The San Francisco call., 1908-09-09
DR.. RUST|N AND
WOMANPLANNFD
HORRIBLE DEED
Mrs. Rice Says She Agreed to
Kill Physician, but
Lost Nerve
Consort Was to Shoot Him;
Then Commit Suicide by
Taking Poison
His Scheme Was to Secure
$4,000 in Insurance for
Benefit of Family

OMAHA (Neb.), Sept. 8.-The
coroner's inquest into the death of
DR.. Frederick H. Rustin, whose trag-
ic death at the door of his home in
this city has given the police depart
ment puzzling problem, developed
several sensational symptoms today.
The first was the testimony of Mrs.
Abbie Rice, the woman who was
last known to be in DR.. Rustin's COM
pany on the night of his death.
In her testimony she said DR.. Rus
tin first asked her to kill him about
two weeks ago, and finally she con-
sented and agreed to shoot herself af-
terward. She said:
Il was to shoot him in his office. He
wanted me to shoot him through the
abdomen, so his family could get his
insurance money. He thought he could
trust me- He wanted me to give him
two or three days to settle his business
AFFAIR before killing him.
hardly knew what to say when he
said that. He wanted it done Sunday
at his office. (That was August so.)
He thought the noise of the cars would
drown the noise of any revolver shot"
PLANNED CUNNING SCHEME
Mrs. Rice said DR.. Rustin then said
she could kill herself She said a cum
ming scheme TO avoid her suicide being
connected with his murder had been
preached by the doctor. She was TO
shoot him through the abdomen. Then
she was to remove the empty cartridge
and dispose of it. Then she was to
take the revolver away with her, re-
load it and kill. herself In that way
only. one empty .shell--not two--would
a.n 4r1ns.~ ~ Al L.
hand, and his death and hers could not
be connected to bring shame and HUI
initiation upon his family.
DR.. Rustin had bought a revolver at
pawn shop, but had no ammunition.
The woman said she bought some car
tridges. but in trying to load the re-
volver Saturday night she got it out
of order, so that the killing could not
be carried out on Saturday night as
planned. The following Friday night
she accompanied DR.. Rustin to his Of
flee and he loaded the pistol and asked
her to shoot him,
LOSES NERVE AND REFUSES
Il lost my nerve and backed out"
said Mrs. Rice. This made Dr. Rustin
very angry and they debated the mur-
der and suicide scheme for some time,
finally agreeing to go to his home and
commit the double tragedy in his barn.
Rustin told her it would make it look
like he had been murdered by some
burglar or foetpad if he was shot in
the barn.
He was to go in the barn and let me
in the back way. He gave me the gun
and L walked up TO the alley back of
his house, while he went in the front
door of the house, intending to go out
the back way to the barn. All this
happened Friday, August 2S.
while / was at the alley some one
drove along and lost my nerve again
and went back to Farnam street." said
Mrs. Rice. Il walked east on Farnam
street to get away from him and waited
on the next corner for car" DR.. Rus
tin was on that very car. according. to
the woman's statement. She said Rus
tin was very angry at her desertion
and insisted on her coming back to his
place
Is LET INTO BARN
I'VE walked back to Forty first
street, and I went around the back way
through the alley again to the barn."
said Mrs. Rice. She said she was let
in the barn through the sliding door
said: Now shoot me-" declared the
woman without raising her voice or
without a sign of emotion. She said
powder stains on his clothes: that he
had carefully planned that detail
against detection.
shoot" said Mrs Rice. He was very
angry then and thtreatened to kill me
and himself both together there in the
barn. / insisted on going back down
to take US downtown"
SOME ONE ELSE TO KILL HIM
Mrs. Rice said she went to his office
Tuesday. She said: He told me that
he had found some one else to kill
him and that | would not have to do
him-a man by the name of Charley
Davis l was introduced to him." They
met at his office again that evening.
HE was very much depressed" said
His n a Q
o'clock and I left the office and was
to cali him up"
tin and that Davis would be given
some medicine in return which Davis
would use to kill himself. Mrs. Rice
said Davis was sent out to get a bot
tin out of the notion of being killed.
WAS GIVEN ACONITE
He gave me some drug in bottle
-aconite-and told me to take it as
soon as was sure he was going to
die" said Mrs. Rice
She told of seeing DR.. Rustin put the
other man on the Farnam street car
to go to some appointed place where
parting with him for the last time
Charles z. Davis, the man Implicated
in the affair by Mrs Rice, gave brief
testimony, admitting his own atten1nt
at suicide with morphine and other
poisons furnished him bv Rustin. buf
denied any knowledge of Rustin's death
until the day after it occurred.
Mrs Rustin told of the incidents fol-
lowing the finding of her husband on
the doorstep. She also related in detail
band had a note for $4,000 coming due
the day of the shooting. She admitfed
he carried $4,000 life insurance b,,t
that a considerable amount had Iapsed
for nonpayment of premiums.
CHOOSE CATION FOR GOVERNOR
SEATTLE. Sept. S.-The prohibition
state convention met here at O'clock
today with so delegates in attendance.
It was called to order by Secrefa ~