The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-11-18
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
Death Reaps'a Grim Harvest at Num-
Der "a FenGhurGh Street.
SHOT THE WOMAN AND KILLED HIMSELF
Fred. Martin, Rather Than Allow His
Mistress 10 Leave Him, wounds
Her Mortaliy Rnd Puts 3hrcc BuI.
lets Into His own Body-Thc
WOmnn's Condition.

The quiet neighborhood roundabout the
corner of Fenchurch and Bermuda stree,
was startled yesterday afternoon abou,
3:35 o'clock by the reports of five psto!
shots Tired in rapid successive. An ltai-
ian boy named Pasco, passing by Mrs.
| 5. A. Ashburn's boarding house, No .,
fenchurch street, heard the shots and
almost simultaneously the landlady rush
Ell down the stairs, opened the door and
told him to get an officer to come the,.
quick-that Fred. Martin. one of her lodg-
ers. had shot his wife and himself.
The frightened boy ran down Bermuda
street and found officer Cafree ON his
beat The latter hurried at once TO the
spot. where he found that even In that
short while no less than 200 excited people
had gathered in front of the building
Forcing his way through the crowd the
oihcer entered the house. and proceeding
up stairs rapidly opened the door of the
| middle room on the second Roor
a DOUBLE TRAGEDY.
1T was evident Immediately that a ter
rible tragedy had been enacted Martin
| lay on the floor Il few feet from the door
his left hand grasping IL revolver, n bull
let hole through his forehead, and two
through the body. His shirt, where one
OF the balls had entered was on fire
hio " aS cNllIlS ana minute In
Martin had brcathed his last
On the opposite side of the room. about
| seven feet away from the man, the wo-
| man who had been known as his w,fe
| lay with her face to the wall, q bullet
wound through the abdomen, and suffer-
ing intensely. Several physicians arrived
In Few minutes, among them Coroner
| Newton. who took charge.
| HER ANTE-MORTEM STATEMENT
Justice a. II. Ashburn was sent for and
when he came took the woman's mite
,nortem statement. which was as fol
~ won't tell anything" Then. after
oeing urged to talk. Il was tired OF liv-
away l told him ! would 20 and siav
awhile and come back TO him / put On
my nat and started to goto the drcss-mak-
cts. re Sa!u: came up here to do
somsthtng and may we'll do it, then
he he, shot me; tried to raise and when
cd the revolver and Shot himself | only
remerber him firing two shots at him
MRS. ASHBURN'S STATEMENT.
These people came here and secured
lodgings last fall. They gave their names
| as Fred Martin and Wife. saw very lit
Tie OF them. They We're quiet and peace
ape able AND Nd, the e woman never bothered any
News. leaving her trunk here She came
over FOR the trunk yesterday and had ii
to Newport News Tonight Martin came
in this morning but Went back out. and
when the shooting occurred ! had no idea
| he was i'm The house. know nothing
whatever about it and very little ahnui
ne people; He was a saw-iiler by trade,
| There We're a number OF other lodgcrs
IN the house. but none OF them saw The
9noot'nG 81 hs ,E or knew ,anyihing about it,
when they were fired.
THE VICTIMS
Any one OF the three wounds which Mar
TIN inflicted upon himself would have
caused death. The, weapon used was a
Yer. Ono of the balls entered the len
breast; Just above the heart: another
The third ploughed its way through tile
frontal bone, a little TO the left OF center
and reached the brain. During The few
ng and his death he was entirely Gucon-
scious. The body was sent TO the moIguc
and an inquest VIII be held by Coroner
Newton over the remains at 1899 to-day.
The dead man was originally from near
Pantego, y. c.. but has been here short
time. having lived. it is said. in Ports,
ety Ills sa father a, < Pm p. MqriiG, has ven
lima. and will probably reach here to-day.
HER REAL NAME.
But one pistol ball entered the worlan's
body and that was In the stomach. Tie
! other struck a steel of her corset ana
She was removed TO St Nncents Hospi-
tal where an operation was performed
in an endcavor TO locate the miss le
There seems little doubt that she was
not the wife of Fred Martin She told
Coroner Newton her real name was
White, but this IS also believed to he un-
true. Her real name, according to Detec-
tive Hcppel, whose Information is no
doubt correct. is Blanche DAYS Her
home IN Christiield, Washington county.
y. c.. where she is said 10 have a brother
Charles X. Davis, who has been tclc-
graphed to-. just before she was re-
message to her brother to be delivered in
case of her death. TO Mrs. Ashburm, whose
name is also Crawford, she having been
divorced. Mrs. Ashhnrn refuses to give
the nature OF the message, saying 1t is
altogether of private import.
ABSENCE OF IMPORTATION.
There was n most decided absence of in
formation concerning the affair except
that which was given by the woman her
self. Although there were several other
people in the house, no one saw the deed
and none of the dodgers knew anythin,;
of either party, not even their namrs
There was no other evidence of Il quarrel
between them than that evolved in the
woinan's statement. When she left her
lodging house a few days ago to 20 to
Newport News. she said her husband"
was going with her. but there IS ample
evidence that he did not. When she re-
turned he followed her up to the house
bur there Is no reason to believe that she
did not desire him to know that she was
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