The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-14
TRAGEDY
IN WASHINGTON
UNLAWFUL LOVE LEADS no MUIR.
DER AND suIcipE-FAiTH.
LESS HUSBANDS DEED.

WASHINGTON, Feb. HlLeonard
a. Brown. who conducted the City Har.
ness aid Supply Company store at.
1924 Fourteenth street northwest, kill.
ed Miss Margaret straub and then
shot himself In the rear room OF his
store. Brown and Miss straub had
been close associates for sometime and
an infringement from his wife had
been the result of Browns friendship
for the young woman.
The double crime was discovered.
when Lee n. Smith and Claude c.
Gardner. two clerks employed by
Brown, opened the store and went to
the rear room to make a fire. There
they found on a bed the body. OF Miss
straub and on the floor, with his head
resting against the bed, the body OF
Brown. A large blood stain on the
bed alongside the woman indicated
that Brown had probably been lying
in bed when he shot her and then shot
himself. his body afterward falling to
the floor. The woman was very little
blood stained. but Brown had bled
most profusely, the entire floor being
covered with blood.
On a revolving chair near the bed
was a box of chocolates, which the
couple had evidently been enjoying.
Miss 5traub's coat, hat, gloves and
pocketbook We're on a bench near the
he'd. Brown had evidently fired three
shots at his companion, for Coroner
hewitt found that one bullet had enter.
ed the left side OF her neck, another
had entered her left cheek and the
third had struck her right hand. Then
the man had evidently placed the re.
volver into his mouth and fired thu
fatal shot, for no sign of a bullet was
anywhere visible, but his neck was
broken either by the bullet or the fall
On the floor.
Miss straub was about 20 years old,
being four years younger than Brown.
She was employed at the Bureau of En-.
craving and Printing. Brown was very
well known in horse circles. His
friendship for Miss straub was wen
known to his friends, although Miss
Straub's friends knew nothing Of her
relations with Brown. Browns wife.
however, was fully cognizant of the
relations existing between him and
the young woman, and they had In CON.
sequence been living practically apart
for sometime. Brown occasionally
went 20 his wife's home, which is at
1929 Columbia road, and she OCCASION
ally stopped at his store. When the
two clerks found the , bodies they
promptly phoned Mrs. Brown, who re.
Piled to their message that this was
just about what She had been expect
ing for sometime. Mrs. Straub, the
mother OF the dead gin, Is an invalid
and the unfortunate intelligence Of
her daughters death has completely
p%rostratod her. She knew of her
daughters nnwise friendship for
Brown ard had pleaded with her in
vain TO end It.
Brown attempted to commit suicide
Three weeks ago by turning on the
gas. but when he was about half dead
he repented and struggled into the
street. His screams for help brought
him assistance and be was hurried to
Garfield Hospital. where the doctors
saved him.
There is no reason to suspect a .sui-
eide pact" It is assumed that Brown
woke up during the night and on an
impulse fired the three shots into the
woman, killing her as she lay asleep
and then fred another shot into his
own mouth. No letter was found Civ
ing any explanation of the crime. Mrs.
Brown gave directions that the body
Of her husband be suitably par