The Washington herald., 1907-05-27
ORPHANS TELL STORY
Children Of Mrs. Beavers De-
scribe Putnam'S Crime.
RESULT OF JEALOUS RAGE
Little Oues Choke Down SOhs as
They TesrfuIIy Relate Details OF
Saturday Nights Tragedy at rails
Church-WOman Refused 10 Wed.
Lived in Fear of Death.


Church bells called across the green
meadows and woodlands Of Falls Church
yesterday morning. through the drlzzlng
"a IN came the faithful. their horses slosh-
ing over the muddy roads, their carriage
wheels crunching through the gravel and
splsshIng through the mud hollows-
on a hill crest near the little city. half
hidden in a dripping grove. the church
goers passed shabby white cottage,
where a group Of grave men, few pale
women, and two frightened little orphan
sisters stood face TO face with grim
tragedy-two stark. cold forms. huddled
ir the red sordidness Of death on the
cement floor Of the basement kitchen.
The group Of men included the county
coroner and his jury. The women were
relatives and guardians-to-be OF the two
children, May and Gertrude Beavers,
whose mothers body lay cold and still
beside the lifeless form Of her slayer.
silas Putnam
Bravely the sisters, the two oldest Of
the five orphaned by Saturday nights
tragedy, choked down their sobs and re-
lated 20 the inquisitors the ghastly details
OF the murder and suicide 10 which they
had been helpless. terror-stricken wit
nesses the night before. Their recital
dimmed the eyes Of their hearers and
hardened their hearts against the dead
man al their feet
Orphans at Mayors Home.
/ A mile away-up the road along which
/ the four screaming children had Tun
through the darkness Of night with their
message Of horror-the two other chill
/ dren. Ruth and Able waited in the parlor
/ Of MavOr John Payne's residence for the
| return Of the coroner and his jury when
/ they, too, were 10 be questioned. On the
/ lawn in front Of the mayors house four
/ year-oId Nathan Beavers. he who had been
/ left sleeping in his crib when his elder
/ brother and sisters fed from the house,
/ patteTed about with a mallet and croquet
/ ball. bissfuny unconscious Of the mean
/ ing of death. To all visitors he would
upturn his chubby face and in baby's
I prattle say. Mamma w sot dead las
night" Then he would run laughingly
after the rolling croquet ball.
May, fifteen years old. the eldest Of the
five. was the only one of the children 70
whom the HfeIess body of her mother
brought even partial realization Of the
situation Smaller than either Of her
two younger sisters. little May was the
/ champion Of her mother in all the many
quarrcls between her and Putnam. and is
now the little mother Of the orphaned
group. Il was May who tried to save her
mothers life Saturday night. for which.
Il was learned yesterday. she nearly paid
the penalty Of death. the mark Of bullet
beside the door out Of which she fed
showing how narrowly triple tragedy
was averted.
Little witnesses TerroriEed.
Terror and excitement blurred the ac-
curacy OF the four little witnesses mem
ories as 10 the details Of the shooting, but
on all the main points their stories were
identical Each remembered best the part
she played during the fearful moments
rage. destruction. and death. BY eliminat-
ing all that was not corroborated by each
Of the four witnesses TO the tragedy. the
main facts that appeared yesterday show
the bloody act to have been that Of a
mind infamed beyond control through
whisky, jealousy, and rage.
Ruth. twelve years old and May ac-
companied their mother to Alexandra
Saturday In the town they saw Putnam
coming out Of a saloon. He did not speak
10 Mrs. Beavers. but followed the three
on horseback as they drove about the
city. May asked her mother what Put
nam was following them around for, and
Mrs. Beavers told her that he had been
repeatedly asking her to marry him and
that she had refused.
"He is Jealous and is watching me TO
J gee n any man speaks TO me. said the
mother.
Mrs, Beavers Feared Death,
on the drive home Mrs. Beavers became
more and more nervous She told her lit
tie daughters that she knew death stood
, al her side. She begged them 10 remem-
Der her counsel and advice and told them
II anything happened to 80 to their aunt.
- Miss Lizzie Beavers, who lives in Wash
n. T.
At BaIley's Crossroads. Putnam met
them and followed them TO the house. As
they entered. he began 10 force a quarrel
with Mrs Beavers. who In fear Of her
life. tried TO pacify him. Putnam was
plalnIv drunk He snatched Mrs Beavers
hat from the table. tore it TO shreds. and
. burned il in the stove. Mrs Beavers re-
monstrated and he struck her in the face.
, May snatched carving knife from the
table and sprang forward, while the other
children huddled in the corner in terror.
Turns Pistol on Girl.
, With blazing eyes. little May faced the
infuriated brute and told him that she
would kill him II he struck her mother
, again. Putnam then drew his revolver
the same that eight years ago his daugh-
ter Helen had used to commit suicide in
her room above. and pointed it directly
- in the face of the little girl. Her sisters
' say she did not move, but dared to stand
e unfinchingly before the muzzle of the re-
volver Then the screams of the other
children and her mothers cry, Run, MAY
, before he kills you" unnerved her anj
she turned and fed out of the door, cry
ing that she was going 10 Mayor Payne's
for assistance. Putnam fired as she ran
but the bullet struck the wall near thC
door.
He then turned on the woman seized
her by the arm and fired two shots. one OF
which entered her brain, the other goinf
wild. Coolly raised the revolver and
shot himself through the temple Excite
= ment led the children to believe that more
e shots were fired, but investigation show
j ed four empty shells in the revolver and
? one loaded cartridge.
I Run to Mayor for Aid.
= As Putnam's body crashed against a
pile Of stove wood and rolled lifeless tC
= the floor close beside the unconscious
: ...s..