The Portland daily press., 1900-11-06
SHOT his WIFE
And Then Charles Davis
Shot Himself.
A Tragedy on Fore Street Yesterday
Forenoon
Jealousy Was the Cause
of the Murder.
Davis Is Still Alive and May
Recover.

Charles Davis, 95 years old, shot and
killed his wife. Mamie King Davis. aged
81, about half past eleven O'Clock yester-
day forenoon In Dolan block, 41K Fore
street. He fired three shots, any one OF
which would have proved fatal. The
woman was instantly killed. Davis then
ran down into the store Of Abraham
Stein and put bullet in his head. The
bali entered behind the ear and made
terrible wound The murderer W as taken
to the Maine General hospital and was
de lirious and unconscious all the after.
noon, and up to late hour last night.
The physicians had not probed for the
bullet at last accounts and viii not do so
until this morning II at all. 1t IL believed
that the man will die, though there Is
chance of his living The cause of the
act was jealousy. Davis being rather
worthless character and not living with
his wife. The couple had one child, aged
l5 NOR this who has been cared for by
Mrs Davis since her separation from her
husband some time ago.
Charles Davis Ia q man about 20 years
old or little more. He has been at work
at various stables for some time, former
ly at Jewell's and more recently at In
gals stable. He has always been
regarded as q good man to work
when he was not under the influence OF
liquor. But he has drank at frequent in
tervals and thus has become rather shift
less. About two years ago he was mar
ried to Mamie King, whose home WAS on
Centre street. She was about II years old
when she married Davis. They lived TO-
gether on Fore street for time but Dav-
is became addicted to drink and they sep
arated. The wife went back to live with
her mother and ths husband was left to
shift for himself. The wife took with her
baby, which is now hardly a year old.
Davis has seen his wife at different
home Of his wife. he did board there
with her later for time, but he did not
pay his board and Patrick, his wife's
brother, turned him out in no gentle
manner. Patrick says that the husband
did not provide for his wife as he ought
to. The couple went up to Chelsea, Mass,
about six months ago, where Davis had
gone to work. Later Mrs. Davis's broth
er had to send her money enough to get
her home, and since then the couple have
lived apart. They have met frequently,
however, and 1t was during one of these
meetings yesterday morning that the
tragedy occurred
Mrs. Davis left her home shortly before
noon, saying that she was going to call
Fore and walked up Fore street to
Union. There she met her husband and
the two at once began to quarrel. They
walked along to an alley that runs back
of ths Dolan block and there had some
high words. What the quarrel was about
no one knows, as nobody paid particu-
lar attention to the pair. AT length Mrs.
Davis said they had better go mp stairs
and started up flight in the rear OF the
block leading to the tenement that the
couple formerly occupied when they ha l
lived to gether. This stairway Is a very
dark place. not being lighted IN any
manner. -
When Mrs. Davis had almost reached
the top OF the stairs her husband pulled
a revolver from his pocket and without
warning fired at her three times. One of
the bullets entered her head at the side
over the eye and edinstant death, She
fell TO the floor at the very top of the
ttaircase and was found there q moment
later by the frightened people in the
house.
Davis rushed down the stairs and went
through an alley that leads directly
through the block from the rear out on
to Fore street. Then he bolted into the
open door of STEMS store. Mrs. Stein
knew him and saw that he was excited.
She asked him what was the matter and
he replied that nothing was the trouble.
He advanced to the middle OF tine store
and stood beside a baby that was
pushing chair before it Then the
woman noticed that be had a revolver In
his hand, and as quick as flash he
put the pistol to his head and fired. MIR.
stein was just entering the store and
sprang forward to knock the revolver
from the desperate mans hands. He
was not In time. and Davis fell back on
the floor with a bullet in his head. the
missile entering just back of the ear.
The patrol wagon was summoned as soon
as possible and the wounded man was
taken to the hospital, two policemen as
sisting him from the wagon into the sta
tion, where a physician was called to at
tend him. The man was able to move his
body enough TO turn himself, but he
seemed to be badly hurt. As to whether
he would live or not the doctor was then
unable to say.
The mother of Mrs. Davis says chat
Davis was at the house Sunday night
and threatened to shoot his wife. She
said nothing Of that to her sons and they
are inclined to reproach her for not
speaking Of 1t, thinking they might have