Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-08-21

CHAIR beside the bed of John Myers.
5 one beside me and Myers. | heard chi
Icrying. heard Miss Hannah Neff call
? Peter Myers that Ms. Weatherholtz W
shot. started from the room. Gescribs
his route on diagram. The little boy vi
there pulliog at his mothers cloth
crying and saying "mamma, MANN
some one belo mamma M" | saw d
woman lying there. She was lying wit
her head close to the last pot in IL
sheA. Der feet toward the gate leading n
bv the barn. l recognized it to be d
bod, of Minnie WeatheihOliz. When
got there. she was dead. No one h.
reached the body before me. HanDal
Neff vas standing near The gate. ! could
.ee that she was shot in the forehead an
face. No one was there but tia little boy
and Hannah Nef. passed through tn
gate leading into the barnyard and wenl
below a stable and called for JOSEPH
Myers. We were by ourselves and wanted
to sec who killed her That is as far as
know about the death of Mrs.. Minnie
W eatherholtz.
Joseph w. Myers live near Forest
vile about 100 OF 200 yards from Pate r
Myers. Hens an uncle. | was Justice
of the Peace on the 4th Of Feb 1896. |
remember when Mrs Weatherhollz was
killed. l was at my home. A very short
time after the killing, knew Of it, / did
not see It heard the report of the gun,
but could not tell what it was until my
attention was called to it. | went where
the body was. saw the dead body OF
Minnie Weatherholtz. She was dea d
when got there Her death WAS pro-
duced by a gun shot wound. ! saw the
gun shot wounds. blood and brains were
oozing from the wounds.
Back of the barn is field. saw
man, from my porch, pass over the TOP
OF the hlll. Just before he got to the fence
or he may have crossed the fence. /
don't remember whether | saw him cross
the fence. Did not know him. He was
running
Ms. Mary Zirkel- live about mile
back of Forestvllle. / was at Joseph W
Myers, my brother, waiting on sick
mother. Jos. W. Myers' house is about 3
or 400 wards from the barn, ! know Mrs.
Weatherholtz by sight. / did not zee her
before she wss murdered. saw her
afterward. | heard report, some one
screaming and crying and went over.
saw her lying dead. II was Minnia
Weatherholtz's body. 1t was a pitlful
s;sht, Just as yon would see a beast
slaughtered and a little child screaming.
II was gun shot wound in the head. II
looked ike it was with shot ! saw a
man running across the field from the
barn. The person must have come ont Of
the b cl of the barn. / do not know
who the party was. recognized the
boy of Minnie Wesiherhollz, dead.
Cross ExamlnatOn-l was out on the
porch. was ont on the porch before
anyone. had not been out anytime be-
fore | called my brother. He had not
got far from the barn when | noticed
him. do not know whether he was 100
wards from the barn. He might have
been Is yards from the barn. l do not
know now vide this Court House is, but
suppose 40 or 80 feet. He came nigh;
from the barn. did not see him COME
out of the barn he was RAINING but not
az fast as l ave seen people run.
could see him distinctly. 1t was fogsy,
bat could not see who it was. 1t might
have been a little closer than the barn.
did not know you were going to ask such
questions, OF would have had 1t meas
uced.
Dr. J. y. Biker-I live at Foreslville,
Physician and Surgeon. knew Minnie
Weatherholtz, the life OF Elmer Wealth
erholtz. / have known her about II years
[ was at home Feb 4th 90. | saw her
that day. She vas deal. On 4lh Of last
Feb. between ! and O'Clock a. IN.
was called TO re her and found her
near Mr. Peters Myers barn, in tho barn
yard describes position Oh diagram
Over 40 No. b. b. shot had passed
through the fronta. bone between the
hair and eye brows and had penetrate d
the brain
One wonud was over a half inch long
sud fourth inch wide from which was
flowing brains and blood. The wound
was located a little above lett frontal
emmons. Several shot bad passed
through the parietal bones. She had
ed hair and it was all olotted with blood
In my opinion the sause of death was
paralysis, caused by distraction Of brain
substance. by gun shot wound. The
wound was sufficient TO cause instant
death. Arterial blood was passing from
he shot wounds. The indications were
that the shot had reached her from
above. A few had glanced on the tenn
pie. reached the body within Is or %
minutes after death. | saw her bonnet
That is the bonnet. It's in tho condlt'
ion now that it was then with the ex-
ception that there was more starch in
it. Three thot went into the psretal
bones, Her face was rod with blood and
brain substance, there was great hem
morIhage Of blood. l examined barn of
Peter Myers. | saw where the murder T
had concealed himself l could see the
house and person all the way If he kept
along the fence next to the garden,
which was the dryest walk at that time.
The near window had undoubtedly been
used. She could have been shot from
that window. 1t was the nearest point
that she could have been. In a moment
she wonld have turned.
Cross Examination i did not say who
had done it. A murderer certainly killed
the woman, would you coll bim a preach
err The person who murdered that woman