Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-19
Prominent Resident of Virginia
Stays Spouse.
TRAGEDY IN CULPEPER CO.
Mental Alteration Assigned as
Cause of the Crime.
ASsAILANT JUMPS DOWN WELL
Application for Appointment of Com
mission to Determine Mental Con-
dition of the Prisoner.


CULPEPER. Va. March 19-Henry
Wheatley. for many years deputy col
lector of taxes in Culpeper county, is pre-
sumed TO have been suffering from tenn
porary mental alteration when yesterda y
he killed his young wife by beheading her
with an ak. afterward attempting to end
his own life by jumping into a deep we'll.
He first struck down his wife with the
blunt end of the ak, and then cut her
throat. The ak was again brought into
requisition to chop off her head. Wheat
ley was dragged from the we'll by neigh
bors, who held him in subsection until
the arrival of the authorities. who took
him to jail So far as can be learned
the domestic relations of Wheatley and
his wife were pleasant.
Wheatley, his wife and a son by a for
mer marriage, a lad about fifteen years
OF age, were the only occupants OF the
house when the crime was commit ed
The boy says he went to bed Wednesday
night about 8 o'clock, leaving his
father and stepmother sitting downstairs
Wheatley being asleep in his chair. The
boy went to bed. He heard no disturb
ance during the night. Arising yesterday
morning and going downstairs. he was
Mortified to see his stepmother's body
on the floor near a lounge in q pool OF
blood. He rushed back upstairs, climbed
out on the roof, and, gaining the ground
called to his cousin, John Shackelford
who operates the farm, to come TO his
assistance.
Head Severed. From Body.
Shackelford and young Wheatley forced
open a window, and. entering the cham
Der, found that the woman was dead
her throat mutilated, and the head sever.
ed from the body. The blood-stainet
ak was lying nearby. A note was found
on the table, written by Wheatley, in
which he stated that his wife had robbed
him of his property and that he had killed
her. 1t eXonerates his son of any knovl
edge OF the crime, and states his in
tention of taking his own life somewhere
between the farm on which the crime
was committed. and the nome of hi:
brother-in-law, Colin Shackelford.
An alarm was given and the coroner
and other officials notified. Tracing the
movements of Wheatley after the crime, II
was found that he left the farm and
went to the home OF Armour Embrey,
where he asked for some matches. This
was before daylight Soon after he ap.
piled for the matches. the barn of Mr.,
Cunningham, who lives nearby, was found
in flames. He then went to his lower
IdTHl anu Threw nlInSelI INTO the well. "A
woman on the place witnessed the act. il
being then light, and cried for help. The
man was pulled from the we'll wet, bul
unhurt. He was taken to the home OF
his brother-in-law. where he was held
pending the arrival of the authorities,
Think Wheatley Is Insane.
The coroner arrived at noon and immedi
ately impaneled jury. which rendered a
verdict that Jennie Shackelfofd Wheatley
came to her death by wounds inflicted by
her husband, Henry Wheatley.
The general opinion is that Wheatley
is insane. He was known in the COM
munity as an inoffensive man. A plea
Of insanity will be entered when the case
is called for trial. The court has already
been requested to appoint a commission
of lunacy to examine him.
Wheatley is farmer and owns several
plantations. He has three children by his
first wife who was a Miss Matthews, sis
ter of Robert Matthews, a Culpeper tim
Der dealer. One son, James. lives at
home: one daughter is at school in the
neighborhood. and another daughter is at
boarding school in Madison county.
Makes Confession.
Wheatley was arrested by Deputy
Sheriff Taylor. to whom he made a con
fession, saying that he first felled hi.
wife with a stick Of wood. After III
had struck her down he realized for q
few seconds what he had done and at
tempted to revive her. but. failing in that
he was again seized with frenzy anC
cut her throat with two-bladed pocke
knife. but does not know what became OF
the knife.
Wheatley admits that he set fire t.
the barn because he had a grudge agains
Mr.. Cunningham on account of some
sheep. The body of the dead woman wa.
buried today in the family burying ground
on he farm