Evening star., 1897-01-09
F O U N D HIS WIFI e
Joseph White of Norfolk Made a Dis
covery.
Then He Proceeded to Do Some Re-
vOlver Practice-Police Pre-
vented a Killing.

This morning between s and 8 o'clock, a
few minutes after the morning roll call in
the first police station, colored man, who
had been running SO fast that he had hard
ly breath enorgh left to speak, rushed into
the station and gasped: "a mans killing a
woman at No. 400 18th street" Precinct
Detective Sutton was in the Office at the
time, and, with others, he rushed to the
house, which is kept by colored woman
named Josephine Norris. He arrived there
probably in time to prevent murder, for
in the house he found a white man named
Joseph White. who was armed with a
pistol and who was using profane and
Threatening language.
TN blow your brains OUT was the
first thing the officer heard, and when he
reached a room on an upper floor he found
the intoxicated man and two badly fright
ened women in the room. The man had
fired one shot, and at the time the officer
reached the loom he had the women stand
ing against the wall in their night clothes
pleading for their lives.
One was white and the other colored.
The former was the mans wife, so he
claimed, and he had found her sleeping
with one of the colored inmates of the
house. He had gene there for the purpose
of making her leave the house, and net
withstanding the exciting episode and the
improper surroundings, the wife clung to
her husband, and declared that he had
fired the shot in the wall to scare her. and
that he mad not attempted to take her life.
The story told the police by the parties
to the affair is a sad one. Joseph White is
a carpenter by trade and lives in Norfolk.
Like many other mechanics, he has not
had much work during the past year, al
though he managed to provide all the nee
essaries of life and few luxurieS. But
the wife became dissatisfied in the Virginia
city, and came here, leaving her husband
and children to do the best they could.
The wife found it en- easy matter 20 get
home in the alleged disreputable house
kept by the colored woman, and there she
pcsec housekeeper. Just how the hus-
band learned of her whereabouts was not
made known, but he evidently knew where
she was before he reached here, for he
had no trouble in locating the house and
finding his wife. He left his home in Nor
folk last evening, and reached here early
this morning.
On his way here he did not forget to in
dulge in a large quantity of spirituous
liquors. so that he was considerably under
its influence when he reached the city.
Soon after the boat landed at the river
front he was in the Division" and to
some men whom he met on the corner he
exhibited his revolN er and told briefly the
story of his domestic troubles, as well as
intimating that he would wind up affairs
in the house.
Intoxicated men are welcomed to these
houses AT almost any time SO that the Nor
folk citizen experienced no trouble in his
efforts to get in the house. He was not
there on an errand to kill, or even shoot,
so tar as the woman at the door knew, so
that he was permitted to go upstairs. He
soon found the room in which his wife was
sleeping, and sooner had he entered
than she was aroused, and the sight of the
husband so thoroughly frightened her that
she sprang from the bed, the colored wo-
man following her. Then it was that the
report of the pistol was heard, and the bull
let was sent crashing through the wall.
Loud screams aroused the sleeping inmates
of this and other houses and the officers
were surprised that the man had not fired
more than one shot. When Precinct De-
tective Sutton entered the room he placed
White under arrest, and disarmed him
without any trouble. From the house
W hite was taken to the police station.
Being too much under the influence of
liquor to stand trial, he was locked up, to
get sober, and Monday his case will be
heard in Judge Miler's court