The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-13
Especial 10 The Herald.)

(Speclal 10 Inc f1erdlQ.J
Ogden, Utah, Feb 12-John D. Doug
lass shot and killed Emma S. Douglass.
his wife, at Huntsville. this afternoon.
killing her instantly. He then fired
three shots at himself. but failed TO ac-
complish self-destruction. the weapon,
being a shotgun. and the failure result
ing from his inability TO keep his hand
ON the trigger and his head in line with
/ the muzzIe of the weapon.
The affair happened between and 4
| O'Clock, in front of the home of Lars
Larson. the father of Mrs. Douglass.
| AS announced in The Herald this
morning, John D. Douglass had been
| sued for divorce by his wife, Emma D.
/ Douglass. When the papers We're serv-
ed on him by Deputy Ballantyne last
night, he was much excited, and spoke
very bitterly and threateningly of his
wife. He was drinking heavily. and
| when in this condition, is known to be
! puarrelsOme. A few days ago he re-
! turned from Red canyon, in Wyoming,
| where he has been working. He was
preparing to leave for British Colum-
bia, ard expected to leave tomorrow
night.
/
stable about 1870, and got rig, and to
| Browning Bros. and got a shotgun,
/ with 30 rounds of ammunition At
! Huntsville which is about II miles east
! from here, he found his wife away
/ from home, at the home of p H olsen
| He went down and got her, the two
| riding back TO her fathers house in the
/ same rig
At the gate Douglass got out. and,
after q few words, fired at his wife
! from a short distance away. while she
! was yet sitting in the buggy Ihe
charge entered her neck and face. She
fell forward. and finally slipped out OF
/ the rig, but not until it was stained
with her lifes blood.
SHOOTING AT HIMSELF.
A crowd collected, but Douglass kept
tfem at a distance He then tried to
shoot himself with the gun, but was
unsuccessful. He would threaten the
crowd. which was composed OF men.
women and children, and which was
constantly being augmented; then he
would take another shot at himself He
never thought to try pulling the trigger
with his foot, and succeeded only IN
burning his face and coat
Meanwhile, Charley Cramer rode to
the opposite side of Huntsville and
told Constable John c. Grow Of the
afIdlT. NTIOW CAME QOWL anu -DoA--
Douglass shooting at himself, and the
crowd watching him. a shell stuck
fast in the gun. whereupon Grow closed
in and put an end to the affair.
LYNCHING THREATENED.
The constable put his prisoner in the
rig and waited for nothing, but came
direct to Ogden. His haste was ocea-
stoned by threats of lynching, which
were reported to him, and a crowd
was collecting at a point on the road TO
this CITY a block or two below where
the prisoner was being held Grow
whipped past this crowd and arrived in
Ogden with his prisoner about
o'clock.
DOUGLASS PLEADS GUILTY.
Douglass admitted doing the deed,
and to a deputy sheriff said: THE
state will not have to pay anything TO
convict me; I'll plead guilty"
He was seen in his cell by a Herald
reporter and talked freely of the at
fair saying in part: 1T is a terrible
thing and I don't know just how II
happened. I killed her, but I did not
go up to do it. 1 went to get my chest
and clothes, which she had was
afraid of her father, and 1 took the
gun. not to use, but just as a pre-
caution. l know he had it in for me.
1 went down TO Olsen'S and got her
and told her I was going 10 British
Columbia. At the gate. when she
called me a coward and other hard
names, I shot her. l did not realize
what 1 was doing, but 1 know it well
enough now. 1 stood about at the
horses head when 1 fired I wanted
to kill myself. I could have killed the
constable, but 1 did not want to. 1
had done enough.
There had been ugly talks made to
me about my wife and other men, es-
pecially Lars X. Peterson, but I don't
believe them. They are false; 1 know
they are
The suit for divorce was filed by At
torney Mark d. Lessenger yesterday.
1t gave cruelty and desertiOn as the
grounds and stated that she was in
fear for her life. The couple were
married on Christmas day. 1891, and
have two children. Her parents are
well-to-do people of Huntsville, and
much esteemed.
George 3. Douglass. father OF the
man who did the shooting, was at one
time a member of the city council in
Ogden. He had not heard of the af-
fair when a Herald reporter called last
night and informed him of the tragedy
He. as well as the boys mother. were
much affected. The last time they had
seen their boy was about / o'clock,
when he came and got some dinner and
a razor, saying he wanted TO put the
latter with his outfit for British Co
lumbia. Mr.. and Mrs. George B. Doug
lass have lived in Ogden for manE
years, and have the sympathy of q
large circle of friends in their trouble.
Sheriff Belnap, Attorney Peery,
Coroner Ternes and a stenographer
will go to Huntsville tomorrow TO look
up evidence and hold an inquest. At
the court house last night the talk was
all of executions, and the fear was free
ly expressed at the sherifs Office that
an execution would have to take place.
Buccaneer Sailed Away.