The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-05-18
THE CURTAIN FALLS.
THE LAST ACT OF FRIDAYS
TRAGEDY.
Charles Kenyon but Slightly
Wounded-His Wife Shot and
Poisoned by Her Paramour
App1ewhite a Suicide and Self
Confessed Murderer.

In the GAZETTE of last Friday ac-
count was given of the shooting Of Charles
Kenyon by Dr. j. NJ. Applewhite and the
subsequent finding of the wou!d-be assassin,
ia a weakened condition and with his
throat cut. lying by the lifelcss body of
Mrs. Kenyon. Subsequent investigations
have verified the account as already given
in the GAZETTE.
On Saturday morning about nine o'clock
Sheriff Osburn and Deputy Ski ton, with
Brady Burnett and Wes Fuller, after
spending large part of the night in search.
found the tracks of a man and woman and
following them up the ravine and crossing
the small stream, were soon attracted by
moaning and an incoherent indstinct mon
ologue as if someone in pain. On the way
the cover to druggists pill box was picked
up labelled ''morphine." and contained a
small quantity of that drug
DISCOVERING THE BODIES.
Approaching cautiously and carefully
pcering through the underbrush of vine
maple and hazels that surrounded the spot.
the sheriff saw the bottles of Mrs. Ken
yon and DR.. Applewhite 10th lying on their
backs and within few feet of each other.
Crouching so as not to be seen the officers
came within twenty yards of them un-
noticed, then springing to their feet, ran at
them. AS they did so Applewhite, par
TALLY rising, reached for his revolver which
lay by his side but being weakened and his
hands covered with blood he was. unable
TO pull the trigger. The weapon slipped
from his grasp and was secured by Deputy
Skipton. Mrs. Kenyon was lying above
him on the side hill with his hat over her
face. When the hat was lifted a paliid
face and CLASSY eyes spoke to the beholder
In terms that the silent lips could not ex-
press. They seemed to patheticslly entreat
forgiveness for the errors Of Der life.
Applewhite had attempted suicide by
cutting at the arteries in his neck AMI
wrists but had made buug'ing job of it
and his face, hands and clothing were be
spattered with the crimson fund. One
chamber in the revolver, which was of II
calibre. was still loaded and with 1T lying
on the ground in clot of blood, was his
pocket set OF surgical instruments.
The place where they were found was
s>Au clearing in thicket defficult of ap-
pssach because of the dense underground,
sad which had evidently been cleared out
With a pocket knife 1t was about one
mile from where the shooting had occurred
the evening before. During the night the
officers passed within $50 feet of the place
but Applewhite and his victim were prob
ably under the effects of the narcotic and
making no noise were passed by in the
darkness.
APPLEwHIrE's STORY.
Applewhite told the officers that he had
shot Mrs. Kenyon while trying to kill her
husband. He said he had brought her that
far when she gave out. That he had given
her twenty grains of morphine and taken
the same amount himself. He had intended
to kill himself and had saved two loads for
that purpose but had waited so long after
cutting his throat and wrists that he was
unable to pull the trigger. He wanted to
gave her the morphine at 10 o'clock. she
died and had placed his hat over her face
when she was dead.
In speaking of shooting Kenyon, he said
shat he was standing behind tree, and
when Kenyon drove up he stepped out and
informed him that that was a good place
to settle their difficulties, and suiting the ac-
tion to the word, drew his pistol and fired.
He said he aimed at his breast, but missed
and as Kenyon jumped out of the wagon
fred at him again, and it was this shot that
he thought took effect. He had not intend
ed to kill Mrs. Kenyon. who sat on the seat
by her husband, but aimed to kill him, and
would do it again.
He contradicted Kenyon's statement that
he had held her in front of him as a shield
while shooting. She wished to die, and
took the morphine willingly. Ia telling his
ssory he was apparently in his right Mid,
and talked as well as a man could be ex-
pected to do in his condition. His sentences
~6ro ali snort anu 1t seemed to require con-
siderable effort for him to express himself.
KENYoN's STORY
OF the affair was in substance as follows:
''Hs was at the gate behind some trees; just
as / stopped he came out from behind the
trees, and said now l have got you you -
---,' or something to that effect. He
fired about the same time he spoke. The
first shot hit me. jumped out of this wa
gpn and climbed the fence. He came over
too, and kept shooting until he emptied his
revolver. had a revolver in my pocket,
but it was not loaded. ran to the wagon
for cartridges, and loaded it as soon as
could. My revolver would not work, the
cylinder would not turn. I had to work it
with my fingers. The first shot fired at
him he got over the fence and ran down in
Sol Kings pasture. He saw that my revol-
er did not work, end came back, shooting at
me. My wife rsn up the lane crying to him
uo4 30 shoot me. That made him mad, and
10 aaid Damn you. will kill you too!'
Tko a vux shot ba I 4 nrIa,vhital 6rod aha foil