The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-03
SHOT HER, THEN HIMSELF
ROBERT LASH, AN EX-CONvICT, AND
HIS WIFE BOTH DEAD.
Sunday Evening Tragedy in a Dis
reputable Resort on West
Court Street.

splotched with blood that trickled from two
CHASTITY wounds told the story of Sunday
evening tragedy. A curious throng stood
about the bodies and women in clean white
dresses held their skirts aside and peered
into the faces of the dead.
The man was Robert LASH twenty-six
years old. He shot and killed his wife
Emma about $3.50 clock in the evening and
then killed himself. The woman was about
twenty-five years of age and was an in
mate of the house kept by Ella Shaffer at
2l12 West Court street. 1t was there that
the tragedy took place while the household
was at supper Lash was an ex-convict, but
had been out of prison since last December.
lie was convicted of robbery about three
years ago and was sent up from the Grim
inal Court in this city. His wife, accord
ing to the story of the Shaffer woman, had
been living there about ten days. Lash
came to Mrs. Shaffer with pitiful story
of being unable to make a living for his
wife, He said they had been living in a
block on Massachusetts avenue, but their
rent was due and he was not able to raise a
dollar. He asked her to take his wife into
the house until he could do something for
her.
The Court-street woman had known Mrs.
come and stay there as long as she desired.
Mrs. Lash went to the house a little over a
week ago. The Shaffer woman says Mrs
Lash told her that she did not want to live
with Bob because he was not doing well.
She said he had asked her to secrete goods
that he would get hold of and proposed that
he go down near Noblesviile and rob his
aunt. She told him she would have nothing
a Shaf or
says she told Mrs. Lash that she had better
not have anything to do with her husband,
and informed her that she must not allow
him to come there to see her. Notwith-
standing this order Lash went occasionally
to see his wife, He seemed deeply attached
to her. The women of the house say that
he came there last Thursday and proposed
to her that she reform and come and live
with him again He told her that if she
would join one of the churches and do right
his parents would accept her into their
home.
FIRST SENT A NOTE.
Yesterday afternoon, about o'clock, a
messenger boy went to the Shaffer house
with a note for Mrs. Lash. 1t was from
her husband, who asked her to meet him
on corner. Mrs. Lash handed the note
to a girl known Flora Reitzell and asked
her to read it, 1t began with Dearest
Emma" and closed wish Goodbye, dear,
1 hope God will bless YOU" The note stated
that the writer was going away, and he
hoped his wife would come out for little
while and talk to him. Mrs. Lash, after
the note was read to her, tore it into pieces.
She said she did not care to see her hus-
band, and the incident was apparently for
gotten. About $50 o'clock the women of
the house sat down to supper. A little later
the door bell rang, and a colored servant
went to answer it. AS soon she saw that
Lash was at the door she declined to let
him in, and tried to explain to him that
he must not enter the house, but must so
away. Lash declared he must see his wife,
and stepped inside. He took seat in one
of the parlors and the girl went into the
dining room.
He wants to see YOU she remarked to
Mrs. Lash, without indicating who the
caller was. The woman left the table and
went to the parlor. About the same time
two young men presented themselves at the
door and were admitted. They too, went
into the parlor. and the girl. Flora Reit-
zell, was called for. AS she left the dining
room Mrs. Lash came back and said Bob
was there. She had been eating her dessert
when her husband came, and when she
walked back to the dining room she re-
marked that she did not intend to be swim
died out of her peaches and cream She
picked up the dish and started back to the
parlor. The two young men and Flora Reit-
zell were still there, and Lash and his wife
stepped out into the hall. They talked there
few minutes, and then there was the
sound of a pistol shot The proprietress
of the place, sitting at the table in the dim
ing room, heard the crack Of the pistol and
wondered at the silence that followed.
Then she heard sound as if something
heavy had fallen on the floor in the hall
way. She sprang up with the remark: Il
believe Bob has killed Emma" Flora
Reitzell saw the tragedy. AS Lash and his
wife left the parlor the Reitzell girl was
laughing and chatting with the two young
men. but she arose and stepped to the door.
AS she looked into the hall the shot was
fired by Lash. He and his wife stood close
together, leaning against the wall. AS it
seemed to the girl at the door, Lash was
holding his wife. AS the shot was fired
the woman fell heavily against the wall
and then slowly dropped to the floor She
did not utter sound.
THEN SHOT HIMSELF.
Lash still held the pistol in his hand and
as his wife fell, he started toward the rear
hall door. He reached the door and as he
passed through he turned and stood an
instant, looking at his wife on the floor.
Then he passed on out into the back yard
and walked about forty feet to a small
grape arbor. Here he was found lying dead
five minutes later. with his pistol near him
and a bullet wound in his left temple. To
the inmates of the house it seemed that he
had scarcely closed the door when they
heard a shot fired.
The tragedy caused great excitement in
the house and the news was quickly tele-
phoned to the police station. The street
was soon filled win people and curious
spectators crowded into the house. There
was no call for physician, for the woman
died instantly and the man never spoke
after he fired the bullet into his own brain.
Superintendent Quigley and Captain Daw-
son were the first to arrive from the police
station. They ordered the bodies of the
man and woman taken to the city morgue
in the rear Of the police station, where they
were placed side by side. The doors of the
morgue were thrown open and for an hour
no one was kept out. The womans face
was covered with blood. The bullet had
entered the left side of her forehead, tear
ing away the eye. She lay there attired in
the dress she had worn all day--a red
house-gown, with black lace at the neck.
In life she had been woman of fair COM
plexion, with auburn hair.
Within an hour after Jne bodies had been