The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-13
A DOUBLE TRAGEDY
Murder and Suicide at a Fourth
Street Hotel.
RUTH WEIGH SHOT BY vo1GH.
He Died Instantly While She Sur
yived but Few
Moments.

Two 2istol shots fired in rapid success
sion startled the guests on the second
floor of the Parker hotel at 6 o'clock last
night and on going out into the hall they
were Mortified to find the body of young
woman in the throes of death while by
her side was that of man with the blood
gushing from his mouth and smoking
pistol grasped tightly in hts right hand.
The body of the woman proved to be that
of Ruth Welch who had been shot by her
jealous admirer, julius W. Weight, a tray
the murderer turned the pistol on himself
and died by her side.
The colice We're at once notified and
Officers Ginsberg and Malone appeared.
They made a hastv examination of the
bodies and found that the man was dead
but that "a slight trace Of life still re,
NAMED in the woman's body. The patrol
wagon was sent for to take her to the city
hospital but she died on the way.
A closer examination Of the bodies, re-
vealed the fact that the woman's temple
on the left side penetrated the brain and
lodged against the right side of the skull.
While death was not instantaneous, it was
but matter Of few minutes until 1t
ensued. Weight had ended his own life
by placing the muzsle~ of the gun in his
mouth and firing. The bullet ranged up
ward, emerging from the skull just back
of the crown. Death was instantaneous
in his case.
There Were no witnesses to the crime
but H. P. Burrows was in room near
where the shooting occurred. He said
that he heard some one walking up and
down the hall, then there was a slight
scuff1e which was followed by a pistol
shot. There was sound Of falling
body and in another instant second pis-
toll shot rang out. On rushing out into
floor with her feet near the stairway and
her head almost on the threshold of =
| door leading to one of the rooms
| Voight's body lay two feet away. IT
| appears that he had been cutie close tc
the girl when the shot was fired as the
powder from the pistol burned the
| woman's head.
Miss Welch's home was in verndale
Mimi, where her father and step-mothe1
reside. She has been in the city a great
deal and at one time was employed as 6
| waitress in a Chinese restaurant at 3:
Washington avenue S. She had not beer
here however for several days until Sun
day when she returned and stopped at thu
| Parker house with a girl friend. Sht
spent yesterday afternoon in compan!
with Miss Gladys and had just returned
| from a shopping tour when the TRACED!
| occurred
Voight was a travelling man employed
by the Milwaukee Harvester company ant
| his home was in Chaska, where he hat
wife and two children. He came to thu
city Sunday and registered at the Colder
West hotel. He appears to have gone tt
| the Parker house last night to meet thu
girl as the sounds of footstep were heart
in the hall previous to the time the shot:
were fired.
| Letters were found in Voight's pockets
which seem to give some clue to the mo
tive for the terrible deed. He hat
two letters from the dead girl which were
decidedly more than friendly. These let
ters, taken with the statement of Mis-!
Jennie Olson, chum of the dead girl
! that Miss WEIGH had known Weight for ;
| long time but had tried to get rid of him
seem to indicate that the act was com
mitted in a Jealous rage. 1t Is know
| that the man was in the habit of furnish
ing her with money, and one of the let
tiers begs that he send her some so tina
she could get her trunk which was be
ing held as security for board bill.
Miss Welch was fairly pretty woman
about "a years of age and a decided bru
nette Voight was a man Of medium
height, rather slim and quite bald. HI
was about 33 years Of age. He was wei
dressed although he had but 80 cents OF
his person.