The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-09-26
MRS.PETE WILSON
SHOT AND KILLED
Husband of Dead Woman is Accused
of the Murder,
THREE BULLETS ENTER HER BODY
More or Less Mystery Surrounds the
Shootins-lnmates of the House
Hear Shots Fired But Are
Afraid To Investigate.


ed at her home, No. S12 High avenue
west, about one o'clock this Wednes-
day morning. The woman was shot
through the heart with a 32-calibre
revolver. Three bullets entered the
body, two in the breast and one in
the side The body was found by
Officers Ray Myers and Clarence
French, who had gone to the place to
investigate the disturbance reported
to the police office. No signs of a
tragedy were apparent when the Off
GERS approached the house, but upon
nearing the front door of the build
ing the body of the unfortunate wom-
IAN was seen lying at the front of
piano in a corner of the room.
Fred Swearingen, who has rooms
over 1923 High avenue west, heard the
revolver shots and the screams of a
woman. He went down on the street
10 investigate and located the trouble
at the Wilson house. Swearingen
then went to the mayors office and
told officers of the shooting and the
repeated screams of some woman and
he believed Mrs. Wilson to be in
trouble. Officers French and Myers
went to the house They saw lights
burning both in the front room and
la room further back. They found
gate at the rear of the yard open, an
Unusual condition for the place, and
hot hn door
of the house had been forced. Officer
French remained at the rear while
Myers made closer inspection of
the front. He assembled the steps to
the porch, and as he approached the
front door he noticed that it was not
lclosed and through the opening he
saw the body of the woman. Mrs.
Wilson had been fully dressed as for
the street and had either just come
into the house or had prepared to go
out. She wore a street cloak and
hat was near by.
Following the finding of the body
tOther inmates OF the house We're
aroused by the officers, who made a
search, Of the building. Noe Harris,
a bOardPr who was sleeping in little
room off the parlOr, stated that he
had heard the shots and the scream
Iof the murdered woman. He had
been too frightened to Investigate or
to give the alarm He had shut his
door and remained in bed. Mr.. Har-
IRIS states that Pete" Wilson, hus-
band OF the woman, had been with
her and had been quarreling and
fussing with her and he states that
Wilson did the shooting. Wilson, he
says was drunk. Harris was afraid
to interfere or make a disturbance,
or to show himself outside of the
room. fearing that Wilson would shoot
him.
Other bOarders Oh the second floor
could add nothing TO the information
given by Harris All had been arous-
ed by the shooting and the screams.
They had been TOO badly scared to
venture out OF their rooms. One of
the men was so frightened when the
officers arrived that he was unable to
speak for several minutes. Fully
twenty minutes had elapsed between
the time Of the shooting and the find
ing of the body and yet inmates Of
the building had not dared TO make
II investigation They said they did
not know what to do and feared for
their own lives
. Wilson had been about the house
earlier in the evening and had been
in an ugly mood. He had abused the
woman to the extent that her little
son. Dwight SoDher, aged nine years,
had become frightened and left the
place. going to the home Of his aunt.
Mrs. Ed Minkler, and asking if he
could not stay there all night When
asked what was the trouble, the lad
had stated THAT Wilson man is
there and is making a fuss" Wilson
is reported 10 have been drinking
heavily. He was seen earlier in the
night and the evening before and was
much under the influence of liquor.
NJ. and Mrs Wilson had been mar
RED a little over a month, the cere-
mony having been performed at Of
,tumwa about the first OF August. The
woman had been running a boarding
and rooming house in the Pat Hughes
property, No. sos High avenue west.
but Wilson for some reason was not
much about the property Il is stat.
ed that ne had compelled his wife to
leave the place with him several
times and 10 go to other roomiug
houses about town That The couple
had had much trouble was known 10
the police ana TO relatives Mrs
Wilson on the night OF July 20 had
.complained 70 the police Of Wilson's