The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-13
VIII Answer for the
BRUTAL MURDER or Ills WIFE
N THIS CITY YESTERDAY MORN.
1NG-THE SCENE WAS THE
SHOT TOWER" IN EAST
WHEELING AND THE DEED
WAS COMMITTED AT Z O'CLOCK
YESTERDAY MORNING THE
WIFE MURDERER SHOT HIM.
SELF AND FINGERED UNTIL II
O'CLOCK.
O'CLOCK.

~ Yesterday morning at z o'clock, East
Wheeling people We're startled upon
hearing five revolver shots. fired In
rapid succession. Patrol Driver Joseph
Mays. who was on duty In the police
patrol house, q short distance away,
was tho first outsider who located the
scene OF the shooting, which was in
the "shot tower" building on Eonc
street, Just in the rear of the Flaccus
preserve works.
He lost no tlme In Fastening to the
place, where a crowd was fast Collect
Ing. Upon investigation, II was found
that q tragedy had just occurred The
second floor was the scene OF the shoot
Ing; here resided Mrs. Solomon Holden
and her four children. Her husband,
Solomon Holden, q rag picker, had re-
Gently been turned out OF the place for.
mlstreating his wife and children.
Yesterday morning. It appears, he put
In an appearance and was evidently In
toxicated, having been In that condi-
tlon the night before when he talked
with his daughter. The man and his
wife had some words, and the racket
aroused the children. who slept in.
rooms on the third floor OF the house.
They were about to come down stairs
and eject the man when the mother
stepped to the foot OF the stairway and
d forbade them to come down. Just at this
moment the first shot was fired and
struck Mrs. Holden in the middle Of the
back. AS she turned to face the unnat-
5ural man who was committing one of
the worst of crimes, he fired again and
the second shot penetrated the head of
the woman Just above the right eye:
the latter shot proved fatal. the woman,
dying twenty minutes later, without
having recovered consciousness. The
man.then turned his pistol against his
own body and fired three times, miss
ing twice. but the third bullet passed
into his head above the right ear.
Mrs: Alex. Craft, n married daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. Holden. and three 9TH
fer children. Howard. Mary and Myrtle
Holden. met a horrible spectacle when
YVES lying on the floor Just at the foot OF
NluU ol11l way f.ol lcl FpuCh. f1olut1la was
doubled up q few feet away. When Pa.
troll Driver Mays arrived, he found the
children gathered around the mother.
but paying not the slightest attention
to the unnatural father. He picked up
n bright, new th~irty-elght calibre Bull
dog revolver. OF n cheap make. with
(which the terrible deedihad been COM
united; It was empty. every one of the
five cartridges having been exploded.
From the wound In Eolden's head tho
blood was pouring rapidly into a pool
that was fast widening. The wounds
inflicted on Mrs. Holden, on the other
hand, resulted in llttleu loss OF blooG..
Oflccr Mays noticed an odor OF smoke,
andson investigating found that the
woman's clothes had caught fire where
the shot in the back passed through;
this indicated that Holden was close to
nor when he fired the first shot.
Officer Mays notified Lieutenant Bick-
erton at police headquarters and that
officer hurried to the "shot tower" but
OF course there was nothing for the po-
lice to do except. to make an investiga-
tlon, which was done without delay.
Later in the. day an inquest was held
by Squire Allen, resulting In a verdict
in accordance with the facts. No ar
engagements had been made for the fu.
neral late yesterday afternoon.
Holden has often threatened to do
A harm to his wife and children, but,had
made no serious attempt before yester-
days.
They had six children. A married
daughter, Mrs. Alex. Craft, and her hus-
band. lived in the same house. on the
floor above; Mrs. Lulu Goudy; Howard.
aged twenty-five years; Willie, aged
eighteen years; Mary, aged fifteen
years, and Myrtle, aged ten years, who
resided at the home OF their parents,
Willie was serving a six months SEN.
tence In the municipal workhouse for
cruelty to animals. Upon the order OF
Mayor Butts he was released from con-
tinement yesterday morning.