The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-05-25

Last Saturday he secured a horse ant
buggy from a liveryman at that plac,
for the purpose of driving to this city
Monday the local police were called VI
by the liveryman who wanted to know
the whereabouts of Jerry. He stated
that he had been informed that Jerr.
had been placed under arrest in thi!
city by the chief of police on the charg,
of insanity. He desired a verificatior
of the rumor, and IL II was true, tina
the police learn where the rig was ant
that he would send someone up for it
The police investigated and learned tha
the charge was untrue and they were
unable to learn anything about Jerry ir
this city, until Monday night, wher
Jerry, reading the telephone message II
the News-Democrat, sought for Officer
Ryan who had received the telephone
message. What object he had in seek.
ing for the policeman will never bt
known, but it was stated by a person
who met Jerry that it was for no good
1t appears that the next heard from
Jerry was on Tuesday afternoon wher
he called at the house where his wife
was making her home, and afterward
shot her. 1t is stated substantially by
"llDtsStS tHdt JtIIy bol W tlit IouSt
about Ills o'clock and found his wife
seated on the porch facing Depot street
She was occupying a rocking chair and
had a pad of letter paper in her hand
and appeared to be writing a letter.
Jerry came walking around the north
west corner of the building and walk
ed onto the porch unawares. Several
women were standing on the opposite
side of the street, and they saw him
approach the woman on the porch. 1t
appears that he asked his wife where
the child was. He said he wanted to
see it. Witnesses state that he was
given negative reply, that he could not
see the child as it was asleep. APP
parently this made him furious and he
became abusive and threatened his
wife. At this juncture Mrs. Decker
secured her children and FASTENED out
of rear door and ran across the street
west of the house to neighbor. 1t is
believed that Jerry thought she had his
child with her and he quickly left his
wife and started around the house, but
learning his mistake he went entirely
around the square and came back again
to the house. A woman who witnessed
the first part of the crime stated that
she saw Jerry pull his wife off chair
and drag her upon the floor to where
he was seated on the porch. Quickly he
pulled out a revolver from mis- pocket
and Haunting it first in her face he
pressed the muzzle against the side of
her head and fired it. The woman fell
forward, and the next seen by witnesses
she was partly leaning upon the chair
t1n a q
though in prayer. At this juncture in
the proceedings the two women hasten
ed away, fearing trouble at the hands
,f the man, but two boys, Byron and
Fernando Loutzenheiser, residing at the
corner of High and Cedar streets, came
running up as though they would
throw themselves upon the man. In the
meantime the women who were wit
nesses to the shooting ran to nearby
telephone and sent for the police. The
returned just after the boys had
gotten near to Jerry, and they heard a
second shot fired, and saw the man fall
,ver 1t was only few minutes after
ward that the patrol wagon was seen
coming down High street and turning
up Depot street. The injured woman
was still lying upon the floor and her
husband held her with his arms. The
'acket caused by the wagon caused the
to lift her head and gaze in the
direction Of the wagon. Apparently this
caused Jerry to look in that direction,
and when he espied the police, he again
lifted the revolver which he still held
IN his hand, and placing 1t to his tenn
Pile, he fired a second shot at himself.
The wagon was accompanied by Ser
yeant Riblet, Superintendent Romy and
Driver Carey. Riblet and Romy jump
ed off the wagon just as the man raised
he revolver and were within about ten
feet of him when he fired the shot. The
gun dropped from Shilts's grasp and
Tell to the floor, where 1t was caught
by Romy who had reached the mans
side. Husband and wife lay upon the
porch, their life blood mingling and
each moaning with pain. The sight was
i. heartrending one even to the vision of
the experienced officers. The woman,
with much effort succeeded in raising
herself from the floor, and said to
officer Romy, who was soon by her
side, that she would be able to walk to
the bed in the next room. The officer
assisted her, however, and she was
laid upon the bed at the side
of her sleeping child, the little one
wholly unconscious of what was being
wrought outside. Drs. Brant and
Foulks. land Sergeant Riblet lifted Jerry
off the floor and carried him into the
kitchen of the house where he was laid
upon the floor, his life blood ebbing in
small spurts from the two wounds In
L.. L. n a -. a....A
paid to the woman, and the lacerated
iesh and gaping wound were discover
d and after being washed they were
dressed and the woman placed In as
lormal a condition as possible. DR.. r.
,. Morrow. who had been summoned.
also arrived In time to assist in the
'urgical treatment. Aftor completing
'heir attentiQns y ~ Xopnds q ths