Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-03-21
AN OHIO HOUSE HAS 4 CELE-
DRAFTED CASH.
TONTOGANY THE SCENE OF A
SENSATIONAL EVENT.
The Mayor Of the Place. His Wife and
Their Servant Suspected of Having
Killed Pretty Olive Peany-Story
Of the Victims Life.

shot through the heart. Under ares
on the charge of murder-Neilie Hart
sing, a we'll educated domestic. Under
grave suspicion-Dr. Adolf Eddmon
mayor of the town, and Jane Eddmon
his wife"
These facts have been spread on the
records of Wood county, Ohio, during
the past week. Behind them lies a
story OF romantic interest-a story OF
love, hatred, jealousy and crime.
Twenty years ago the state of Ohio
did not contain a prettier girl than
Olive Peany, then Olive Bernthisel.
Her father lived a few miles north of
Tontogany, where he conducted a we'll
managed farm. Olive was an ambi-
tons girl, and when the oil fields We're
opened and her father made q hand
some Sun of money through them she
determined to have a better education
than the country schools could give.
Her parents thought her decision wise
and SEN her to a bOarding-SchOol in
the eastern part Of the state. The
life there made no difference in her
habits, and when she returned she was
just as willing to perform her share
of the household duties as before.
Her beauty and ~vivacity made her the
most popular girl in the neighborhOod
and no social gathering was complete
without her presence. About this time
a young Dr.. E0dmOn arrived at Ton
togany. He had received his degree
in medicine from the University of
Jena, near which he was born, and
had decided to begin his practice in
America. EddmOn was handsome. a
fluent talker and it was rot hard for
him to charm Olive with his descrip-
tons of the wonders Of the old world,
about which she had read and which
she lOnged to see. The intimacy be-
tween the two became great, but the
young doctor. like many immigrants.
was poor and Olives father objected
to him for a s~on-in-law. Whether he
proposed or not is unknown. but the
intimacy between them was broken
off on account of parental opposition.
The next man to appear in olives
vista was John Burns. a well-to-do
farmer Of Whitehall, III. He came to
visit friends here and was at once at
tracted by the belle Of the county. He
was an ardent young fellow. and his
! courtship was ardent and fiery. In
the course of a few weeks he had Sc
cured the desired promise from Olive,
and they were married early in the
fall. At the time it was said the girl
cared more for the young doctor than
for the farmer. but this was set down
to the tongues of gossip, which are
never idle. At any rate it was a happy
looking bride that left T~ontogany to
begin her married life at Whitehall.
Of her life there is but little known.
but it evidently was not happy, for
after several years she obtained Il di-
vorce on the ground of her husbands
dissipated habits.
On her return to T~Ontogauy ten
years ago Olive Burns found the con-
ditions of the place much changed.
DR.. EddmOn had become a rich man.
His practice was lucrative and he
owned a drug store which did a profit
able business. Eddmon's love for
Miss Bernth!sel had not permitted his
matrimonial aspirations to anguish.
Shortly after her departure he became
engaged to the daughter of a Bowling
Green banker and they were then en-
jOying life in the handsomest residence
in the town, looked up to and re-
spected by everyone. Through the in
1uence of his wife's relations he had
obtained the most conspicuous place
in the county. Olive went back to her
fathers house and vas o as hard
at work. in the social field as ever.
Benefit entertainments for Grand
Army posts were popular at that
time and the old soldiers always ap-
piled to her for aid whenever any Of
these were desired. The head of one
of the posts was Peter Peany, a manu-
facturer Of Bowling Green. He had
been a brave officer during the war
and the heart of the still susceptible
young woman was won by his tales of
daring. An engagement was speedily
brought about and this was followed
by an immediate marriage. Olive and
DR.. Eddmon had met frequently, but
nothing beyond friendship appeared
to exist between them. Peany had
amassed a small sum Of money, and
giving up his business at Bowling
Green he and his wife settled down at
T~ontogany, building a pretty little
cottage a few yards from the Eddmon
house. Peany was devoted to his wife
and their married life was happy.
But the old army wounds began to
trouble him. In the course of a few
years he became a querulous invalid.
His wife's affection waned, as she
was of too ervou a disposition to
bear with a sick mans complaints.
She was as ~petulant as ne was queru-
lous and at length they lived together
in name only. There was no open
rupture and in the presence of friends
no change in their relations was ap-
parent, but when alone silence for the
most part existed between them. The
second marriage had proved unsatis-
factory as we'll as the first. Perhaps
this fact caused her to envy the pleas
ant relations which existed between
DR.. Eddmon and his wife. who ap-
Darnntly led an ideal life; it may have
have turned her thoughts to her first
love and made her regret that that
marriage had not taken place.
At any rate she seemed to set her
eyes upon the doctor and he proved a
| willing victim. His attention TO her