Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-12

Lewis D. Berkeley, better known as
Louis Myers, shot and seriously injured
Mrs V. Anderson. formerly Miss Annie
hesler, and then committed suicide at the
home of his mother, Mrs. Myers. All west
DuVal street. about 6:15 o'clock last night
The double tragedy was the result of
jealousy and was premeditated The
young man shot the woman at the gate
of his home, and then, turning into his
house. went to his room, and shot him
self through the heart.
Berkeley came home a short time before
the shooting. and his mother noticed that
he was excited. He went into the house
and got a revolver. which he had recently
brought from the Academy of Music to
scare off the boys of the neighborhood
who had been stealing peaches from trees
in the back yard. He loaded the weapon
and went out into the yard, and fired it
to make sure that it was in good order
Mrs Myers heard the firing. and went to
the door,
Lewis, what are you going to do? Don't
make any trouble. for / have had trouble
enough she said to her son.
Il am not going to make trouble: trou-
Bile is coming to me- was the grimly
tcrse reply.
A Mother,s Struggle.
Mrs. Myers left him and went to the
front Of the house. AS she reached the
door she saw Miss Kesler, as she is COM
monty known, coming down the street.
She Immediately suspected that something
was wrong between the two and called to
the young woman to go away as Louis
was awfully mad about something" Miss
Kesler did not heed the warning. She
made no reply. and continued to approach
the house. Mrs Myers rushed to the front
door, pulled it shut and held it. AS she
did SO she heard the young man in the
hall. He almost Immediately came to the
door and tried to open it, but finding re-
sistance from the outside he dragged it
open, bringing the mother struggling and
painting with it.
The woman. who had walked on stead
lily to the gate, swinging her parasol.
stopped there as if bewildered by the
strange greeting, and looked on at the
struggle with startled but fearless eyes,
which never faltered even when Berke-
ley thrust his mother aside and appeared,
pistol in hand, evidently wild with anger.
He stepped out in the porch, and or
dered Miss Kesler into the house, threat
ening to shoot her if she refused. She
stood motionless at the gate. not more
than six feet away. The man quickly
raised his pistol and fired. aiming at her
breast. The bullet struck just below her
heart.
The Second Shot.
Instantaneously Miss keser turned from
the gate toward the street as if to run.
-l-aJ-- nnlr Jim,
and again fired This time the shot took
effect in the small of the woman's back,
to the left of the spinal column. She went
down on her face at the sound Of the pis-
tol as if a lightning stroke had smitten
her.
Berkeley turned on his heel immediate
ly entered the house, and ascended the
stairs. AS he reached the upper hall he
put the pistol to his breast and pulled the
trigger The bullet entered his heart. He
toppled staggered, and sank slowly to
the floor, stone dead
The young woman was being lifted from
the ground by those who had hastened to
help her. When she heard the shot she
tore herself loose from these kindly hands,
with suddenly renewed strength, ana
rushed into the house and up the steps.
She reached the upper floor just in time to
see Berkeley fall She was tottering. her
dcathly white face rigid with horror and
her ewes fixed upon the mans prostrate
form. and when those who had helped her
before arrived. fell back helpless into
their arms. She was carried to the moor
below and put on a bed ana hurry can
was sent for an ambulance. The body OF
the suicide and the would-be murderer
was borne into room opening on the
hall in which he died, placed on the floor,
and covered with sheet, and was lett to
await the Coroner.
The ambulance arrived in a few mo-
ments accompanied by Drs. Sandidase
and Flegenheimer. After, brief exam
ination of the body of Berkeley both ooc-
tors turned their attention to the injured
woman. who had throughout the entire
ordeal lost neither consciousness nor self
control Mrs. Myers. mother of the SUI
eide had gone into Mysteries, and the
other women in the house were SO
wrought up that they were useless
The news spread and the street was
quickly thronged with hundreds OF eS-
cited people. who over-ran the premises
irving to get glimpse of the scene IN
the small front room Off1cers from .ne
Third Police Station FASTENED to the
house and we're kept on duty for several
hours while the mob blocked the street.
The womnn,s Wounds.
Upon examination it was found neces-
sary to move the young woman 10 d
hospital and as sne had no preference she
was hurried to the City Hospital. DR..
Trevillan was called and an examination
made. One bullet entered below the
heart, and is not thought to be fatal The
other. which entered the small OF the
back. is the one from which the doctors
fear trouble The ball has not been 10
Gated and it may have entered the lntes-
tines. in which event death is almost sure
to follow A steel of the corset she wore
is bent and battered. and the doctors hope
that the ball glanced from it and entered
her hip, where she says there is a slight
pain.
did not think an operation advisable.
oonsiderinp the other wound which affects
the lung. He said last night tnat ne
thought the woman would recover.
From the time of the shooting TO an
early hour this morning MISS y esler ilsau
not ,ost her nerve Throughout the eN-
. ,,,tnation and her removal she watched