Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-30
william Msadf Kills Maggie Driver
and Then Fatally Mounds Himself
HAD SWORN TO TAKE HER LIFE
She Would Not Tell Him Good-Dy' So
He Shot Her.
,cc,ns ~ craoLAMrs PLACE
po.I,,,ng That the """"" "
,oxca Was Dead The ''''''
r,t HIS Pistoi b" HIS
. and PuIIcd the TRIGGER

.,.,, shortly after 10 o'clock Will
i'''' ,-...,,,s woll-known painter,
''"''' ....,.r the influence Of whiskey. shot
,..,,., Maggie Driver. a woman with
-, ne had been intimate Tor SeVeral
,,,rs and fired fatal bullet INTO MS
own head
,,,,n. the wound which Meadors IN
go, pnon himself did not produce I'M
,,,iiate death, his physicians did not
.h.-t he could possibly live through the
night
The tragedy-one Of the most remark
sble that ever happened in this city-oe-
c,,rred I'm the restaurant Of A. Giroiahh
adjoining his saloon, at the southeast
Cover OF Franklin and Fifteenth streets
one OF the roughest localities Of the city
The story. as told by Captain Thomas
or ,hc First Police District. is the most
complete narrative given by any one.
lrs saws that about ten minutes aiter !"
o'clock a small white boy. whose name
s.. aid not learn ran into the sla'io"
house. and excitedly said: "A man mas
shot and killed Mag and snot at me
yhis was sufficient TO cause the oillcei
addressed TO put his coat on IN huriS'
and rush 20 the scene OF the Tragedy
,antain Thomas started Policeman Dug
,ap Of while he was donning his coat
.nd that officer arrived al DiIo'ah'i o'
ore his captain did.
GHAsTIN PICTURE PRESENTED.
The offlcers. upon reaching the scehe'
made Inquiry as 10 what had happ'heu'
and were informed by number OF per-
SONS standing around on the OUTSIDE
os .he place. as II some great deVour-
ne monster was within, that the shoouhs
bod taken place iu the room where GIRO
iaui serves oysters. only two people
we're iu tie bar and one OF these WaS
Airs Ciroiami Caplain IhOmas, Itall1i"@
,he situation and knowing that the man
T. inside was armed stationed him
SOLE al the FranlSlin-street door or the
rlace ps turned the knob. and opened
az o. sufficiently far 10 peer within
a eh8-tly picture greeted his vision. Upon
tra floor breathing her last. was unloI-
funatc. fallen Maggie Driver, whiie'
iIDon his knees, leaning over her pros
trafe body. with his smoking pistol III
his own mouth, was her murderer VII
liam Meaoors. ,., ,.o
I'tlfINIu lUUNIdN AI OAltt Nif AAlNA 't'"
irtertiou Of Neadors. and sent Policeman
puegsn around 10 the rear door of the
restaurant. i'm the hope that that OIL
GERS entrance from that door might at
trao. the attention OF the wOuid-be SUI
eide and that he Captain Thomas) might
rush upon him and get his revolver away.
Eut this was not to be the result ana
Tho plans of The weil-mcaning onicer
failed. When Captain Thomas had wa!ted
until he thought Mr buggan had l1u
sufficient time TO reach the rear door, ne
pushed open the front door, only 20 see
AIeadors put his weapon again into his
mouth and IRE
HAD SWORN TO KILL HER
Tho murderer then fell backwards. and
it was thought that be rad put am end TO
fis existence. In very few minutes how
ever. he began TO rally somewhat and,
being suu conscious. conversed about the
affair with those near him. He was
asked hv Captain Thomas why he had
killed Maggie. and replied: 81 told her
TODAY when she said she would not tell
mo cood-by. that / would kill her, ana
die with hey. l swore l would do IL. l
was going TO join the United States
army
Immediately after Meadors had shot
himself the entire premises of GirOlami
were filed with excited spectators look
ine upon the CHASTITY picture. There were
corgregated men. and women from all
over that section of the city. The am
bulance and the Coroner were promptly
telephoned for. and they arrived as
quickly as could possibly have been eX-
uected. Drs. Parker and Kern, who ac-
compauied the ambulance, made huf-
ried examination OF the wound OF Mead
ors. and pronounced it 20 be fatal. They
f.c hurry suffering
man t0 the almshouse. which was done. In
the mean while the Coroner Dr. William
H. Tayl0r. made a cursOry Investigation
of the facts concerning the aftair and
subsequently had the dead woman re-
moved 10 tho morgue.
DIDN'T EXAMINE THE BODY.
DIT Taylor did not deem il proper 20
make thorough examination Of the
wound or wounds of the woman in
Grolamfs place. and postponed this until
this morning. The shot. which was evi-
IDENTIFY fatal. even If she received no other
bullets into her body. took effect in the
right breast just under the shoulder
blade. passing near, ID not scvcring the
suhclavain. one Of the principal arteries
sn the human body. just the course Of
the ball could not be told without probing.
und this the Coroner aid not think proper
a. do al the time. Maggie was rather a
p0od-loOkng woman, with dark hair and
ewes. and evidently not more than about
p or % years Of age and made a plteOus-
looking corpse.
MRS. GIROLAMTS STATEMENT.
Mrs. Grolami was I'm the bar-room al
the time Of the shooting and heard. 50
rhe says. three or four shots distinctly.
She then ran around u the back door,
which leads into the restaurant
and behind the oyster-counter, and
according 10 her story, saw William
rushing frantically around the room viii
the revolver IN his hand. She became
terribly frightened. and rushed out into
the street giving the alarm Of the occur
renee % an nearby. She states that she
asked a man. whom she did not know
20 20 90 the station-house and tell tbs
news. Mrs. Grolami stated that Meador'
had been about the place for some time
and that he was drinking, but she asserts
positively that she did not know thai
The woman was about until she saw hei
DEAD body lying upon the floor.
tWORE HE WOULD KILL HER.
Meadofs had on Tuesday enlisted In
the United States army, and was in his
uniform when he committed the awful
DECD. IL is supposed that the killing was
due 10 his contemplated departure for
his new post Of duty. From what could
be learned in general way about the
anair. Meadors had gone to see Maggie
yesterday 20 tell her good-by. and she
refused TO bid him farewell. He then swore
that he would XIII her. and die with
her. The presumption from this Is that
me man did not want the woman 10 fol-
low him. and that he had made up his
mind 10 20 lie loved Maggie despcraf ely.