The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-17
KILLED BY GIRLS BROTHERS.
PROMINENT VERGINIAN SHOT
AFTER CONFESSION.


Desert Her, when the Strothers Killed
Him -Their Account Of the Tragedy.
CULPEPER, Va, Dec. Is.-W. +. BY
waters, prominent in society, a fox hunter
and q gentleman horse trainer, was shot
to death late last night by Philip and James
! Strother, sons Of the late Col. John n.
Strother, who represented Culpeper county
for several years as a member Of the Gem
ersl Assembly.
Eleven bullets were fred at Bywaters, Of
which the Coroner to-day found ten in his
body.
Bywaters had Just been married to Viola
Strother, and was attempting to leave her
when the brothers began shooting.
Bywaters and Miss Strother had been
intimate, and last week both left Culpeper,
but not together. Upon Miss strother's
return her brothers discovered that she and
Bywaters had been in Washington to-
gether, and that the young woman had
undergone a criminal operation.
She was very i'll; her brothers feared che
would die. One brother went after By
waters yesterday afternoon and brought
him to the Strother home. There he was
informed that he would be killed, no matter
whether the sister lived or died.
Bywaters and the girl both pleaded with
the brothers that they be allowed to marry.
Finally the brothers granted their sisters
plea and got a license. They then called :
in an Episcopal clergyman, the Rev. j. W.
Ware, who performed the ceremony. By
waters and the girls brothersaand a sister
Of Miss Strother standing by the bed on
which the sick girl lay.
As to what followed there are many
stories. 1t is said that after the marriage
had taken place Bywaters said that having
married the girl, he thought his duties
at an end. and that when Mrs. Nellie Gaines,
the brides sister. demonstrated with him
Bywaters spoke harshly to her. II was
when he announced his final intention OF
leaving his bride that the shooting began.
At the time he is said to have tried to escape
he was in his wife's room, in which we're
also Mr.. and Mrs. Gaines and he swo broth
ers, James and Philip Strother.
When he started to leave the room,
the shooting began, and in his effort
to escape he went through the window
opening from his wife's room to the roof OF
a porch upon which another window from
another room faced. On the way through
he got the ten bullets.
The bride of but an hour, on a ~strctcher.
was taken to the home OF her sister, Mrs.
Gaines, whose husband owns a big planta-
ton several miles west Of Strotherwood.
Not until after S O'Clock this afternoon
were warrants sworn against the Stroller
brothers, charging them with the murder
Of Bywaters.
The two men were brought into Coroner
Lewis's Office from the Culpeper Hotel. in
which they had been quartered by Sheriff
A. W. Pulliam. They were accompanied
by another brother, French Strother.
Al the end Of the room sat James
Strother and his youngest brother, Philip.
Attorney John r. Jeffries announced that
he would call upon the other brother,
French for his story Of the case.
you mean for me to tell of what / have
lone since | came here?" asked French
Strother
only since you came to C~ulpeper.'
replied Mr.. Jeffries.
when ! came TO Culpeper Friday morn
ing, he said Il came because we had reason
to believe that something had happened tn
my sister and the name Of my family. When
I arrived she was not at home and a man
known here was also missing. Later i'm
the day, Friday, she returned and l met
her near town. | told her that her uncle.
j. g. lemon, was waiting and for her to go
on home. l further told her what we sus-
pected, and I told her that il il was true I
would kill the man on sight. She denied
that there was any such trouble and went
home. That was on Friday afternoon.
aCA.I. -...s-- -
to the house and 7 told him what / sus-
pected and that I had about proved my
suspicious correct. I told him then that I
would kill him. but that ] had some things
TO tell him before killing him.
You have had the freedom of this
family | said. and you nave done il, the
greatest wrong one man could do He
protested his innocence. and ] told him I
did not believe him. He raised his hands
to heaven and told me that he was not
guilty, but / told him I would kill him.
Then he asked to be permitted to seq
my sister. who was in bed suffering from
the results Of an operation that had been
performed in Washington. 1 refused. but
she also asked that he be permitted to zee
her. ] finally let him 60 to her room and
they both confessed.
Then he asked that he be permitted 10
marry her. I told him that I did not want
him to marry her: that her shame had been
enough. But he insisted. and again raised
his hands to heaven and promised that
he would marry her and take good care
Of her.
Il did not know what to do. / finally
consented TO the marriage. but / told him
that IL he ever deserted her or mis-
treated her I would kill him. He eaid
that II he did anything OF that kind he
would want to be killed.
Il promised I would keep my part OF the
compact. Ny sister also pleaded that she
be permitted 10 marry him.
Il knew hat with my sister in the con-
dition she was, IL I killed him then and
thore I might also kill her, 90 I left the place
and have not seen him SINCE
After DR.. W. T. Chelf, one of the pbysi-
clans who examined Viola Strother. had
told that her condition was ~precarious ana
shOwed conclusively that she had undS6-
gone a surgical operation. the men wers