The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-08-10
KILLED her HUSBAND
Mrs. Willard A. Rush Shoots Her
Husband at Sheffield, Iowa.
Formerly Lived at Leroy.

WTSs VbII0GU ~ nUSU SuVVSS u0s
Husband at Sheffield, Iowa.
Formerly Lived at Leroy.
| Friends in this city were shocked
to read in the daily papers last Sat-
urday of the killing of Willard A.
Rush by his wife at Sheffield, Iowa,
as Mr.. Rush was born and raised in
Leon. When he grew to manhood he
engaged in railroad business and for
a number of years was station agent
at Jamison, and later was agent at
Leroy. He resigned his position at
Leroy a little over year ago, and
tfor some time has been agent OF the
Rock Island at Sheffield, Iowa, a
small town II miles south of Mason
City. Mr.. and Mrs. Rush were both
prominent workers in church circles
and the terrible tragedy has caused
much talk. The latest reports from
Sheffield are that Mrs. Rush now
regrets her action and is under the
constant care of physicians, it being
necessary to keep her under the in
fuence of opiates. She has been
placed under. arrest and when the
physicians will permit she will be
taken to Hampton, the county seat,
where the preliminary examination
will be held. Mr.. and Mrs. Rush
had living apartments in the second
story of the depot. She made the
statement that when she went into
the depot where her husband was at
work, and she asked him how long
! his actions were going to continue
he replied that he would show her,
at the same time jumping out of his
chair and grabbing the poker and
made for her and she shot him with
out arising from the chair in which
she was sitting. The body of Mr..
Rush was taken to Charlton on Mon
day for interment.
The following special to the Globe
Gazette at Mason City, tells the sad
story of the tragedy:
Sheffield, Iowa, August 5-Acting
as she says in self defense, Mrs.
Rush, wife of w. A. Rush, agent for
the Rock Island railroad at this place,
shot her husband through the heart
killing him instantly here last even
ing, following a bitter quarrel in
which the wife accused the husband
of alleged indiscretions in his rela-
tions with a young lady employed in
the telephone Office at this place.
Half crazed over the act which was
! the elimination of a fit of temporary
insanity, induced no doubt by the
trouble with her husband, Mrs. Rush
went to the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
James Hawke nearby residents,
where she was placed under arrest by
a special deputy appointed by Mayor
Sullivan.
i The body of Rush was found lying
PROSTATE in the waiting room of the
depot where the quarrel occurred. A
bullet wound was found in the wrist
and through the breast. Under Mr.
Rush was a large stove poker which
Mrs Rush says was drawn to strike
her when she fired the fatal shot,
The bullet was from a 38 calibre re-
volver. Mrs. Rush having purchased
the gun the day before at the Schmidt
hardware store, seemingly prepara-
tory to the deed which she committed
and from the chambers only one
shot was fired 1t is believed that
the hand of Rush which held the
poker was raised and that it received
the bullet on its path to the heart.
A cOrOner's jury, summoned late
last evening, held, Mrs. Rush for the
murder of her husband and she was
kept at the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Hawke under close guard during the
night.
Not in years has this place been
! so stirred. Hundreds of people
rushed to the depot and within a
few minutes after the deed, prob
ably half the population were in the
vicinity. The quarrel and shooting
occurred about $3.50 o'clock. Mr..
and Mrs. flush lived over the depot
and had been residents of this place
for about two years.
While the alleged indiscretions
of Rush and the young lady in ques-
tion were known to nearly everyone
in the town and while there was
no intimation of criminality, most
people looked at the affair as
piece of foolishness that was in
deed unwise and frought with un-
happy results if carried much farth-
er. Mrs. Rush had often questioned
her husband and they had quarreled
considerably over the matter. A
rev days ago caro- was received by
Rush which fell into Mrs. Rush's
hands, which she believed came
from the young woman and which
tended to heighten the feeling. Driv-
en- almost to despair, worried and
humiliated, she determined upon
her course. Procuring the gun and
after becoming familiar with it's
workings, she awaited an opportuni-
ty to confront her husband. It came
Friday afternoon when she entered
the depot Office. Enraged evidently
by his wife's accusations Rush seiz-
ed the poker and Mrs. Rush says
would have struck her down had she
not killed him on the spot.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Rush were
prominent in social and church cir
cles and both were active workers
in the Methodist church. The dead
man was about 32 veara of 900 opd