The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-03-02
Il Horrible Tragedy.
joseph BiIIeS and His Wife
Found Dead.
Billes is Supposed to Have Killed
His Wife and Then Com
mitted Suicide.

One of the most terrible double
tragedies that ever occurred In Grant
parish was discovered at the home oil
Mr.. Joseph Billes lnsdTuesday morn
ing. The discovery was made by
Mr.. AdoIph Dubois. who rode up to
the gate for the purpose of getting
permission to pen some oxen III MI
Billes' pasture. He discovered the
body of Mrs. Billes lying In the yard.
and called for help. but receiving no
answer he rode over To IL nelyhDOrs
house and gave the alarm. Mrs.
Billes was found I'm her night clothes
with q pistol bullet through her
body. A poss of citizens broke open
the house, which they found securely
locked and barred from the inside,
and discovered the body of Mr.. Joseph
Billes living on the bed, his thrOatcilt
and two gunshOt wounds in his mead.
Sheriff STAFFORD and several citl-
zens of cOifaX went to the SCENE ol
the tragedy, which il on Red river
twelve miles north of this place. AT
what IL known as Billes' Landing
A coroner's jury was impannelied by
Magistrate l.. q. O'Neal, assisted 10y.
DIR. i. l.. WoOdaii, and sat into the
night making Investigations. Being
unable to arrive at n satisfactory
verdict the jury adjourned over until
Thursday.
MIR. Biles, who WAS native o1
France, was about s. years of age.
and his wife was about GO. She was
Miss Lola Grandchamp, and they
were married at Cloutieryille. Nathi-
toches parish, six or seven years ago.
5ilL.s conducted n store about one
mile south of the mouth of Bayou
Nantachie for about twenty years.
and had accumulated good deal oil
property, being supposed to be worth
something near $50,00W. He quit
rchandising several years ago, anu
has been giving his attention NANNY
to his landed interests, having lately
sold his timber lands for a large sum
Of money. He had raised u negro
family in that locality 10y a mulatto
woman. and as he and his wife iid
not get along peacably. it is Thought
they were a matter of rupture Ire
tween Billes and his wife, leading
possibly to the terrible tragedy.
The mulatto woman and her sever
al children were moved to another
house, and Biiics and his wife lived
at his old home by themselves, moi
even having any servants. They ilnd
no children, and the nearest neigh
bors are said to have lived n quarter
or possibly n half mile away.
The corOner's jury was composed
of the following citizens: JnO. |. Me-
Cain. JnO. l.. Calhoun, Z. Il. Guih.
w. l.. Dowty ard b. E. Woods. Al
their sitting on Thursday they decid-
el that Mrs Bill, came to her death
from a rifle built fired into her back
by her husband, and Joseph Billes
killed himself.
The dead mans watch and pocket
book with Il snail amount ct money
In it were found undisturbed. He
had been drinking a good deal OF late.
to the verge of delerium. The theory
IL that Mrs. Billes was killed Satur-
day night or Sunday, and that after
killing her Billes locked himself in the
house and decided to kill himself;
that he first shot himself with his PTS
tOl, the ball passing under his jaw
and out near his temple without
reaching a vital spot, and lodging in
the ceiling overhead; that he after
ward tried to cut his throat. sever
ing his windpipe half in two, bat be-
ing unable ON account of the dizziness
of his knife or his weakness and ner-
vousness to cut the jugular veins;
and that he then seized his Winchester
and placing it under his chin fired IA
ball through his head, managing in
his death struggle to fall across the
bed before life left his body. Mrs.
Billes must have laid out Ia the yard
during the rain of Sunday evening
and night.
The bloody finger marks and foot
prints about the room, the streams
and pools of blood. and the weapons
with their crimson CHASTITY stains
are said to sustain the theory OF the
jury's finding.
The remarkable thing that these
two bodies should have lain thus for
three or four days without discovery
ia hard to comprehend. Also the un-
certainty as to the motive OF the
crime leaves Il murky mystery; and
there nre lingering suspicious that
after all it may be horrible double
murder, carefully planned and con-
cealed by some fiend incarnate bent
ON rObbing the old man of his covet-
ed wealth.