The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-06-12
TRAGEDY At CHICAGO.
John WoIter Fatally Shoots His
Step Children.
THE MOTHER HIS A CLOSE CALL.

She Grasps the Infuriated Man Around the
Neck and Tries to Secure the Revolver,
but wolter Fires at the Two Children
with Fatal Enect-Had Frequently
Threatened to Kill His Fsmily-Troubis
Caused by Property.
CHICAGO, June l2.-After having re
peatedly threatened TO kill his entire fam
ily, John Wolter Of 4l9 Mclean avenue,
shot and fatally wounded his two step
daughters in the back yard Of his home at
7:45 o'clock "Wednesday night. The shoot
ing was the result Of "a quarrel over some
property that belongs to Mrs. Wolter, but
which Wolter has for long time wanted
her to deed to him. The two girls who were
shot were Jennie Stoker, aged IS, shot In
the mouth, the ball emerging at the back
Of the neck below the left ear, and Mamie
Stoker, aged Z, shot in the abdomen, died
at 80 Thursday morning, but the elder
has bare chance Of recovery. Jennie,
| who was at the house for a few days visit
with her mother, had never been favorite
with her stepfather and precipitated the
quarrel by her presence. Wolter, who
| works for William Clayton, sash, door and
blind manufacturer at 9S2 Sheridan
street is carpenter, 30 years old. He
reached home at o'clock "Wednesday
night, and soon get in quarrel with his
wife and elder stepdaughter about some
| rent money that had been received from
Mrs. Rose VOTERS property in Hamlin
| avenue, near Ohio street.
Drove Them from the House.
Finally Wolter drove his wife and the
| two girls out on the back porch of their
| nat. which Is the top fiat of the building,
| and went out the front way for beer. He
i threatened to kill them all and himself IA
| soon as he returned Wolter came back
| with the beer at 7:45, and meeting Harry
| Sheehan the occupant Of the other fiat,
/ asked him TO take a drink. Sheehan re
| fused and the men went upstairs. Short
| ly Sheehan heard sounds of a scuffie up
stairs and at that moment the girls and
| Mrs. Wolter ran down the back stairs
Wolter leaped down the front steps with u
revolver in his hand, and going To the
| pasSageway east of the house ran TO
the rear shouting, iii fix every one Of
you!"
Mrs. Wolter met the infuriated man Mt
| the rear end Of the passlgcway and grasp
ed him around the neck, trying To get hold
| of his revolver Woltcr at once began TO
| shoot and fired three shots before the
brave woman succeeded i'm pulling down
his arm and forcing the muzzle of the re-
volver into the ground As she did this
he cartridge chamber of the weapon fell
out. and this probably saved the woman
life, as Wolter finally got his arm loose
and pointing the gun at his wife snapped
L ~. I.x,.. sifrla
Dor. Charles Done, reached over his fence
and seized the arm of the assassin.
The shots struck the Girls.
When the shots We're fired the two girl
| were standing close To their mother. AM
as the struggle continued ran screaming
: through the pasSagcway toward the street
| Jennie. the elder pushed her han'
I | through one of the windows of the Shec
| han fiat and cried 10 them TO open tn
door. as her stcpfather was trying to xii
them. The other girl sunk TO the foo
unconscious. halfway down the passage
and was soon after picked up by Mrs
; | Mary Mcdonald aud taken to her home a
i29 Mclean avenue Jennie, with th'
3 | blood streaming from her face, raj
: screaming for help To the drug store a
llgO Armitage avenue. Within two min
| utes after the shooting began the yarc
!, back of 49, Mclean avenue was fillct
a | with neighbors and Woltcr was bound
D and soon after was arrested by Officer Pa
a | Flanagan of the Attrill street station
e | The wounded girls were taken to the -
f Elizabeth hospital with their mother, VIII
!, was proStrated 10y the struggle, whcr
. several hours later Mamie died Joh
= Wolter married Mrs. Rose Stoker in ser
tcmbcr 1898. she having been a widow fo
n two years, and owing the property wher
e she then lived, i'm Hamlin avenue, nea
IS Ohio street.
n Property the Cause of the Trouble.
n This property. which was worth abou
If g.. 900. had always been a bone of contei
4, tion i'm the family, Wolter claiming tina
ls she should either decd or will II tn min
l. and William Stoker, Mrs. Stocker's grow
d up son. and Jennie claiming II as their
ID Owing to this trouble William stoke
-s who is "A police officer ON the central detail
stationed at the Polk street depot, woul
G have nothing to do with his stepfathe
d and Jennie Stoker refused to live a
rs home with him This condition of affair
~ had infuriated Wolter and he had ofte
ts threatened either to kill his family {
~ himself. even going so far, six month
of ago. as to go up into the attic and d.
'd several shots pretending to Kill himsel
q Wolter has reputation among his neig
ne bors of being quarrclsome man wh
ne when at all under the influence OF hquo
IN will fight about the most trivial matter