The Marshall republican., 1911-05-05
A Shot His
Wife's Rebuke
John Freeman Drank, Went
Home and Was Shot

mere.
John Freeman, Is years old,
broke his pledge to his wife that
he "would never again touch liz
nor" yesterday. He returned to
his home near Vance, Kas., suffes-
ing from its effects. The trogllt
which followed resulted In h.
wife, Lizzie, two years his janio f.,
shooting him through tn door
of her room as he was leat.ng IL
down with n sledge hammer.
Freeman was TAX, t. Bethany
Hospital, suffering from a wound
in the body, the bullet having pass
ed through the lungs. There also
was a slight wound in a shoulder.
DR.. C.. NJ. Stenlen, who attended
him, said he doubted IL he would
live more than twenty-four hours
Freeman refused to say who shot
him, other than he was prepar-
ing to attend a lodge meeting near
Bethel, Kas., when someone shot
him through the door. Mrs. Free
man admitted the shooting.
Freeman attacked his wife last
July with n blackjack. He beat
her on the head, fractured her left
arm, and drove her from the house
She spent the night In the woods
near Vance AMI at daylight crawl
ed TO the hme of a n%eighbor. She
was taken to Bethany Hospital
where she remained six weeks.
Then Mrs. Freeman sued for d.
vorcc, asking the custody of their
two children. John, 6 years old
and Rose. 3 years old.
One morning they both walked
into the office OF the clerk of the
district court and stated the d.
yorce suit was TO he dismissed.
"John has promised never to
touch liquor again AMI ! have for
given him." she said.
eyes, John admitted, at was
liquor that caused 1t all, but it's
all over now"
There was no further trouble at
the Freeman home, which stands
some way back from the Leaven-
worth Road, until last night.
awe have n COW that Is hard
TO milk Mrs. Freeman said.
"John tied her to the barn and
began to beat her with a club.
I demonstrated. Then he threat
cned me. I ran into the house
and upstairs into my room. We
were alone in the house. l heard
him coming upstairs. Then he be-
gan TO beat on the door. ! would
not admit him. Then heard
heavy blows and the panel OF the
door gave way. There was n G
volver and n shot gun In the room
and | could see through the
broken door that he had a sledge
hammer. knew he would kill
me II he got In. That was why
| fired. / did not aim just fired
Then ! heard him go down stairs.
l was afraid to go down. heard
him telephone and a little later
took him away in
car. Then | went down."
Albert Becker, sheriff, and Joe
prosecuting attorney,
went to the Freeman home last
night and after questioning Mrs.
Freeman and seeing the broken
door and injured COW decided not
to arrest her. She remained alone
In the farmhouse last night.
Following the first attack Free
man disappeared from Wyandotte
county. Sheriff Becker searched
for him and finally arrested him
as he was leaving a train in Kan
sas City, Kas., several weeks later.
A criminal proceeding growing
out of that trouble still = on the
court dockets. The sheriff could
not prevent the reconciliation,
however, and the divorce suit was
Mrs. Freeman is the daughter of
John Bates, a farmer of Marshall
Mo. They We're married eight
years ago. Freeman was reared
near Vance on a farm adjacent to
the one on which the shooting oc-
II do not believe We will prose-
cute the woman" Joseph Taggart,
prosecuting attorney, said last
"She appears to have act
ed in self-defense. Everyone We
to in the neighborhood said
that Freeman abused her when
he drank"