The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-08
DEATH OF WOMAN
LOOKS VERY MUCH
LIKE FOUL MURDER
Mrs. Chas. J. Ayres of Shelby
vile Found Dead by Hus-
band With a Bullet Hole Un-
der Her Right Ear.
HUSBAND, SLEPT NEAR
SAYS HE HEARD NO SHOT
Well to do Couple Had Quar-
relied Over Property and the
Authorities are Busy Inves-
tigating the Case.
Publishers PreSs1

IISSS1
Shelbyville Ind, Oct. Mystery
surrounds the death of Mrs. Laura
Ayers, aged 80 years, we'll 20 do
woman and active in church work,
who was found dead in her bed this
morning, with a bullet in her BRAIN
The bed clothing was covered with
clotted blood and great blotches of 1T
were on the floor. While there is
some evidence that points to suicide,
there are others that are causing
Coroner Frank Bass and Prosecutor
Bassett to make rigid and thorough
examination and investigation. To
night they stated that they would
withhold their findings for at least
there will be sensational develop
ments
Neighbors Found Horrible Sight.
1t was $50 o'clock this morning
when Charles Ayers, husband of the
dead woman, knocked at the door of
the apartments of Mrs. Mary Arm
buster, an old woman, from whom
he and his wife rented their suite
of rooms, and calmly informed her
that he believed his wife to have
shot herself during the night and
was dead. He declared then and
still maintaines that he heard no shot
fired during the night. Neighbors
went with him to the dead woman's
bedroom and there found horrible
sight. The body of Mrs Ayers was
lying across the bed with the head
hanging over the edge. Blood had
flown from hole just in front of her
right ear, to the floor making blood
stain on the carpet over two feet
in diameter The pillows and other
bed clothes We're satuated with clot-
ted and dried blood. A 3S CAL revol-
yer laid on the floor beside the bed.
The body was stark and rigid.
No Evidence of Struggle.
There was no evidence of a strug-
gle in the room but the question
that was first asked by the neighbors
and the Prosecutor was how the
woman shot herself during the night
without her husband hearing the re-
port of the revolver" 1t developed
that Ayres occupied an ad
room, and that the connecting door
between the rooms had been left
open during the night His bed was
not more than twelve feet from that
of his wife.
In answer to the questions of the
authorities, Ayers held that he had
heard NO shots or reports, thereof
during the night and that the first in
timation that he had of his wifes
death, was when he had arisen about
6:45 o'clock and had gone into her
room to ascertain why she had not
arose. First he called to her and
receiving no answer. he went to the
bed and shook her gently. The room
was dark and he could not see dis
tinctly so he went to the window,
raised the shade and. he states, by
the aid of the streaming light which
sight of his bloody wife lying on the
bed. Horrified he Immediately mott
fed Mrs. Armbruster and then rush
ed to the street proclaiming the terri
BILE news to the neighbors.
Had Quarrel Over Property. !.
Mrs Armbuster, who is an aged
woman with defective hearing, de-
clares that she heard a report dur
ing the night, but believing it to be
an explosion of a fruit can in her
cellar paid no attention to it. She
and Mr.. and Mrs. Ayers were the on
ly persons sleeping or in the house
during the night.
1t is said that Ayers and his wife
had quarreled over some property.