The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-05
KILLS WIFE AND
COMMITS SUICIDE
w. |. Entricken and Wife Found
Dead in Their Home
A WELL KNOWN COUPLE
The Wife Was Crazy and 1t Is Thought
the Husband Decided to End
Their Troubles In This
Manner.
A WELL KNOWN COUPLE


Decatur, May 4.-tspecial)-A most hor-
rible case of murder and suicide took
place this morning about sunrise four
miles southeast of Hartselle. this county,
and about twenty miles southeast of De-
catur.
W. I. Entriken. a farmer, aged about So
years. shot his wife dead and then turn
ing the weapon on himself took his own
life. His wife was about his own age
The cause of the tragedy, as learned from
his son-in-law, John Norwood, of New
Decatur, was about as follows: For some
time Mrs. Entrl<en had been crazy, but
her husband would never consent for her
to be sent TO the asylum. OF late she has
been exceedingly fussy and quarrelsome
with her aged husband, and this is
thought to have preyed on his mind to
such an extent as to cause his mind to be-
come affected, and In a fit of dependency
this morning he decided to end all by the
taking of his wife's life and then shoot
ing himself
Neighbors heard the shooting, 1t is said
and rushing to the home of Mr.. Entriken
of their rural home, and with their life's
blood rapidly ebbing away. 1t is presumed
that death in both cases was almost in
slant Lying by the side of the husband
was a 3S-calibre revolver with two cham
bers empty which told the story % the
horrible crime.
Mr. and Mrs. Entriken had been mar
ried for a number of years. and had
raised a number of children, all of whom
are grown and married some of them
with children of their own. Mr.. Entriken
was farmer and was fairly well to do.
Both he and his wife. as well as their
children. stand we'll In the communities
in which they reside. Mr.. Entriken was
well known to a number of people in
the Decaturs. and all who knew him re-
garded him being one of the best cit
liens of the county The affair is sadly
regretted throughout the county.
Mr. Entrikens son-in-law John Nor
wood is a conductor on an electric street
car in the Decaturs for the North Ala
bama Traction company and is regarded
as being one of the best men in the en-
ploy of the company Mr.. Norwood and
his wife left for Hartsele this afternoon
Mrs. Norwood Is almost crazed with grief
over the death of her aged parents and
the manner in which death came to them
Council Meets.
At the regular meeting of the City Coun-
Gil of New Decatur last night an ordi-
nance prohibiting cows running at large
at night was brought up for its first read
ing and was the cause of several speeches
of an exciting nature being made. Before
the ordinance was taken up Alderman
Baynard l.. Malone made motion that a
census of the city be taken for the pur-
pose of ascertaining whether or not the
city now has a population of 5000 or more
people According to the state law all
cities with a population of 5000 or more
must keep their stock from running at
large. 1t Is a well known fact that New
Decatur has nearly 10000 people and AL
derman Maone's idea was to prove this
by taking a census and by so doing the
passage of an ordinance would not be
necessary. This motion was the cause of
a number of warm speeches being made.
Alderman Hughes opposed the motion in
the strongest terms, saying Ii would work
hardship on the poor people of the city,
that it would be all right for the rich
to sit on the frount porch of their magnl-
ficent homes and smell the fragrant aroma
of u fine cigar mingled with the odor of
flowers, but to the poor it would take a
great portion of their living away he
thought. He exclaimed. let the rich move
their flowers few feet farther back from
the fence and give the poor man his
COW. Alderman Masterson opposed the
motion. He said he would pay for the
services of a boy to keep the cows off the
streets from the up town district Alder
man Payne and Alderman Malone spoke
in favor of the motion. The motion lost
and the ordinance requiring cows to be
kept up at night was then put on it's first
reading.
Alderman Hughes resigned his office
from the fact that he has moved out of
the ward which he represented.
Frt .l.x.r u 4.
reports for the preceding month and also
for the preceding year. These reports
contained some interesting figures and
showed that the receipts of the city had
almost doubled during the past year.
The marshals report gave the following
figures of interest: Total fines for the
year. $685.. 20. paid in cash s4155S0. the re-
mainder being worked out on the streets,
of this amount of fines the whites were
fined $500 95 and the negroes s3401 20. Dur
ing the year the following number of ar
rests were made: White males SIG, white
females IA, colored males 1897, coored
females 81. total number of arrests 1914,
of this number the following were convict
ed: White males 412, white females 3,
colored males 3l3. colored females 62, total
number convicted 49,
The clerks report showed the following
receipts for the year: General fund $685.
1872. so. street fund s3942 49, sanitary, s24l3.S1
special school tax $5773.S4 making the
total receipts from all sources for, the city
for the past year $4S, So. so. This is more
than double the amount or the receipts of
the year preceding. The report also show
ed that there is now in the city treasury
1904. Besides all this a handsome new
city hail. costing $4,000 or more, has been
built and paid for The fire department.
has been greatly improved by the pur-
chase of horses and equipment and much
street work has been done and other pub
lie improvements made during the year.
1t is said that there is not a city in Ala
bama of like size that can show as great
a financial increase during the past year
as New Decatur can show by the report of
the city clerk.
Three years ago when Samuel Blackwell
became Mayor the city was in bad finan-
cial standing and often times was COM
PEELED to borrow money to meet her obi-
cations. There is quite a marked differ
ence today. as can readily be seen by the
above figures