed was q small loaf or
biscuit OF white bread and two pies. Ap-
parently some one had lunched there as a
portion of the pie was missing and there
were crumbs tossed about. Meantime
word had been sent to the hus sband. 1t.
is not thought that robbery
was the motive as the Potters
were known TO be in humble circum-
stances. The murderer gained entrance
through The window and it
seems somewh strange that the noise
from the shattered glass did not wake the
woman, for a powerful blow must have
been struck. The windows in her bed
room were open and were protected by
screens. Two strangers were seen in the
village during the forenoon, but several
hours after the crime was committed. The
house was not in the parts travelled by
tramps. 1t is on q hill overlook
ing the main highway. An autopsy wR
be held. Six hours elapsed between the
discovery of the murder and the arrival
of the medical examiner. Hence it may
be difficult to determine the probable
line of the murder. An inquest will be
held on Wednesday by order OF the Town |
Council. In the meantime Leonard ID. |
ireene, W. A. X. Greene and Lord Spen- |
'er are the guardians OF the body and the |