The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-10-09

the horrible truth IndL II leII nef 10
summon help the beasts would make
short work Of her came to me so
clearly that 1 at once banished the
idea l stood by and watched the
woman l loved better than anything
else in the world suffering the tor
lures of the damned with not a single
chance of recovery.
Every now and again Fanny would
lapse into Inconsistencies, and dur
ing these periods 1 would walk up
and down, wondering what course 10
pursue. Should l kill my wife? l
felt that 10 accede TO her request
would be murder in the eyes of men.
But that did not worry me. was
willing to commit murder 10 end her
terrible sufferings. But was there the
faintest chance of saving her? That
was the great point upon which the
whole thing hinged
Again she opened-her eyes You
are a coward, jim" she said, 'or you
would kill me. You know l haven't
a chance to live and 1 may suffer this
torture for many hours"
but, Fanny" 1 groaned, Il can't
| Kill you. Some one may come along
and we could get you TO help.
Its ten days TO Calgary. What
chance have I for living that ten
days?" she asked. Il can't live, any
way. I am all broken inside of me.
| You are a coward!
For five hours this went on. Alter
nately there were spells of conscious
ness in which my wife mOaned and
shrieked with pain and reviled me as
/ a coward, and then came unconscious
ness during which l saw. that pain
still persisted.
/ AT the.siXth hour / could endure II
no longer. ] kissed her goodbye. 1
took my pistol and pressed the muzzle
of it against her head. She closed her
/ ewes and said fire" but l had not
strength enough TO press the trigger
and my arm dropped 10 my side.
"Oh. you coward, you coward" she
cried.
I walked away that l might think
il out all over again. The same
problems presented themselves to me,
and 1 could see only the one answer.
Death alone could end my wife's tor
TIRES. Natural death might be de-
4 layed for hours. perhaps even days.
There was nothing at hand to relieve
the pain. If l fell asleep, as ! was
bound TO sooner or later, we would
fall ready victims to the wild beasts
The wolves were already closing II
on US.
For three hours debated the ques-
ton. and again 1 decided to kill my
wife. And again l faltered at the
last moment. And so it went on until
the tenth hour.
NV wife's agony seemed to increase
Finally. I knelt by her side. We
prayed together for the repose of hel
soul and for forgiveness for my act.
Then I killed her!
1 covered my wife's remains with
stones and rocks and grass and re-
turned to Calgary. 1 gave myself VI
TO the sheriff A party was made vi
10 verify my story and TO hold the In
ouest. was exOnerated by the coro-
| ner's Jury, but it is not within the
power of man to obliterate from my
mind the memory.
Scenario of MacDowelrs Tragedy.
JAMES MACDOWELL. an Ameri'
can mining prospector. killed his
wife.
She had fallen down a 2,000-foot
wall of rock and hay crushed. but con-
scious, at its foot.
For Gods sake kill me and end
my agony" she begged her husband
They were two days march from
the nearest help. Mcdowell faced a
clear-cut problem of three sides.
Should he sit beside his wife and
let her suffer her torture until death
came? Should he hOpelessly starr
away for assistance. leaving her 70
II face death at the fangs of the wolves
II which were circling about themE
Or should he kill her?
Mcdowell, after hours of anguish
shot his wife through the head
IS James Mcdowell TO be con-
demned as a murderer or TO be ac-
claimed as a hero? On this page is
his clean-cut narrative of his ex-
perience TO guide the judgment And
here is the scenario of his tragedy:
Among MacDOwell's intimate
ehums is John Crawford, also a miner
and prospectOr Crawford has q
pretty daughter, a bright. vivacious
courageous girl of the real northwest
ern type. Mcdowell has watched the
girl from the cradle up, and when she
is % he marries her.
He has a rich claim near Castle