The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-06-30
SHOOTS HER LOVER
MOllle StuteyiIle, a Decatur County
Girl, Kills Her Lover at St. joe
and Tried to Commit Suicide.

Girl, Kills Her Lover at St. Joe
and Tried to Commit Suicide.
In a rooming house at 1923 North
Third street, in ST. Joe, a terrible
tragedy was enacted last Saturday
night, in which the principal figure is
Miss Mollie Stuteville, daughter of the
late George Stuteville, who lived about
mile north of Pleasanton and who died
couple OF years ago, the woman killing
her lover Wilbert N. Bowman, street
car conductor, by shooting him with a
revolver and then. made desperate
effort to kill herself, shooting herself in
the abdomen with 80 calibre revolver,
and intlicting a dangerous wound,
although the chances are that she will
recover.
The story is another of the many of
mans perfidy and trusting woman.
Up to about two years ago, Miss Stute-
vile, who comes from a highly respected
family near Pleasanton, was pure and
simple country girl, being raised on her
fathers farm. Two years ago she went
to Davis City during their reunion and
secured employment asa waiter in a
hotel, where she worked for some time.
Here she met e. O. Nanbeek, and after a
short courtship the couple were mar
ried, but did not live together very long
before they were separated. In Nov.
1902 she brought suit for divorce and
attempted to garnishee the wages of
her husband who was a brakeman on
the railroad, but before the case came to
trial she dismissed the case and went to
st. Joe. In March 1908 her husband
brought suit for divorce alleging statu-
tory grounds, but she made no appear
ance and he was granted decree of
divorce on default.
After going to st. Joe Mrs. Vanbeek
resumed her maiden name, Mollie Stute-
vile, and secured employment as a
waitress in a hotel where she worked
for a year and four months. Then she
went to a restaurant to secure employ
ment in the same capacity. Here she
met Wilbert N. Bowman, street car
conductor, who came from Kent, small
town just south Of Creston, and an in
timacy sprung up between them. A
girl friend with whom Miss Stuteville
roomed said that Bowman boasted fire.
quently that he had ruined the girl, who
insisted that he had promised to marry
her and implored him to keep his
promise But after time Bowman
tired Of the girl and at the time of his
death was engaged to marry another
girl, the date of the wedding being in
the near future. Alone and almost des-
titute the girl was driven frantic and
purchased a revolver from st. Joe
dealer. She kept after him and insisted
that he marry her, and last Saturday
night he accompanied her to the room
ing house whore the shooting occurred.
When the room was entered Bowman
was found dead, apparently having. been
shot while lying on the bed sleeping,
ard the girl had a dangerous wound
from which it was thought she could
not recover. She said that Bowman
had shot her and then killed himself,
but the police doubt her story, and say
that everything points to her as the one
who did the sho ting. There was no
Indication OF a struggle, and the police
insist that Bowman could not have in
fiicted the wound which killed him. The
clerk who sold the revolver to the girl
has identified her as the woman who
bought the revolver, and had on pre-
vious occasion sold her a revolver
which she afterwards brough back and
tried to sell to him, but he sent her to
pawnbroker who bought the weapon.
1t was learned from the lady where
Bowman roomed that Miss Stuteville
had written him notes threatening to
kill him, and had appeared at the house
hunting for him.
Only couple of days before the
shooting Miss Stuteville had received
letter from her sister at Pleasanton i'm
ploring her to come home if she wanted
to see her aged mother alive, as she
was dangerously ill, and the girl had
arranged to come to Pleasanton that day
but evidently changed her mind and
sought Bowman with the evident in
tention of forcing him to marry her or
Of killing him, and then ending her own
troubles.
Great sympathy is expressed at st.
Joe for the girl, who is now in the hos
pital and the physicians say will recover
unless blood poison or pneumonia should
set in. Her associates speak Of her as a
we'll behaved and hard working girl,
although she had been very despondent
for some weeks. Her room mate testi-
fled that Bowman had boasted of ruin
ing her and then offered her $40 to let
him alone. Her sister and brother are
with her at st. Joe. The st. Joe police
express but little sympathy for her and
are weaving net work of evidence
1IOullu nO WlOu UAC luUcuUlOu VI
cutting her for numbering Bowman.
Owing to her critical condition she has
not yet been placed under arrest, but
will be arrested if she RECEIVERS.
Swift & Company will Start New
Building Next Week.
The much mooted question of whether
Swift & Company would rebuild their
extensive plant in this city which was
destroyed by fire last February is now
settled, and work will be commenced on
the new structure next week, the lum-
ber for the building being on the road
to Leon and active work will be COM
menced as quick as it arrives. The
switch track was repaired and fixed up
last Saturday SO that the cars can be
unloaded at the site of the building