Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-13

SOlI--1lV0 SuOtS ElTGO Ill 1AH'
Holden Had Repeatedly Made
Threats Against the Entire Fam
ily-Had been Drinking During
the Night.
One of the most shocking tragedies
occurring in this city for a long time
past took place yesterday morning al
just about seven o'clock, in the build
ing No. 1907 Eoff street, Familiarity
known IS the Shot Tower"
In the kitchen room of this house,
on the second floor, which is reached
by narrow flight of wooden steps
from the yard, Solomon Holden, rag
dealer by occupation, aged forty-nlne
years. murdered his wife, aged fifty
one, and then fatally shot himself.
The wife died in about twenty min
utes, but the murderer lived until ten
minutes of eleven o'colck. Neither re-
gained consciousness after the wounds
were inflicted.
THE SHOT TOWER"
The building where this horror was
enacted has before figured in police
and criminal matters 1t is a three
story frame structure, standing about
thirty-fve feet back from the west side
of Eoff street, and the entrances are
on the north side. Mrs. Ella Craft,
a daughter of the dead couple, lived IN
the eastern portion of the second and
third floors of the building, while her
parents and four younger children
Howard, aged %, William, aged Is,
Mary, aged Is, and Myrtle, aged 10,
lived in the western portion OF the
building. A sixth of the children, Mrs
Lulu Goudy, resided in the Fifth ward
Mrs. Craft had occupied her portion
of the house only since December last
but her parents had lived there for
about two years.
THE STORY OF THE CRIME
is not a long one.
Holden had lived upon bad terms
with his wife and children for long
time past and upon many occasions
he threatened to kill his wife and
others of the family. About two weeks
ago he made such threats, and the facs
was reported to Chief Of Police Ben
nett AS a result of his cond let In this
regard and his drinking too much
whisky his wife refused to allow him
to live at the house, and for some time
he has spent the night elsewhere, but
was frequently about during the day.
Wednesday at noon he came to that
part OF the house occupied by Mrs
Craft and repeated his threats, but
but very little account was taken Of
his talk, as it had gotten to La an old
story. At nine o'clock Wednesday
night Holden returned to his daughters
house. He had been drinking to some
extent, and had a bottle of whisky
with him, about an inch of the contents
having been drank. He made no
threats al that time, and soon left, and
nothing more was seen of him by mem
bers of his family until yesterday
morning when the crime promptly fell
lowed his appearance.
Entering the yard Of the house from
Eoff street on the east, one walks west
until the house is reached, passing
along the north side OF it, and going
under the porch projecting from the
upper story. ascends by flight of
steps to the second story. Proceeding
west along the porch a few steps the
visitor comes to the door of the Holden
house This was the course taken by
THE MURDERER AND SUICIDE
Yesterday morning just about seven
O'Clock. Mrs Holden had risen a short
time before seven, and was at the
kitchen stove, near the door, when her
husband came along The porch from
the head of the stairs. AS she was at
the stove, and just as she possibly
heard and recognized her husband
footsteps, her son Howard started
down stairs for the second story The
mother turned from the stove toward
the stairs and called to her son to go
back AS she did this her back was
towards the outside door, she standing
quite close to it, Holden opened the
door, and must have had his revolver
ready in his hand. He advanced the
weapon, from all the circumstances,
within a few inches of his wife's back,
and fired The woman fell. and as she
was falling or just as she struck the
floor, Holden fired again, the ball en-
tering his wife's head just above the
left eye Holden fired third shot of
which no trace was found and whether