The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-25
MRS. WHITEH0USE
SHOT BY HUSBAND
He Was Intoxicated When the Crime
Was Committed.
SHE is VERY BADLY WOUNDED


rcther--ue Is Uuder Arrest and
She viii BE Taken TO West Side
Hospital Today.
The residents in the vicinity Of the
Pyne. that portion of LaCkaWanna
county lying west of the borough of
Taylor were thrown into "a state of
intense excitement yesterday afternoon
about 4 O'Clock by the startling an
nouncement that Eli Whitchousc, a
miner. living in one of the company
houses at the foot of the mountain, had
murdered his younG wife.
When the neighbOrs approached the
house they were driven away by the
frcnzied man who held the fort with
double -burrellcd, Safcty-lockinG,
lua 1ed gun. Word was dispatched to
the residence of County Detective Ley
shun, on South Lincoln avenue, and
Constable Timothy Jones and the West
Side police officers. ana shortly after
I o'clock the detective, the constable
ana Tribune reporter started for
! Taylor. No news whatever could b'
| obtained there, and i'm company with
Chief of Police John Evans, of Taylor,
| the party started for the scene of the
| shooting. After walk of "A couple of
mile they located the house and found
| the would-hc- murderer nursing his
| wounded wife in Il little old-lash-
! toned company house lin the locality
| mentioned above.
The house was surrounded by the
/ mon, Detective LcyshOn entering by
rear door. Both the man and woman.
| when confronted with the statement
| that Whitchouso was under arrest, de-
MED that any trouble had existed, but
| the evidence was too convincing for
| the officers. and they prepared the
| prisoner for his departure. He was
| taken to the office Of Burgess Watkins,
on Main street. IN Taylor. at loi5
much ceremony.
FACTS IN THE CASE.
The facts in the case are as fol-
| lows: ON Wednesday, Whitohuusc and
| several ncighbors were tearing down
| a small building in the yard in the
| rear of the house, and after they were
through, Whtehousc invited them to
join him yesterday afternoon in the
! disposal of a kcg of beer. Himself
and six others assembled on the prem
ises early in the afternoon and drank
| freely, and WhtchOuse became intoX-
icatcd. When under the influence of
drink. family troubles. dating back six
year are always brought to the sur
face by Whitehousc, and yesterday
was no exception.
Three children have been born &c
them, one years, another and 4
babe eighteen months old. Eva, since
| the first child was able to todd!t
around, the parents of Mrs. White.
house. Mr.. and Mrs. Daniel Hayes
! have cared for it at their home neal
by. ana this has displeasod White.
house to the extent that he has threat
oned to Kill the cid people seyera
times, ana Yesterday he became i'm
hued with the idea that if he coult
not get possession of the child peace
fully he would murder the old people
and take the child dead or alive" a'
he expressed il.
He wanted the 5-year-old to com,
to the house and play with the 3-ycar
old, and went into the house from tht
yard. where his friends had been
drinking. to get his gun and go /,
the house of his fathcr-in-law Hi
wife, realizing his purpose, rushed int,
the house to prevent him from takin!
the gun out. and, having the infan
child in her arms, turned to lay /
down on the floor, when the drunkel
man. who only stood about four fee
. from her. discharged one barrel of tn
gun just as the women was arising
from the floor. The contents lodge,
i'm her left thigh and shattered tn
! limb frightfully. The woman grope
l,,,,. i,,tn obi nj 1if,S M
, laid there on the floor in pool q
/, blood, which completely saturated tn
! carpet, from that time until about
o'clock,
e DOCTOR HOUSER SUMMONED.
1 In the meantime the enraged hus
: band defied any one to enter at tn
y risk of their life. A messenger wa
{ dispatched to the office of Dr.. Housel
i in Taylor. who responded quickly, an
, with the assistance of several womcr
i made their way into the house an
Z placed the woman on bed, bandagin
/ the shattered limb ana making her q
comfortable as possible. When seen y
= The Tribune representative, Docto
:, Houser stated that the wound was
! decidedly dangerous one, and could no
Z state what the result would be, a
blood poisoning was liable to set il
. He directed that the woman he rcmoy
i ed to the West Side hospital this morn
= ing.
The gun was loaded with siX-ounC
T. shot. ard was used by WhitehOuso /
shooting matches. When Detectiv
VI. Yeyshon took possession of the gun
hc found the empty shell in the hal
rel, but the other cartridge had bee
removed by Whitehouse after the doc
tor ana neighbors entered the house,
Daniel Hayes, the WOman's fathe
stated i'm conversation with the report
er, thai the woman was married I
J | WhitehOuse against his wishes Whe
II size was fifteen years Of age and th1
{ |