The Western news. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1890-1977, 1900-01-17
MRS. DAVIS MURDERED.
She And Her Lover Die Together
In Her Kitchen.

DAVIS was SnOt In ner kltCnen at bel
grade last night about midnight by
Frank Rogers, who then made way
with his own life. Sheriff Fransham
was notified by his deputy at Belgrade
about this morning, and went down
with the coroner to the scene of the
f., sad occurrence. An investigation was
made by the coroner as soon as jury
could be impaneled. All that is known
is that the hired girl stated th,t she
left the kitchen after supper Saturday
(, night. Rogers and Mrs. Davis were
then in the kitchen talking together.
After putting the children to bed she
fell asleep in chair, waking up about
IL. She thought she heard some tin
pans fall about this time, but went to
sleep again.
r. L. Davis, the husband of the
murdered woman, arrived from Butte
where he is working on the Butte
Times, about 4 o'clock this morning
to take his family home with him. He
was surprised to find the girl asleep IN
the chair, and asked for his wife, bu,
the girl did not know where she was.
After looking over the house and into
the kitchen, which was dark, DAVIS
sent the girl out for some cause. He
then took lamp and went into the
kitchen and saw the man and woman
on the floor. Thinking they were
asleep, he went out and made arrange
nents to take his two young children
to Butte by the morning train. The
; hired girl returned, made up the fir.
and went to sleep again. When day
light came she started for the kitchen
to get breakfast ready. and nearly fel
over the dead body of Mrs. Davis.
She reused the boarders, who in turn
: notified the deputy sheriff. The woma,
: was shot from behind evidently, ,as sh,
. had a horrible wound in the back O.
S her neck and had fallen on her bac
:, toward the living room. The man mus
: have pressed the gun, a five-shot pisto
7; close to the right side of his head, bacl
,
: of half-dollar, and his brains wer
n scattered all around the walls and O
e the stove. He fell at the feet of hi
:, victim and on his right side. The seen
e was a horrible one. The floors an
!. walls were covered with blood an
e brains.
r The murderer has been in financia
S distress of late, having had his store {
general merchandise attached a te,
,r days ago For several days he ha
been drinking and gambling, and it
!, thought he was temporarily insane a
the time the bloody deed was comni
ted. Both the murderer and his victi
are we'll known and have a number
- relatives in Bozeman and other par
of the state.
'e Rogers victim was a large, han
81 some woman, about % years of ag
~ while he was a man of splendid bull
'e being about six feet tall and of sple
10 did proportions, and about 80 yea
y old.
The verdict of the Jury was to t
effect that Mrs. Davis had died at t
hands of Frank Rogers, who had CO
mitted suicide Immediately thereafte
ay Mr.. and Mrs. r. L. Davis were W.
ty known in this section, she havi1
IN taught school at Grantsdale and Dl
lis by. She was sister of Rev. and Nj
ng M. L. Rickman. Rev. and Mrs. Ri,
man now live at Bozeman. Da
rs, worked as printer on the Hamil'
III. parers, being at one time connec
as with the Western News.
of Mr.. and Mrs. Davis and Roge
of were reared in Macon county, No
Carolina. Rogers had heen infatua
dc with his victim for many years a
~. which had caused trouble between
,o three. Davis and Rogers had b
until recently partners in the mere
4. tile business at Belgrade, and n
-. Davis ran boarding house.