Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-05-06
Montpelier Woman Shoots
7.
A Hotel Clerk
And Then Takes Her Own Lite
with the Same Revolver.
Had Made HomicidaI Attempts Be.
fore...Beli Insane.

Montpelier, VT, May 5.-Miss Chris
tana Bau, young woman supposed to
have been insane, shot and probably
fatally injured Louis Neveaux, hotel
clerk, on the principal street of the city
late tonight and then killed herself.
Neveaux told the officials at Heaton
hospital, where he was removed, that
he had never seen Miss Bau before and
that he could not account for the
tragedy.
Miss Bau was 25 years of age and
formerly was an inmate of the Ver-
mont State Insane Asylum at Water
bury. Since her release six months
ago, her relatives in Barre, where her
family resides have been watching her
closely, but until tonight, she gave no
indication that she was about to be-
come violent. Two years ago the young
woman became unbalanced and shot
two men in Woodsville, N. H. She was
acquitted by a jury in the Grafton
county court, but as her sanity was in
doubt, she was turned over to the Ver-
mont authorities, she being a citizen OF
this state, and was sent to the asylum
at Waterbury. Last fall her condition
was so favorable that the officials de-
cided to release her and she was sent
to her fathers home in Barre. Recently
she had been visiting her brother-in-
law, Golding Douglass, OF this city.
Apparently Mr.. Douglass was sus-
picious that Miss Bau was threatened
with an attack of her previous trouble,
for about 10 O'Clock tonight when she
disappeared he went to the police sta
ton and made inquiries of the officers.
Before Il search could be made, news
was received that a young woman had
shot man on State street.
NeveauX was on his way home, at
the time. When passing along State
street in front of the National Life In
Surance Cos. building at the corner OF
Western avenue, and within 10 rods of
the Central Vermont Railroad station,
he was startled by pistol shot, and a
bullet struck him in the lower part of
the body. He afterward said that he
saw a young woman approaching but
he paid little attention to her just
as she passed him, she turned and
fired 4 shot at close range, NeveauX
falling to the sidewalk, seriously in
jured Two more shots were fired, ap-
parently at random and then the wo-
man turned the revolver upon herself,
the fourth shot passing through her
brain and causing instant death.
When the police reached the scene,
the body of Miss Bau and the semi
conscious form of NeveauX lay within
Il few feet of each other. NeveauX was
rushed to the hospital in an ambu-
lance and after examination and treat
ment by the surgeons they announced
that his condition was serious.
NcvcauX regancd consciousness and
told bow the shooting occurred. He
said that he was not acquainted with
Miss Bau and so far as he knew she
did not knew him. He said that he and
the young woman had not been in each
othcis company during the evening
and that he had not offered to modest
her in any way when he passed her on
the street Nevcaux has been employed
in hotels for several years and until
a short time ago was clerk 1T the Pa
Wilton House The police are investi-
eating his story of the tragedy but u,
to late hour they had seen n" "cca-
sion to doubt his vcrsioa of it, iu view
of the young wonan's attempt - k i
two men in Woodsvillc. In the absence
of the medical examiner, BiIrto" T..
Bailey, the Montpelier member of thu
Washington county grand jury took
charge Of the investigator in behalf
of the state authorities. and il is un-
dcrstnoG that the officials at the STATE
Insane asylum will be requested t.
furnish Il record of Miss Baus Sojourn
in that institution.
Miss Rau was the daughter of c.
Bau a photographer of Barre She WAS
regarded as a young woman of hand
some features and was always we'll
dressed.