The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-20
TELLS or BYWATERS KILLING.
SISTER or STROTHER BROTHERS
BEFORE CORONER.
Declares bridegroom OF an Hour was shot
TO Death Only After He Had Made Two
Attempts TO Desert His Sick Wifo
md Had Displayed Cruel Brutality.

and Had Displayed Cruel Brutality.
CULPEPER. Va, Dec. Is.-The Coroner
to-day heard the testimony Of Mrs. Gaines
and Mrs. Bywaters, sisters Of the Strother
brothers, who last Saturday shot to death
William Bywaters an hour after his mar
riage to their sister.
Mrs. Gaines, the first witness, was asked
by the Coroner to explain what happened
at the nome of her brothers the evening
OF the tragedy. Mrs. Gaines said that
when she arrived she was told by her
brothers: 1T is all over; they are married"
She went to her sisters room and found
her alone and crying bitterly. Mrs. By
waters exclaimed, oh, Nellie, why did
they make me marry him2 They have
broken my heart"
Witness tried to comfort her sister. She
said to Mrs. Bywaters: viola, now that you
are married it is the duty Of your husband
to remain at your side, and mine to go to my
children"
NO one was in the house." witness said,
except the two brothers, Bywaters, his
wife, n myself. Mrs. Bywaters in
sisted on my remaining"
The witness said that she and Bywaters
and the two brothers were in the sitting
room when she told Bywaters hat she could
not stay. He said that he was obliged to
return to tow to attend to some business.
My sister, witness continued, was then
supposed to be dying. He did not seem
to regard the condition of his wife OF any
consequence, being more interested in going
to tell his mother Of the marriage and OF
leaving the house in a light rain. He was
insulting in his language and was furiously
angry.
that ever lived. You have taken my sister
to Washington and had an operation per-
formed in the cruelest manner. l have
stood by her two days and have seen her
go through physical and mental agony for
you and now you want to leave her IN this
condition without any protection. | pray
hat the girl may die and be spared such a
life as she would have to live with you
He laughed at me and sneered in my face.
About that time my husband said: BY
waters, / want to tell you what | think of
you. You have violated every obligation
as an Odd Fellow and as a gentleman
He said: Yes, | know it, but damn you
and the Odd Fellows. What have you got
to do with it?'
-Bywaters then cursed them with every
vile epithet under heaven. My husband
and two brothers heard him, and he made
motions as if he would like to throttle my
husband. and my brothers kept him from
striking my husband. | saw he was deter
mined o force trouble on us and l pulled
my husband from the room and then 1
went out on the front porch.
Il did not see any one again until ] went
20 the dining room, where Jim and Philip
were. We talked about what had hap
pened, the insult Bywaters had oferedme,
but particularly about the leaving of my
sister alone that night. We just said he
would have to stay with her and nurse her,
as a husband should. Those were the con-
ditions they gave him when he married her.
We decided he should stay. That was the
condition under which he had begged for
his life. We wanted 10 conceal the fact
that he had been forced to marry my sister.
-One of my brothers said he would go
upstairs and tell him that he was not TO
leave the house that night. We were then
in the dining room and ] heard my sisters
voice. / said, Let us go upstairs When
| got up to the head of the steps and could
see into the room the man, Bywaters, was
sitting by my sisters bed end she had her
arms around him holding him. He jerked
away from her and in, trying TO get down
the steps nearly pushed me over.
My brothers we're apparently not con-
scious that he had left the room. | s1id;
He is gone; nearly knocked me over running
"My husband then pulled him back. The
for the window. As he went out of the
window the boys began firing. There were
no shots fired in the room"
Witness then said that certain blood
stains on the floor we're due TO the hemor-
rhage which her sister had during the day.
Mrs. Gaines said the shots were fired on
Bywaters as he went through the window.
Her brothers, Jim and Phi. fired the shots,
she said.
Mira. Bvwaters said said that after
they were married By waters went down
stairs and when he came back they talked
about sending out. announcement cards.
Continuing, she test fled: He said he had
not told his mother and that he had TO go
back and tell her, because she was delicate
and he would rather tell her himself. Some
one suggested that he telephone, but he
seemed more inClined to GO"
Q.-Up TO that time had his manner and
treatment Of you been ane%ctionate?
Ale treated me very nicely. He he'd
been talking about the announcement
cards. He hadn't treated me Coldly orGny-
thing.
Mrs. Bywatars said she didn't remember
the circumstances OF the killing, she was
80 near Cra2v.'
Mrs. Bywaters acknowledged that her
illness at the time of the marriage was
caused by an operation performed in Wash
ington. The first operation was performed
in October and the second bOut two weeks
after that. The third operation was per-
formed the day before Thanksgiving. She
had remained in Washington after the last
operation for fifteen days, Bywaters, she
said. had been with her at each Of the opera
tons and had paid the bills.
The jury gave as their verdict that the
came to his death by pistol rounds
by James A. Strother and Philip j..
Both the defendants were promptly
sent to Jail to await the action OF the next
Grand Jury, which will meet in January.
The bail was fixed at S. 900 each, which
was furnished by the Strothers them
selves.
SOLDIERS FIFE on A TRAIN.