Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1899-12-15
AFATAL SHOT.
3. D. Nelson, Enraged BY
His Wife's lnfidelity,
SHOOTS HER.
Dan Goddard, Her Paramour,
Also Under Arrest.
Sympathy OF the Entire Community With
Nelson.
SHOOTS HER.
Sympathy OF the Entire Community With
Nelson.


formation was flashed over the wires
that another murder had been com
mitted in Wheeler township, this
time in the village itself.
Brainard d. Nelson, Of Lafayette,
had shot and instantly killed his wife,
SOphronie. in fit of insane jealousy,
caused by his wife'S conduct with a
fellow named David Goddard. The
shooting took place in house Occu-
pied by Goddard and Mrs. Nelson.
From interviews with Nelson, Sher-
riff Mccullough, Prosecutor Mccall
and others, we believe the fol-
lowing to be the facts in relation
to the shooting: Nelson, who was
staying at the hotel in Wheeler, saw
his wife pass his boarding place, and
asked her about gong To st. Louis
with him that day. She had agreed to
leave Goddard and rent house in s..
Louis. Nelson walked with her to-
ward the house where she and Dodd-
ard lived, when she Informed her
husband that she had decided not to
60 TO st. Louis or have anything more
TO do with him. They entered the
house, when she said to Nelson: Il
will not 20 with you, you can 60
where you like: | shall stay with
Goddard: Where he goes | will go,
and where | go he will go: / never in
tended to go with you" At this
point, SO Nelson says, overcome with
anger at the duplicity Of his wife, he
drew a revolver, which he carried in
self defence, and shot her Just back Of
the ear, the bullet penetrating the
base Of the brain, and killing her in
Stantly. She fell forward against
her boy, little fellow about
ten years old, who was stand
ing near her at the time The boy
says that Nelson then put the revolt
yer in his own mouth and snapped it,
but it failed to go of. He then sank
TO the floor and was putting his
arms about the dying woman, when
Goddard rushed in, seized him, threw
him aside, jumped on his hand with
his boot. badly injuring the hand, and
taking Mrs. Nelson in his arms, was
holding her when the neighbors
rushed in.
Both Nelson and Goddard were at
once taken into custody. A jury was
impanelled before Justice Swope, who
soon brought in a verdict that Mrs.
Nelson came to her death by hole
through the base Of her brain, caused
by shot fired from a revolver in the
hands Of her husband Brainard ID.
Nelson.
The RECORD believes that there are
many eXtenuating circumstances.
Ninety-nine out OF every hundred
people in Wheeler and Lafayette think
that Nelson was justified in what he
did and that his only mistake was
that he did not kill Goddard as well.
If homOcide is ever justifiable under
such circumstances it was probably SO
in this case. Ever since last spring,
when under a five year lease and a
bargain for board with Mrs. Nelson,
Goddard came to live in the Nelson
home, there have been ugly rumorS OF
their conduct. The house, barn and
feed burned and it was thought that
Goddard and the woman knew how
it happened. Then Mrs. Nelson
rented house mile away and bod.
dard moved in and crowded Nelson out.
The neighbors drove Goddard and
Mrs. Nelson out of the neighb0rhood,
so it is claimed, and they went TO
Wheeler. Two weeks ago, so Nelson
says, she promised TO leave Goddard
aud go some where else and live with
him if Nelson would sell his farm
He did so, getting 1886 above the
mortgage. or this he gave Goddard
5000 TO give up his lease and go away
and trouble them no more. lie gave
Mrs. Nelson 800, $40 TO pay mortgage
on COW, sl5 TO pay for furniture, and
afterwards $50 Of his pension, and
then, when she had all the old mans
money, the heartless woman owned
up that she never intended TO live
with him. 1t was this which finally
drove Nelson To commit the rash deed.
He is pensioner, tifty-three years Of
age, harmless, and inoffensive, was
never arrested before and has borne a
good reputation among his neighbors.
1t seems TO have been a clear case Of
emotional insanity caused by the out
rageous treatment he had received
from Goddard and his wife.