Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-03-21

anu INC oIuci lHIouSu i loot III lue
rear, up to which lead two steps
About 100 yards TO the north stands
the doctors house, a comfortable look.
ing structure W stories high. 1t was
in the doctors office that Olive and
he are said to have had their meetings
and it was at the door of the office
she met her death.
1t was a week ago Friday night that
the tragedy occurred. Mr.. and Mrs.
Peany had invited a couple OF friends
to their house to play whist. After
dinner they sat in the parlor await
ing their coming. At SD o'clock Mr..
Peany looked at his watch and re-
marked the lateness of the hour
everyone goes TO bed early in Tonic
gany. "They won't come tonight
said he. Its too late. I'm going to
bed"
He occupied an apartment on the
second floor, while his wife slept down
stairs. He partially undressed himself
by the stove on the first floor and kiss
ing his wife goodnight started up the
stairs. Olive said she was sleepy. too.
and before her husband left for his
room had removed a portion of her
clothes and gone into her bedroom.
That was the last time any of her
friends was her alive. She remained
IN the house for an hour, and then.
whether induced by a decoy message
or following her own inclination. she
started out. At 10 o'clock everyone is
asleep in Tontogany and the town is
as dark as night can make it. Not a
light ShOne from the windows as Olive
picked her way carefully through the
mud puddles and across the c.. H. and
ID. tracks. DR.. Eddmon's drug store
was lighted, but the curtains were
drawn down, showing that the store
was closed for business Olive passed
the front of the store and carefully IN
latching the little gate proceeded to
the rear where one Of the entrances to
the office was, at the northwest corner
of the house. There was no path.
but she crept softly across the we'll
Kept lawn. until she reached the steps
leading to the door. Standing upon
the first step she leaned forward and
placed her hand upon the latch. push
ing the door inwards gently.
AS the door opened a flash shot out
from the crack and Olive Peany fell to
the ground with a bullet through her
heart. Instead of warmth and the
loving greeting she had expected she
received the messenger of death.
That the murder took place in this
manner is seen from the condition of
the body after death. The bullet en-
tered the right side of the throat. Just
grazing the chin, and went downward
to the left, piercing the heart and
lodging in the muscular tissue under
meath. The right forearm was black
ened and burned by powder as the dis
charge passed by it before reaching
its final resting place. SO close was
the revolver to the body that the silk
waist which the woman wore was set
on fire by the flame ard burned for
more than twenty minutes.
What happened after the Shot was
fired can only be told by the testimony
of those Interested. Their stories are
so contradictory that the prosecution
hopes, by the proper Use of them. TO
bring the guilty ones to justice. DR..
EddmOn's family consisted of his wife
and a servant named Nelly Hartsing.
Nelly is rather a h~ard-featured young
woman. about % years old. with
grayish blue eyes, which sometimes as
sumo a sullen, repeIent look. She was
graduated from a high school. and
other positions having failed her. she
has been in the doctors family as ser
want for two years. Her father is a
respected citizen of Perrysburg.
a town about ten miles away. Her
brother, a railroad engineer, does not
recognize her, it is said, owing to some
bad defects in her character. When
pressed by the detectives ques-
tons, she frankly admitted that she
since she entered his employ.
Mrs. EddmOn is a woman Of 10. with
big forehead and n of those angular
faces seldom seen out of New England.
That some person was concealed be-
hind DR.. Eddmon's door awaiting the
coming of Olive Peany there seems to
be no doubt. That person is the one
whom the authorities are looking.
AS to his wv presence when the shot
fired, the doctor tells two stories.
To Peter Van, one of the leading mer-
chants of the place, 1a said he was in
drug store counting up the days
preparing to 60 home. To Jacob
a neighbOr, he said he had
the store and was half way be
tween the office and the house. He
says the shot was fired at 1915. At
0:20 Seymour Rood was awakened by
shouting outside and heard DR..
.ddmon say there was a fire over AT
his place. Rood jumped from his bed
and rushed to the doctors assistance.
bringing with him a bucket of water.
AS they approached the office Rood
saw a slight fame coming from some,
on the ground.
Its a pile of rubbish" said the doc
tor. i
He did lot approach it, however, but
threw the pail of water upon it from
a distance of ten or twelve feet. j
ITS a body" CALCULATED some one.
Come here, doc, and see if it's dead"
The doctor approached the corpse
with apparent reluctance and felt the
pulse. +
THE mans dead" said he. !
Man." cried another spectator. Its
a woman. Why it's Mrs. Peany." /