Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-03-03
A MANAGES DEED.
A Rockville Farmer Shoots and Kills
His Wife Wednesday, Morning.


! His Wife Wednesday, Morning.
| Wednesday forenooD a telephone
message to this city conveyed the in
formation that farmer, living about
two miles from Rockville, John Powell
by name, had that morning instantly
killed his vie by shooting her. The
crime was witnessed only by the chill
dren and the story as given by the old
est, boy of thirteen, is as follows:
That morning, shortly before seven
O'Clock. Powell took his shot gun,
twelve guage Winchester repeater and
stated that he was going rabbit hunting
but suddenly changed his mind and
/ fired the gun off twice into the wall of
the house and then fired a third time,
killing the woman. The boy, fright
ened at the sight of the XII liz, & OF his
mother. crawled under the bed and hid,
hut later made his escape from the
house and fled to neighhnrs, VIM
Htukey, whom he notified IF he MUIR
der Haukey summoned anOther neigh
Dor, Aug Anderps. aud the two went
over to ths. house Anderes entered
and was Immediately grasped by Powell
who was then weeping bitterly. sad to
him said that he thought he had killed
his wife. The woman was lying on the
floor dead She was covered mp with
quilt By her husband, and when this
was rasrd "A sickening sight WAS pre-
sented The charge of shot had struck
her in the right jaw and ranged up
ward, coming ont above the left ear,
Fhe Shot. in their passage through her
head, had carried with them teeth and
fragments of bone, and these were
scatter. d about the ra5tn
From previous knowledge of the man
it was quite apparent to the neighhors
that he was insane For three weeks
past he had been sick, and at times held
his head with his hands and carried on
as does an insane man, and complained
of acute pains in his head H.. was un
der the halucination that some one
was attempting to take his life. As he
showed no signs of violence, and had
always been kind to his family, the mat
ter of committing him to an asylum was
deferred in the hope that his insanity
would pass away with his disease.
1t appears that after shouting the
woman he partially regained his reason
for he wept bitterly and acted in pa
thetir manner He threw the gun into
the cellar, where it was later found. |
Three empty shells were found on the
table, which bears out the boys state-a
ment that three shots were fired Sher-
i'll Chellis went out and arrested Powell
and brought him to Wanssu and placed
him in the county Jail. He went to
sleep on the train, and during his wax
ing hours he appeared dazpd and talked
incoherently..
Powell came to Manitowoc from Fall /
River, Mass, some years ago and in |
1889 in the town Of Kossuth. that county |
was united in marriage to Miss Susan |
Ref, and to them was born five children |
the oldest, thirteen, the youngest, six
months Th5y came to Marathon |
county five years ago and purchased an |
80 acre farm near Rockville, and were |
getting along in a prosperous condition.
Powell was a man who bore the respect |
and confidence of the entire neighbor- |
mood. He was good neighbor, an in
dustrious worker, and during his spare |
time from the farm followed his trade |
of carpenter. and had great deal of |
work contracted for next season. In !
sanity. however, appears to be heredi- |
tary in Powel's family for his mother
died in an insane asylum at Fall River, |
Mass, years ago aud brother, Geo |
Powell, caused a sensation last summer |
near Syracuse, N. Y By going violently
insane on passenger train while en-
route here on visit.
The coroner held an inquest over the
remains on Thursday and he jury rem
dered verdict that deceased came 10 |
her death by wound Inflicted with a |
shot gun in the hands of her husband |
Powell was brought before Judge Mil |
ler on Friday morning and the charge |
of murder read to him, but he seemed |
unconscious of the import of proceed |
ings and made no answer tn the charge. |
He was remanded to Jail to await men
tai examination on March 18th Since
being confined in Jail the man has given |
every evidence of insanity. He PAGES
the noor, means piteously at times,
sleeps but little aud eats scarcely any |