The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-22
ESSEX JUNCTION
GIRL KILLED BY
SOLDIER LOVER
Minnie Charb0nneau Shot at
Fort Leavenworth, kans.
FIRED UNDER OFFICERS ARM
Private Charles o'NeiI Was Being
Identified by Girl When Tragedy
Happened

! Essex junction, July 22.-Mr. and
Mrs. Louis Charbonneau received a
telegram last night stating that their
daughter, Minnie, had been shot at
Fort Leavenworth, Kans. A second
telegram said that she was dead. She
was bout % years old and had been
married TO Edward Demag from
whom she had obtained a divorce. Sac
had worked at Fort Ethan Allen and
last spring went with an officers fam
lily to Fort Leavenworth. Several sis
tiers and brothers survive beside her
parents.
A dispatch from Leavenworth, Kans
says: Private Charles O'Neil of the
18th Infantry, military prison guard
shot and killed Miss Minnie Char
bonneau, his sweetheart in the pres
ence of army officers and their wives
at Fort Leavenworth shortly before
noon Tuesday. He escaped from the
guards but was recaptured.
O'Neil was jealous of the girl and
called at the home of Capt Charles
N. Murphy. where she was employed
as a maid, shortly after reveille and
then went to Leavenworth and pur-
chased a double action revolver and
called on the girl a second time at
Captain Murphy's home at eleven o.
clock.
He displayed the revolver and told
the girl he intended to kill ner and
himself with it. She ran upstairs to
Mrs. Murphy's room and locked her
self in while Mrs. Murphy telephoned
for help.
O'Neil ran away before Lieut. Rus
sell Hand, the officer of the day, ar
rived with a detail of soldiers but was
captured on the West End parade and
taken to Captain Murphy's nome
while the girl was asked to step to
the front door to identify the prison
err.
O'Neil had the revolver concealed
in his coat and pulling it out unnot-
iced shot under Lieut.. Hands arm and
killed the girl. He shot four times
before the officers or soldiers could
'overpower him.
O'Neil was rushed to the guard
house and at one o'clock was taken
out vita a squad of petty prisoners
to be shackled in the blacksmith shop.
He broke away and reached the tim
Der of Sheridan's drive.
general call was sounded and
within ten minutes squadron of cav
airy, mounted engineers and two bat
talions of infantry were moving.
O'Neil was soon cut OFF from getting
off the reservation when soldiers
started to beat the timber with in
structions to shoot him If he resist
ed.
After a hunt of five hours when o.
Neil saw that he could not stay in the
timber he started to sneak along the
rifle range to gain Merritt lake. He
was noticed by trooper, who rode up
quickly ONeil jumped into the lake
and made a pretense at drowning him
self. The soldier levelled a rife and
made him come out and marched him
up Mcclellan avenue TO the guard
house as the recall was sounded.
The soldiers gave hearty cheers
over capturing the murderer. They
are exceeding bitter against O'Neil for
the disgrace he has brought on the
uniform and will pay Miss Charlton
neau's funeral expenses and send her
body back to her parents in Essex
Junction.
Private William Oosthuyzer of the
5th Cavalry, WAC captured ONeil,
was commended and promoted to be
corporal. He is a veteran of the
Boer war and was Interpreter to Gen
eral De Wet.