Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-31
ACTRESS SHOT ON MOUNTAIN
Man Kills Himself Rather Than
Testify.
CLAIMED TO BE MAJ. RUMBAUGH
Wealthy Chicago Man Involved in the
Case-Trained Nurse Was the
Woman's Confidante.

Colorado Springs today over the
body OF Miss Matthews, the actress
who was found shot and at first
supposed to be a suicide, outside OF
Colorado Springs The inquest
yesterday was interrupted by the
suicide of man claiming to have
been Mai. Rumbaugh of Washing
ton, and who was to have been a
witness in the case. A search OF
the War Department records shows
that Rumbaugh was at one time
private soldier in the Philippines,
but never held a commission. 1t
i: not known yet whether the death
OF Miss Matthews was suicide or
! murder.
| COLORADO SPRINGS, Col, July 81
| Amos r. Rumbaugh, who shot himself
| late yesterday rather than testify at the
| inquest over the body of his friend. Miss
Laura Matthew'S died early this morning
| at the ST. Francis Hospital.
! The coroner's inquest held over the body
| of Miss Matthews, which was adjourned
yesterday when it became known that Rum
| baugh had shot himself, resumed mere
| this morning.
| The sensational suicide in the courtroom
| Yesterday of a man claiming to De Maj
| Richard r. Rumoaugh of Washington, an
| army officer, Just as he was to be summoned
to testify at the inquest over the body OF MISS
| Laura Matthews, the beautiful girl found
| Monday on lonely mountain slope with a
bullet tlrough her brain. injects extreme
! L. capca+icpal lfJIr,aS into what last night
had been generally accepted as case OF
| suicide Another startling feature Is the
| discovery that Miss Green. the dead g1rfs
| nurse had prepared and sent out letters
| announcing the suicide of Miss Matthews
| before the latter was dead-almost day
before in fact She explains this peculiar
action by the statement that she knew Miss
| Mathews would kill herself.
One of the letters written by Miss Green
| is as follows:
| NV Dear Tot: Poor little Laura has
| ended her heart troubles she has tried to
fight She shot herself tonight. Home
| soon and will tell you all. This has been
a severe nervous strain but must keep up
and make arrangements.
Sincerely, TlL1lE
This letter was not addressed, but is
supposed to have been intended for some
| Miss Green also testified that several
days ago she and Miss Matthews has Wis
tied a local mortuary and Miss Matthews
had selected a caslSet and remarked:
This is the kind of a casket l wish to
be buried in
Denial From Coey. 1
Charles A. Coey, the millionaire auto
mobile manufacturer of Chicago, whose
letter the dead girl clutched in her hand
and who had sent her 500 the day bey
fore, is most frequently mentioned in the
case. In interviews with him in Chicago
he vehemently insisted that the girl did not
commit suicide. He ques stoned the fact of
her death, but insisted that If she were
| dead it>certainly was not by her own hand.
Rumors are persistent here that Maj Rum
baugh was an agent sent here by eastern
men to induce the girl to commit suicide or
| to otherwise cause her to disappear.
| The suicide theory has been dropped
| altogether now, and the authorities are
seeking to learn who met the girl on the
| lonely mountain, how she was lured there
| and how she was done to death.
Miss Matthews was remarkably beau
| tiful girl. Her mother lives in Kansas
daughter for two years, while the latter
| appeared with various theatrical COM
| panies in the eastern circuit.
| Efforts are being exerted to find what
| connection certain highly prominent men
| in Chicago, New York and Washington
have with the affair. Highly sensational
| letters have been found, but all names
| are withheld, although 1t is certain tre-
|
| shortly.
Was He Rumbaugh
Mai. Rumbaugh probably could have
cleared the entire mystery, but he chose
death rather than to expose his friends,
Or 1t may haYe been his employers There
| Is some question of his real identity
there being rumors that he was posing as
the real Maj. Rumbaugh.
| Miss Laura Matthews nineteen
/ al iS Satd
has lived in New York, but whose real
home was in Kansas City. She was found
dead yesterday morning on the Cheyenne
road in Idlewild. bullet hole in her
he ad and bulldog revolver found near
her point to suicide. Her riderless horse
was found near the body.
| Letters left by Miss Matthews indicate
that she had been Tilted by Charles Coey.
and her nurse, Miss Green, who has been
with her for several years. asserts that
| Miss Matthews was engaged to Coey, and
that he recently broke the enga cement.
Rumbaugh a Volunteer.
: PITTSBURG. July 31.-The suicide of
: Amos r. Rumbaugh at Colorado Springs
yesterday has cleared the mystery of his
disappearance from his home at Mount
Pleasant, Pa. near here two weeks ago.
( RumDaugh was married and was one of
a the most prominent citizens of Mount
! Pleasant. Two weeks ago last Monday he
relatives whittier he was going or why. and
!, until now all efforts TO locate him were un
avaling.
8 Yesterday his wife. despairing of h,s re-
e turn. had her household effects packed and
was prepared to leave today for the home
e of her father, A. c. Ruff at Loudenyille
4 Ohio.
AS a result of the information from Colo
e RADIO Springs. however. she will defer her
z departure for the present. and Charles
: Rumbaugh. a brother, will go to Colorado
Amos r. Rumbaugh a private in
l. Company Z Of the 10th Pennsylvania Vol
unteers. and served with distinction with