Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-09-11
WOMAN DEFENDING HER
HOME SLAIN BY BURGLAR
Mrs. Frank RoPsChach. Of PORTS
mouth Fou'|y Murdered As She
Seeks The Intruder.
WAS KILLED by HER OWN PISTOL
Burglar Wrcsted It From Brave wo-
man Who Had Twice Shot at Him
colored Man Arrested Upon suspi-
cion-was a Sister Of Joseph T
Lawless, of Norfolk.

PORTSMOUTH. VA, .5vpt. TO-
Mrs. Frank iiol schach, wife of Ensign
Horseback. u. S. N. VINO ia attachod
To the armogcd cruiser Tennessee.
was murdered in her home. on Park
Avenue. this city. AT 3:30 o'clock tiis
morning. while with her two little chill.
drcn.
The police have made one arrest.
| IAonas Archer. a negro. III I'm custody
on suspicion of having committed The
crime hut lie will say nothing FUR
thor than to stoury assert that he
went to his home and retired nj Z
O'Clock last night
The Rorschach home In the last
house on Park Avenue. in Park View
a residential section of Portsmouth,
1t Is located far 10 the northern OK
tremity of the city, near the river
front. ana close to the United States
Naval Hospital reservation.
From Mrs. Rorschach's little son.
! Frank, seven years old the police
nave been able To get some Informal
ton as Ia how his mother was killed.
Inc child who appears to- be n parti-
cuinrly blight lad for his years says
TINT his mother got up and Iii lamp
and went down stairs lie heard the
her call TO him.
When he went down she was lying
nj the foot of the stairs and said {:
Son | am shot. Go tell the neigh.
bors.
lie ran ont ana aroused those living
nearby, ana when they came back Mira
Rorschach was dead
When she wen, down stairs Mrs.
torsciaclt carried a lamp in one hand
and the family pistol in tho other.
she undoubtedly encountered the in.
trudor whcn she reached the foot OF
the staircase ana fired two shots. Tho
hnllots We're taken from The wall of
the Kitchen, not far from Inc ceiling.
indicating that she had shot rather
high.
with three of the chambers In the
weapon empty and only two bullet
holes visible in the wall. the SUPPOSE
ton is that the intruder, when she
open fire on him. dashed upon her
and wrcstcd the pistol from her grasp
firing bullet from her own weapon
into the wonan's breast.
The pistol was later found in an
annex to the Horseback. home used. as
Il woodhouse.
Before he was discovered. the muir.
derer ransacked two writing desks in
the parlor. taking several letters from
them. He did not. however. disturb n
silver service that was In the dining
room.
NJ s. Horseback was n woman of fine
accomplishments and the posscssor OF
n VIDE circle of acquaintance, not
only In Portsmouth, but in other sec
lions OF the state. She was the sis
ter of Colonel Joseph +. Lawlcss of
Norfolk. former Secretary of the Com
monwcalth of Virginia
Was Woman of Marked Fearlessness.
Whether the murderer was Il negro
or white man Is unknown. He made
his escape. dropping the pistol as he
He'd ont OF The woodhouse door in the
immediate rear of the kitchen.
Bloodhonnds, carried TO the house
from the Portsmouth Jail shortly after
the alarm was sounded. secured n
scent and ran ftom the house. The
scent WAS soon lost. however. ana the
hounds l1ye since been unable to pick
nj the trail
Mrs Rorschach. woman of marked
icarlcssness since her earliest youth,
WAS alone with her two children. the
'f'NN.''' OWN anu VIZ YOUNGEST llNt
years Of age. in the absence OF I.lente.
nant RorscAach, formerly of the
United States battleshp Kentucky,
but more recently transferred TO the
United States cruiser Tennessee now
with the Evans fleet of Provincetown.
Mass. and preparing to sell for the
long trip around Cape Horn for the
Pacific coast.
Brother Well Known.
Joseph r. Lawlcss. brother TO Mrs.
Horseback, is well known throughout
Virginia. For many years he was n
law partner of Jcffrics. of Culpeper
now OF Norfolk. which firm went nm.
der the name of Jeffres and Lawlcss
with offices at Norfolk. Two DAYS
ago this partnership was dissolved
Mr.. Jeffrics associating himself with
another law firm. now known ms Wal
colt Jeffries ana Walcott. practicine
at Norfolk MrLawiess continues tho
profession of law individually.
Early in the sos Mr.. Lawless was
lelecicd To the Virginia State Senate
from Norfolk comfy heinz al ~,