Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-17
KILLS WIFE IN MERCY
Woman in Agony From In
juries Incurred in Fall.
HER BODY SHAPELESS MASS
James McDowell's Awful Experience
in Canadian Northwest
= : So. ,
NERVOUS, PHYSICAL WRECK
Mule Carrying His Bride Tumbles
Over Precipice, 1000 Feet ~
in Height. =. ...-
HER BODY SHAPELESS MASS
NERVOUS, PHYSICAL WRECK

NEW YORK, September 17-Haun,ed
by the memory Of his wife, whose suffer
ings he mercifully ended by sending a
bullet through her head I'M the wiids of
the Canadian northwest, miles from help,
James Mcdowell, prospector and miner,
is at the home of friends at 2174 Balm
bridge avenue. the Bronx, nervous and
physical wreck. He has been under treat
ment. but he is growing worse. He says
Of himself: g, -. ~.
How long 1 can stand it don't know -
Mcdowell granted the plea of his NOR.
tally injured wife to end her agony. He
was exonerated by a jury OF his fellow
men. The remembrance of that awful
experience has shattered his nerves until
he is now hardly more than the wreck of
a man. +"f ~ ..:rs!t@
Mcdowell is fifty-eight years old. six
feet tall, and a gaunt reminder of what
was once a physically perfect man. The
thought that he killed his wifes despite
the fact that that was the only course
open to him, is with him constantly, and
his sunken eyes tell of wearisome days
and sleepless nights. He is averse to talk
ing Of the experience, but last night he
consented to tell his story. =.
Wife's Father His Friend.
My wife was Fanny Crawford, a ma
tive of Alberta province he said. Her
father was John Crawford. who had bsen
a miner, a prospector, in California and
Canada for years. He and f. hAd been
close friends and are yet. Fanny was
only twenty-five when we were married
/ had q rich claim near Castle mountain
which is in the British Columbia extern
sion of the Cascade range. and soon after
we were married I decided to visit 1t.
had been there soma time before, and
had cut rough trail to the claim.
Fanny begged me to take her with me-
1 demurred. as it was no place for q
woman, but she persisted. and 7; finally
consented. We visited friends III Calgary
for a few days. while was purchasing
supplies. and then started for the mine.
five-day journey by mules. We had
three mules, one for my wife, one for my
self, and the third for pack animal. car
rying provisions and tools for building a
cabin; as 1 intended to do some work on
the claim.
Trails Marrow and Steep.
THE trails on Castle mountain are very
narrow and steep, so-rihch so that it ii
difficult for even mule to pass over,
them. One day we were going along one
OF these trails. My wife was some yards
ahead Of me. and I was lounsing in the
saddle. half asleep. 1t was about 10
o'clock in the forenoon. and We had been
riding three hours.
Suddenly my wife's mule brayed as III
in pain, and l looked up to See him rear
ing on the very edge Of the precipfce. ],
have always thought he was stung BY a
hornet. 1 tried to reach my wife's SIDE.
but before l could do so the mule plunged
over the precipice, carrying Fanny WIN
him. Az. - -,
Il threw myself to the ground and
peered over the edge. I could hear the
and among the rocks to the bottom,
fully 1000 feet. l nearly pitched over
myself.
ut was almost twenty-four hours later
before ] found the carcass Of the mule
had eaten nothing for almost thirty
hours and was nearly insane from grief
hunger and thirst. My clothing and flesh
were torn by the rocks over which / Had
cra1Sled. my skin was almost biistered
by the heat and my eyes .smarted so that
could hardly see.
Body shapeless Mass.
Il left the dead mule and crawled on.
Fifty yards away I found a shapefess.
mass lying among the rocks. 1t was my
wife. alive. but mercifully unconscious. I
think every bone In her body must have
been broken There was a great cash in
her forehead. but she was breathing faint
ly.
II mixed some brandy with water from
my canteen and forced it down her
throat. When she revived a few min
utes later her suffering was intense. She
begged me to shoot her and end the
agony. -. ,..s--. :. s,,... :. I =, a-,,--.1. :
There was not a human being within
q hundred miles, so far as Il know. The
nearest medical help was at Calgary. 1IO
miles away. 1t would have taken me ten
days at least to go and return, and wolves
would have devOured her before I had
been gone one day:
There was.nothing else to do" I placed
the muzzle of my revolver against her
head and fired. Then I tainted Whent I
recovered consciousness, hours later. I
covered her body with rocks, grass and
boughs to keep away the wolves. Then I
started for Calgary.
Il was in such condition that / was ten
days making the trip When T arrived,
hunted up Sheriff Hamilton and told him
my story. He sent two deputies with me
to the spot and they found things Just IA
had said We buried my wife and re-
turned to Calgary. An inquest was held
and was exonerated. Shortly after that
/ had a sunstroke and after 1t my senses
returned, but my nerves gave away, and I
am here now for treatment"