Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-03
Jealousy Causes Negro to At
tempt to Kill Half a Dozen
Persons
ONE MAN INsTANTLY KILLED
Two Others arc Badly Wounded and
Ny DIs-Fearing That His Wife Had
Been UnfaithfuI Neil Matthews Com
r,its Horrible crimes-criminaI May
Escape.

- ~s'S
history Of Des Moines. 1t may result
In a triple tragedy. Already one lies
dead and two otlsers are battling for
life as tho result OF an assassin's bull
lets.
Wildeyed and following madly about
the unfaithfulness OF his wife, Nell
Matthews, colored, ran amuck thru
Tho boarding house of Roland H. Diggs,
1853 Ninth street, at 9 o'clock and as a
result, Bud T. Travis, of Camden,
Tenn, lies dead, Roland II. Diggs Is
badly wounded, shot thru the luns,
and Mrs. Digs Is suffering from bull
let wounds. The condition OF both IS
critical.
1t was plain, premeditated case of
murder. For weeks Mathews had been
planning the awful act committed last
night. 1t was with murder in his heart
that he went to the Diggs home just
ut supper time when the little family
were seated around the table ana
Knocked at the back door. When Digs
answered the call. the visitor pulled a
1s-calibre gun from his pocket and
shot Diggs thru the lung.
Would Murder All.
"By Cd, I'll get the whole Cd
On outfit" yelled Mathews as he div
Cd past Giggs and rushed into the sit
ting room where Mrs. Diggs, confined
20 her bed by expected childbirth, lay
screaming with all her might.
Cd you. shut up!" he yelled. The
colorsd fend firing two shots in her
direction, both taking effect. Il want
W 1ynar >fp,cr nv
wife from me-"
NJ Running then to the dining room
where Bob Murray, Bud T. Travis and
Mrs. Mathews, the wife OF the murder
or, were eating, ! the bloodthirsty
wretch turned a glaring eye on the trio.
5s With a sidelong glance at Murray
who was huddled UP beside the wall he
poked the smoking gun toward mis-
sizing up the situation, turned and
started to tackle the intruder. The bull
let meant for the bringing yellow wom-
m In the corner, caught Travis under
3he right arm.
"A "My God I'm shot" he moaned, and
summing outside into the room where
the screaming Mrs. Diggs lay, covered
with blood, ne sank to the floor a
corpse.
Mathews fired one more bullet toward
The chair occupied by his wife. The
bullet sank into the wall, while the
woman lay under the table PROSTATE
and faint.
Wounded May Die.
Mathews did his work we'll The bull
iat which struck Bud Travis entered his
body under the right arm. fractured
the rib, passed thru the lung, bored
its way thru the spinal column and
piercing the other lung and breaking
I the rib 1t was found on the left side
Of the body little to the back.
Mr.. Diggs was shot thru the left
lung. The bullet is now embedded
somewhere inside the plural cavity.
He suffers great agony and Is natur-
ally suffering much from nervous
shock. The physicians hope to save his
life IL blood poisoning does not occur.
Mrs, Diggs is in critical condition,
Her health was critical at the time of
the shooting. Confined In bed by ex-
Spsctant childbirth coupled with the
wounds she received makes her con-
dftion precarious. But little hope is
siven out for her recovery. One bullet
struck her in the left arm, making but
a slight flesh wound. The other struck
her in the left breast, and cutting
thru the mammallary gland and bury
Ing itself in the mattress.
The scene was one of utmost con-
fusion. The screaming Of the wounded
ones mingled with the hysterical yells
Of Mrs Mathews and the calls for help |
Of Bob Murray made the scene one of |
bedlam.
HoA~a tS1AH yNnf ortn
ways began to appear. The earliest
eye witnesses saw the dark form of
Mathews bolt from the back door of
the little shanty and start at a break
neck speed across the back yard in
q northeasterly direction. Reaching
Bird Run, he turned up the old creek
bed and with glance or two behind
him he sprinted for all his life was
worth.
The eager ones set chase. Will
Woods "a neighbor, and other colored
residents Of that part Of the city, be-
gan the man hunt.
.Stop him, stop him.. they cried as
they set chase.
The negro was desperate and would
take no chances.
AS the mob formed and set chase
Mathews turned ana pulled out his
gun, Reloading it he fired shot in the
air.
The mob turned and fed. Mathews
went out unmolested and disappeared
In the murky duskiness which parted
to take in the black malignant form Of
the murderer.
The little implanted cottage was the
scene of desolation when the officers
arrived. Carnage and death seems to
overrun the little home. Upon the floor
of the front bedroom lay Diggs, rolling
and moaning in his agony. Upon the
floor OF the sitting room was the pros
trate lifeless form of Travis, whose
death was almost instantaneous. Upon
the bed Mrs. Diggs lay sweltering in
the blood pouring from the flesh |
wounds she had received. Beside the
bed, hiding her face and screaming
with terror which knew no grief, was
Mrs. Mathews, TIE innocent cause of /,
the whole trouble. In the parlor were {
the two little children of the wounded
crying piteously. One Of them I
had rushed out to the front door, and !
crying. mamma and papa are dead" |
had aroused the naighborhood.
Special officers were at once put {
upon the trail, OF the murderer but up
10 this time have not succeeded in {
landing him. It is believed he Will q