Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-02-27

A w. Patterson shot his wife, Hat
tie, at II o'clock Monday night and
then turned the deadly weapon at his
own head and pulled the trigger. The
bullet struck him in the right temple
just back of the eye. Mrs. Patterson
gaping wound is just over and little
back of the left eye Both were barely
breathing at a. m, and the attend
ing physicians, Drs. L. R. Head and
T. w Evans, stated that they could
not live beyond a few hours at most.
The cause apparently was temporary
insanity.
They have apartments at E. E. Ste
vens', 202 North Carroll street, where
the murder ard suicide were committed.
All living III the house, except they,
had retired. The household was
startled about midnight by several
shots. Miss Jennie Patterson, an 49,
year-old daughter, was the first 20
reach the scene of the tragedy. She
found her mother lying on her back
in a pool of blood on the floor.
Kneeling at the bed was her father
In his hands he clasped tightly the
little engine of death. His head was
resting on the bed. Miss Patterson
fed from the sickening scene and went
screaming through the house
Others Of the household, awakened
by the shots, hurried to the Patterson
bedroom. John Thompson, Mrs. Eliza
beth's Browns coachman, was the Sec
ond one to enter the room. He took the
revolver from the gasping mans hands
John Duff, ticket agent at the Illinois
rOOmers at the house, were soon on the
scene. Mr.. Kroncke telephoned the po-
lice and Officers Boyd and Shaughnessy
responded. DR.. L. R. Hand was first
! summoned, but could do little to save
! the life of Patterson or his wife. DR.
Evans was called later and together
/ they probed the bleeding wounds for
the fatal bullets, but with no success.
Patterson was fully dressed with the
! exception of collar and shoes, slippers
| taking the place of the latter Mrs.
Patterson was in her night robe and
/ had evidently retired before being shot
There is a wound in her right arm 1t
is thought that she threw her arm up
in front of her face while her husband
was firing at her and that one of the
bullets penetrated her arm and lodged
in her forehead. The revolver, now in
/ the possession of the police, contains
four empty shells and one load,
or cartridge. The doctors can
! find wounds inflicted by
only three bullets at most.
The cause of the awful tragedy was
evidently temporary insanity. DR.. G. H.
/
/ he had treated Patterson and that the
latter had admitted that he was not in
his RICH mind at times. The doctor
is of the BELIEF that Patterson was
crazy when he committed the murder
and suicide
| Patterson used to attend the univer-
sity years ago and he came back here
! to give his children the benefit of it
and the Madison public schools. He
has five children-AIbert % years
old, a general and wholesale
merchant of BIairsburg, Iowa; George,
attending the university; Jennie, in the
high school; and Allie and Hattie, the
latter II years old, in the ward school,
Albert came to visit his parents a
week ago and intended to return to his
home last evening. His father dis
suaded him from doing so, however, on
some slight pretext. The young man
is a bright business man and talked
freely of his fathers terrible deed.
Il have not the remotest idea why
my father did this awful act he said.
He and mother, Mr.. and Mrs. Ste
vens, George and myself attended the
Congregational church in the evening
and heard Rev. B. Fay Mills. We all
came home in the best of spirits. At
ter getting home we chatted for time
and George and myself retired TO our
room. Father came up to our room
about II o'clock, perhaps, and got the
Madison evening paper which he took
to his apartments to read He could
not have perused it long before he
committed his terrible act. He neither
uses tobacco in any form nor drinks
Intoxicating liquors. He has always
been of quiet, peaceable disposition
and appeared to think very much OF
his children. He is a man Of consid-
cradle wealth. He is about so years
Of age and was born in Ireland and
brought up in Exeter, Green county. .
The present Mrs. Patterson is our STEP
mother. She is about 40 years old and
has been married to father for the past
two years. She was a Mrs. Hattie |