Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-01
WHILE CRAZED BY GRIP.
Prof. ShOrtlfdge shoots His Wife ON q
Country Road Nenr- Media, Pa.

Country Road Nenr- Media, Pa.
Swithin C. Shortlidge. principal of Short
idge's Academy for Young Men at Media
Pa, while insane from grip, yesterday
morning shot and killed his wife instantly
while walking with her in country road
near the school, He has been arrested and
Is now raving in cell of the county jail
On November Is last Prof Shortlidge
married, his second wife being Miss Marie
Dixon Jones, young and pretty instruc-
tor at Wilson College at Chambersburg Pa
Miss Jones was well known in society at
Media, her brother being the rector of
Christ Protestant Episcopal Church. and
her mother is DIR. Mary Dixon Jones, a
weil-known practicing physician of Brook
lyn, N. Y. Although Prof. Shortlidge is
fifty five and his wife was twenty-seven,
| their married life gave every promise of
being happy and congenial Prof Short
lidge had been ill for some time prior to his
marriage, but until the 14th of the present
month, when he was attacked with grip,
his illness was not serious.
Since he has had the grip, however, Prof
Shortlidge had given many indications OF
being mentally affected. and his family
had watched him closely. Saturday night
he got out of bed and insisted upon taking
walk, and sooner than let him go alone
his wife accompanied him. 1t is supposed
that the same notion suddenly possessed
him yesterday morning about $50, and
that his wife again went with him. That
the walk was hurriedly decided upon was
shown by the fact that both Prof Short
lidge and Mrs. Shortlidge had their night
clothes on under their other garments.
What words or incident led up to the
terrible tragedy is not known. Several
people met the professor and Mrs. Short
lidge sauntering down road near the
school and spoke to them, but the sound
of the revolver shots on the clear air was
the first intimation that any person near by
had of the unfortunate mans crime.
Attracted by the Shots several men ran
toward the spot in the dirty, w-tinged
mud OF the road, where lay the bodies of
Prof Shortlidge and his wife. The former
was stretched across the body of his wife,
moaning: Marie! Marie Speak to me;
speak to mel What have / done? What
have l done?"
A dark red stream of blood was flowing
from beneath Mrs. Shortlidge's head and
forming horrible pool in the muddy road
Close beside the pair was a revolver. The
men raised the professor from the body of
his wife, and then they found that she was
dead. the. whole back of her head being
crushed in by the bullets that had entered
It,
A large crowd had collected by this time,
and among the persons attracted to the
spot was Mrs. Shortlidges mother. When
told what had happened she nearly tainted
and alternately bemoaned her daughters
fate and assailed her murderer
With the superstition that generally pre-
walls that body must not be touched I'M
til viewed by the coroner, Mrs Shortlidge's
body was allowed to lie in the wet muddy
road where 1t had fallen, while some one
hunted up Coroner Quinly. Coroner Quinly
appeared in about half an hour and direct
ed that the body be removed. and the raw
ing maniac who had done the awful work
was taken in a passing wagon to the coun-
ty Jail. Since his confinement there Prof.
Shortlidge has had lucid intervals, but he
then realizes that he had shot his wife,
although he does not know she is dead and
the thought unbalances his mind and he
begins to rave again.