The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-04-27
Stamm Had Pistol In Hand
When NslghbOrs Arrived.
CLAIMS IT'S CASE OF SUICIDE.
Friends OF Mrs. Stamm Say She Was IT.
Treated and Forced TO Work to Support
Her Children.

Chicago. April IA woman dead from
q bullet wound, her husband standing
over her, and with all indications point
inG to murder, IL a case which came 10
ths attention OF the police.
Mrs. wilford Stamm, mother OF two
children and said TO have been OF hope
full disposition, despite ill-treatment by
her husband, was the victim OF the trag-
sdy. Neighbors scout the Idea that she
killed herself.
Stamm, the husband, insists that IL Is
case OF suicide. He was arrested and Is
being held pending action by the coroner s
fury. The police are not satisfied with
the story Stamm tells.
FIND INDICATIONS OF MURDER
Mr.. stamm met death in her home at
No. S7s Crystal street Neighbors heard
q revolver shot and when they went to
investigate found Stamm standing over
the prostrate form OF his wife, who had
been shot through the temple. The police
were summoned and their investigation
LED them to believe the woman had been
murdered.
woman's forehead. which precluded the
possibility, the police say. that she fired
the shot which ended her life. Mrs
Stamm was right handed, and had she
shot herself. Il would have been natural
for the bullet to find a resting place In
her right temple. The woun1. however.
was I'm the left temple.
Another circumstance that leads the po-
lice TO believe that Mrs Stamm did not Kill
herself is that the revolver with which
the shot was ared was Found on the
floor at some distance from the body.
Mrs. Stamm must have died instantly.
the police say. and they do not under
stand how the revolver could have been
found so far away from the body had
she fired the shot herself
HUSBANDS VERSION OF TRAGEDY.
According To stamm. ne was NJ, even IN
the house when his wife met death
"I awoke shortly before 3 o'clock In the
morning, feeling III, and stepped out on
the porch to get some air, he said. i
had no more than left the house than
heard a shot. / rushed back and found
that my wife had killed herself l was
not surprised. as she was of an unhappy
temperament. and often had threatened
TO end her life"
Stamm is the only one who could be
found who had any knowledge OF threats
20 commit suicide. ON the other hand,
neighbors say Mrs. Stamm was much
attached TO her two children. Jessie, aged
years, and Norman. aged g. and often
had said: "I live for them alone"
The children were I'm the house at the
time OF the shooting, but they could give
the police no light on how their mother
met death Jessie, the girl, said:
1--WE heard the shot and ran To see what
was the matter. Then We found papa
standing beside mamma, who was all
covered with blood He said to us:
Your mother has killed herself We
screamed and then the neig lDo-s anu the
policemen came"
SPREAD NEWS OF SUICIDE"
after the shooting. When the neighbors
reached the house and before the police
arrived he disappeared and was lost sight
Of till he returned of his own accord some
time later. He said he had carried the
news OF "the suicide" TO Mrs. Stamm :
father, Christ Bonfield, who lives In
Hoyne's avenue.
According to the neighbors, Stamm has
Ymistreated his wife on many occasions
He failed to provide his family with ad-
eduate support, II Is said, and Mrs. Stamu
was forced to work as a seamstress e
provide for the needs OF the children.
A circumstance that Is puzzllng the
police Is stock OF firearms that was
found In Stamms house. There was 9
shotgun, a rife and four revolvers.
Stamm explained this by saying tha
he used the rife and shotgun for hunt
revolver TO protect herself from bur
glars.