The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-05
THE HAND OF
CAIN RAISED
in WHEELING.
wnHam chappsn, Of stsabsuvills,
Attempts to 1ill his VIE
an Inmate Of an
ALLEY G HOUSE OF i'll FAME.
Two Shots Took Eject, and the Re
suit Nay be Fatal-Ths Grim
inal Makes his Escape.
CHAPPELL RETURNS TO SCENE
OF the Crime in the Evening, While
omeers Were There, and Fails
Into Their Hands.
he CONFESSES TO THE CHIEF
That Re Committed the Crime Be
cause his Wife would not
Leave the Miller Place.
CHAPRFLL RETURNS TO SCENE
OF the Crime in the Evening, While
omesrs Were There, and Falls
Into Their Hands.
be CONFESSES TO THE CHIEF
That BE Committed the Crime BE-
cause his wife would not
Leave the Miller Place.

Again the hand Of Cain is raised in
Ohio county. and this time the scene Of
the attempted murder is in the heart
Of wheellng's most degraded and dis
reputable secHon-Alley c.
The victim is Mrs. Ethel Chappell.
wife of william chappell, a steuben-
Vile man of bad reputation, and the
husbandl theman who attempted to kill
her The woman, previous to her mar
riage with Chappell last summer, was
known as Ethel Stewart, and was for
several months in 1893 an inmate OF
Maggie conroy's house of prostitution
in East wheeling. Recently she re-
turned to the city, and became an In
mate Of Ella Hiller's place, in Alley
C., and here is was that the crime was
committed Sunday, shortly after the
noon hour.
The story OF the crime, as told to
saerlh Richards by the wounded wo-
man yesterday afternoon, was substan-
tally as follows: Chappell came to the
house about 1880 Sunday morning,
shook hands with his wife and seemed
to be in good humor. He asked his
wife to rctlre to another room with
him. and inquired where her room was.
She replied that 1t was on the third
floor, bu: that 1t had not been cleaned.
he then told her that party Of his
friends were coming. from steuben-
Vile. ash she suggested that he go to
the tr4iG to meet them, and she would
prepare for their entertainment. He
left, and at moor returned. but without
his friends. She asked:
Did you sec George?"
And he replied:
George Macanaugh and Ralph Wind
are at the Metropolitan. eating their
dinner"
Harry C''spIder') Bel came in at this
junctury. and shock hands with Chap
pell. Bell aske. IL the boys from
steubenvll!. had colGe down, and he
replied that they wers eating their din
ner. Spider" they lef., saying he
would go and get his dinner with the
boys from steubenvllle.
Continuing, the woman said she was
sitting in a rocking chair, and after
Bell had left she asked chappell ques-
ton about friends in steubenviiie. The
latter didn't answer, but inquired again
where her room was located. She
again gave him the information, and
added that he could go up when 1t had
been cleaned. Then he asked for a
drink of water, which she gave him,
and he took two sups
care you going to your room?" was
chappell's next inquiry, in an insIstent
tone.
AFTER awhile" responded the wO-
man.
'Then maybe am not welcome" re-
marked Chappell, and picked up his
hat, as though to leave.
To this the woman says she replied:
''slt down. You make me tired"
The Shooting.
She remained sitting in the chair,
looking out into the alley. chappell was
standing back of the chair at the time.
Then, without warning, Chappell pulled
out his revolver and began shooting at
the woman. The first ball entered the
left breast She turned around. but
could mot see plainly, because Of the
smoke from the gun. Turning again,
she buried her face in her hands, and
whnn In that position she felt another
bullet enter her shoulder. She sank
back In the chair, but remained con-
scious of what was happening. Alto
Eether, She says. three or four shots
were fired. Then Chappell threw the
gun to the floor, and Immediately the
woman threw up her hands, and caught
hold of her assailant, and exclaimed:
'NInny, what was your idea in doing
that way. You know l never did any
wrong to you"
Alarmed by the shots, the proprie-
tress Of tho house, Ella Miller. came
in, and screamed:
why did you do thls?" to which
chappell responded: 81
"If can't have her, no other - =
can"
1Hen Lnhppel AoTceu MS way INV
another room, and said:
There ia some other person in this
house I will get" Finding nobody, he
left the house, and said:
II will get the - that
wrote the letter."
chappell is said to have escaped
through the yard ut tho rear Of Em-
merits bakery. Before he left several
women had collected on the scene, but
no opposition to the mans escape was
offered. Soon oflcer Wells appeared
on the scene, but could ind no trace Of
the would-bo murderer. Police head
quarters were notified, and other Oai-
GERS hurried to the Alley. sheriR
Richards. too, was notified. and reached
the house half an hour after the shoot
ing. An investigation of the premises
was made, md It was found one bullet
had entered the ceiling; another had
struck the side OF the rocking chair.
and glanced, entering the woman'S lell
breast Another had entered her
right shoulder. sill another had struck