Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
Kills Wife and Attempts Muir
der of Her Mother.
SLASHES WIFE'S FRIEND
MURDERER WOUNDED IN STRUG-
GLE OVER WEAPON.
Inquest Ordered by Coroner to Take
Place Monday-Stories Told
by Witnesses.

William Burge, young colored man.
killed his wife last night attempted to end
the life of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Mary
Jordan, slightly wounded Lena Lawson and
was then himself shot In the head. He is
In the Homeopathic Hospital in a serious
condition his mother-in-law is under treat
ment in the Emergency Hospital and his
wifes body is in the morgue. An inquest
Is to be held at the morgue Monday morn
ing at which time witnesses will be present
to tell of the affair.
Burge shot and killed his wife at the
home of Commodore Thomas Williamson,
retired 20O6 street, and ii was there that
he slashed Lena Lawson with a razor. Run
ming from the r street house to the nome
of his mother-in-law. 1902 street, he at
tempted to use his revolver on her. Frank
Jordan, her son. came to her assistance,
and it was while he was struggling to dis
arm Burge that the weapon was discharged
and the latter wounded. Burge then de-
clared that his brother-in-law had shot MIN
and the latter was arrested by foliceInan
Murphy of the second precinct
Unable to Live With Husband.
Daisy Burge who was killed, was only
nineteen years old. She was married four
years ago, when she was a mere child.
Being unable to get along with her hus-
DanQ, Sne tell him, anu iiO iau oSoiA Sii-
deavoring to get her to return and live
with him. The young woman was afraid
of him and had told of threats he had
made against her. While working at As
bury Park last summer, she sa1d, her
husband had threatened her life, ana she
expressed the fear that he would Kill
her.
Lena Lawson and her mother, Annie
Lawson. are employed as domestlcs IN
the home of Commodore Williamson.
A.,. aIA fri
Burge and the latter always went to
them for protection when she feared her
husband contemplated violence. She was
going to their place of employment last
night to seek protection when her huS-
band overlook her and shot her to death.
The first shot was fired in rear of the
residence. and later in the night Coroner
hewitt found blood stains in the snow
there He tracked the stains to the
kitchen of the house where Burge fired
the second shot Mrs. Lawson opened the
back door to admit Daisy, having heard
the report of the pistol shot and the
screams of the woman. Husband and wife
entered the kitchen together, and the sec
ond shot was fired while the woman's
friends were trying to shield her. 1t was
during this struggle that Burge welded
the razor and cut Lena Lawson's hand.
His Attack on Mother-in-Law.
Satisfied that he had accomplished what
he had started out to do, Burge left the
house and hurried to the home of his
mother-in-law. where he found the woman
sick in bed Entering her ROOM it is said
he drew his revolver and succeeded in
firing two shots before Mrs. Jordan's son
came to her rescue and grappled with
Burge for possession of the weapon. 1t
was during this struggle, as already
stated, that the weapon was discharged
which wounded Burge. He was too seri-
ously hurt to escape.
Policeman MurUhy hea ri he SHIFTS fred
in the house and lost no time reaching
the room in which the men were still
struggling. He found that Mrs Jordan
had been shot in the shoulder and law
and that Burge had received a bullet
wound in his head. The policeman de-
tanned young Jordan at the house until
the two wounded ones had been sent to
the hospitals, and then he took Jordan
to the second precinct police station and
held him upon a charge of alleged as
sault with intent to kill. Witnesses who
We're in the house at the time the shoot
ing occurred declare that the statement
of Burge as to how Jordan shot him is
absolutely untrue.
Coroner's Investigation.
1t was not long after midnight when Cor
oner hewitt reached the house of Commo-
dore Williamson and started the investiga-
ton. He found the body of the murdered
woman in pool of blood on the kitchen
floor. Because of the amount of blood that
was smeared over the body ii was impossi-
BILE for him to determine exactly what
wounds she had received. He felt certain,
however that her death was caused by a
hemorrEage from the jugular vein or caro-
It'd artery. a lantern was procured and
the doctor went to the rear of the premises
and examined the blood spots and subse-
quently the body was removed to the
morgue.
Result of Autopsy.
DIR. L. W. Glazebrook, the deputy coroner,
performed an autopsy at the morgue at
noon today and found that the woman had
received only the two bullet wounds One
bullet had entered just below the right ear
and several a big blood vessel, which
caused her to bleed to death. The other
bullet entered the right jaw about two and
one-half inches from the wound below the
ear and fractured both jaws This after
noon the injured people in the hospitals
were reported as doing well and both will
probably recover.