Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-02-18
FIVE PISTOL SHOTS FIRED
Four of Which Struck Matte
CoIeas, n ell nrN
RESULTING IN HER DEATH
The Other Bulitt Entered the Abdomen of Her
Husband.
CHRIS CotEAS BY HIS OWN HANDS
Ended the Existence of His Faithless Wife
He May IAlso Die Found Man In
the Room and the Above Was
the Result.
RESULTING IN HER DEATH
CHRIS cottAs BY HIS OWN HANDS

At 6:45 o'clock yesterday evening Chris
topher Coleas, an italian fruit dealer,
shot and killed his wife and then attempt
ed suicide by sending bullet into the pit
of his stomach. The shooting took place
in the woman's residence, on Second ave-
nue., between Seventeenth and Eighteenth
streets
For several years Matte Henry was, a
notorious woman of the town, but finally
she married Chris Coleas, and said she
would live down her past life. This, it is
claimed, she has not done, and her hus-
band had become aware of her infidel-
ity. In the house where the woman re-
sided, a two-story frame affair, were also
two other women and negro cook.
Chris, it is said, continued to live with
his wife, although her house bore an I'M
savory reputation.
When Chris went to the room yesterday
evening about $40 o'clock, he found his
wife in bed with only her night clothes
en-. 1t is said that a man was also in tha
room. A minute later five reports were
heard in rapid succession.
When the room was entered the woman
was writing in the agonies of death
on the floor, and Chris lay across the bed,
bleeding profusely from wound in tho
stomach. On the bed lay a 3S-calibre
Smith & Wesson revolver, with five
empty shells in the cylinder.
Chief Mcdonald. with Capt. Wier and
other members Of the force, hurried TO the
scene of the trouble and kept the crowd
of people from the house The street and
neighboring yards and porches were soon
filled with excited people of every color.
The woman soon died from the effects
of her wounds, in fact she lived only a
few minutes. The Warner-Smiley COM
pany sent their conveyance for the body
and removed 1t to their morgue on Twen-
tieth street. where another crowd soon
gathered. When the body was placed on
the cooling board it was clothed only
with the woman'S underwear
Upon examination it was found that
four bullets had entered in different parts
of the body. Marks showed that she had
been shot in the left elbow, the calf of the
left leg, in the thigh and through the in
teStines. The last wound seems to have
been made by bullet that entered in the
left side just below the heart and, rang
ing downward. forced its way out
through the center of the abdomen. This
is the bullet that caused her death.
Chris Coleas had turned the muzzle of
the pistol to his own body and fired the
fifth shot. Although badly wounded he
had not succeeded in his evident attempt
at suicide He was taken to the Hillmsn
hospital in the Warner-Smiley company's
ambulance. where Drs, Copeland and Ber-
ry probed for the bullet AT late hour
last night the ball had not been found.
and Chris was lying in a very critical con-
dition. His recovery Is very doubtful.
1t is said that Coleas was drinking yes
terday but had contemplated killing his
wife for some time One of the inmates
of his wife's place, named Maggie Smith,
claimed that Chris had told her he would
kill his wife last night.
Chris has been conducting the fruit
stand occupying the space in the front
of the store where Minis B. Stone has
his dispensary Of Observation-Disclosures. Here
tofore he has been regarded as a peacea-
BILE, law-abiding citizen.
In the days of the experience of Matte
Henry in houses of ill-repute, 1t is said
that she and Coleas We're lovers and that
on account of dangers from the law had
decided to marry rather than go to the
penitentiary.
Before the womans body had been re-
moved from the room in which the trag-
EDDY occurred Chris begged Officer Mullin
to render his wife all assistance possible
and not to worry about him At one
time he exclaimed that he was tired of
America and would go back to his native
land. When told the woman was dead
he began crying very loud and showed
more distress than was expected.