The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-05-18
N = y -
VII O1-l-iib bic
q ~ I ge',d'!Y q at Z:
Osst town n
S. Coff1nan
Commits Murder

y S. A. !. .coffman. :: local Methodist
1 Esspreacher$ residing at Meadowdalc
MT Rosstnwn, about two
and one half miles northeast OF this
city, killed his wife last night about
. twelve o'clock by beating her over
the head with a poker! and then slash
Z Ing her With a srazcr.
The first Intelligence OF Coffman's
i awful Iced was given by himself. He
went to NIL. Meredith's home early
4 this morning and told Mr.. Meredith
\ that he had killed his mother. An In
Iestigat.on. showed that his wife had
been the victim instead Of his mother.
Atr. Meredith called up the sherifr's
aof1ceS and the coroner and there off,
GERS: were informed OF the tragedy
that sE,T been committed.
shsritf H. r.. Furbee and Deputy
Sheriff 4 Nj w. Harris went to the
. scene end found cpffman al home.
4 The oficars placed C6fman Under ar.
rest and started with him to the coun-
;;55ty jail. The officers had only gone
IN short distance With their man when
sSbe begged to go back to the scene OF
his horrible butchery. He was per-
sInltted to go back and this was re-
srented several lines At last he was
told that he could not SO back any
more and the officers brought him In.
arriving at the jail about 9:15 O'Clock.
The officers found him bloody His
hands clo ot1hing. shoes. were drench.
ed with the life9blood that gnshed from
the several arteries or his wife. A
LOT letters among which was one,
written on April II. 1905, from Wheel.
ling, addressed to Andrew Carnegie
ppealing for !: aid tr help pay for n
church that he ha.! huilt there and
!: books were bloody The letter to
Carnegie had never. teen mailed. It
& gcommeEded him for his generous glfts
& and endorsed several articles that
e the Laird OF skib, had written for;
magazines. 1t ended with the appeal
for laid from one Of Gods messen.
gers II ss.-..3 s.,.
ssgE He was cleaned un at the Jail anil
given: clothes to put on.
Coroner: Amos went to the ill-fatei
! parsonage this morning and found the
4 woman lying in the yard where she
had fallen. prostrate,l by the blows
+ OF the poker and from the loss OF
blood.
coffman told his story to the om.
e GERS and the Indications at the home
tend to corroborate his statement He
.ssaid that at midnight he got llp and
dressed. He walked his wife and told
her to get up that lie was sick. She
tnrose and had finished dressing her
self except putting on her shoes She
had put one shoe on and was in the
act of drawing the other one on when
she grabbed the, poker and struck her.
He sail that he was crazed. some
thing came over HIN that he could
not throw. on. He was seized with
ssa murderous fit AMI intended to kill
T his wife and his mother and himself.
/ BY he lime lie killed ilis vito he cnma
TO Himself and partially realized wha;
he was doing. had hc mot. probably a
triple tragedy woul,' have been re-
ported.
Coffman struck his wife while she
was putting on her Shoe He struck
her three times with the poker. They
then got into another room where the
night was continued. n helpless woman
defending her life against the attacks
lof "a raying maniac armed with a polk
eri and a razor. They got out in the
yard and there the woman. stunned
by the blows and weakened by loss
Of blood sank to the ground her life
passing away as her life blood ebbed i
from her veins.
7 There Is "a streak of insanity run
ming through the corman family.
Corman's father and two brothers
were In! the insane asylum at the same |
time. 1T Is sdid that Conman's ia III.
err committed suicide
Cotman is about forty:flve years
old: He never wac admitted into the
sMethodistt conference. though he had
been an applicant fer admission. Con.
man s5has come valuable coal land In
Harrison county. He came to This
county last fail. y He had a regular
tcharse. He 4was to have baptized "a |
number OF scandtdates at Hoult: yestsr:
day but was too ptck To do II. -
MraICnfman.sS SlmaIden5 name swas
lillian sEahott She nnrried Cormah