Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-07-31
MURDER AND SUICIDE
IN SALEM OFFICE
Fred Engle, Of Corvallis Murderes His
Wife and Then Shoots Himself
When Enraged.
WOMAN REFUSED TO RETURN
TO HIM AFTER QUARREL
Suing Him on Grounds of Cruel and In
human Treatment and Murder
Follows Conference.
(FrOm Yesterdays Extra Edition,

SU 6AuVoVme tIdSeuleS
"hlch mas ever occurred in the city
OF Salem was enacted this afternoon
about 4;3O in the law offices of Carson
Brown, United States National Bank
building, when Fred Engle, of Corval.
lis, shot his wife, Dora Engle, twice
through the head, and then turned the
same weapon upon himself, two more
bullets piercing his skull.
The trouble came as a climax in the
domestic affairs of the Engle family.
Mrs. Engle, who is represented by j.
D. Turner, has been suing for di.
vorce on the grounds of cruel and inhu-
man treatment, together with the furth
er grounds of personal indignities. Mr.
Engle was represented by Attorney w.
S McFadden, also of Corvallis. These
persons, together with Miss Swart, who
has a store in the Masonic building
were in the room talking over the mat.
ter, preparatory to settlement The
case had been postponed from time to
time, hoping that the parties would ul.
timately be reconciled, as had always
been the wish of Mr.. Engle. 1t had been
impossible, however, up to this time, to
bring about such reconciliation, and the
meeting at the office was for the pur.
pose of settling property rights. As
Mr.. Turner and Mr.. McFadden left
the room to talk over this matter, Mr..
Engle turned to his wife and asked her
for the last time if a reconciliation
could not be brought about. The last
words heard by Mr.. McFadden was the
denial Of Mrs Engle that any recon-
ciliatiOn could ever be brought about.
The two attorneys then left the room
and a moment later four shots rang
out in quick succession. They ran into
the adjoining room and found two pros
trate figures upon the floor of the
private office. Mrs. Engle was gasp
ing her last breath. Mr.. Engle contin-
ued to breath with irregular guFgles.
Ambulances were soon called, and after
Mr.. Engle's wounds had been hastily
dressed by physicians, he was hastily
removed to the Willamette sanatarium,
where he died within an hour.
Attorney McFadden's Story.
Attorney McFadden, of Corvallis, was
perhaps the most composed man in the
room. His story of the affair is as fol-
lows: "Mr. Engle and myself had
come up from Corvallis to endeavor if
possible to bring about reconciliation
between Mr.. Engle and his wife; fail
ing in this we intended to agree upon
the settlement of property rights, and
secure the divorce as speedily and with
as little publicity as possible For this
purpose we met in the library of Car
son & Brown g law office in the United
States National bank building We
talked over the matter of settling up
the family difficulties quite thorough
ly, but Mrs. Engle would listen to
nothing, and was obdurately contend
ing for total separation. Seeing that
nothing could be done along any other
line, Mr.. Turner and myself adjourned
to an adjoining room to discuss the
matter. Engle was still begging his
wife for another trial when we left the
room. It seemed we had been away hut
minute or two, with scarcely any in.
terval between. turned to Mr.. Tur.
ner and asked him what that meant.
He seemed as puzzled about the matter
as was, We rushed back into the
room we had just left, but no one was
there. Mr.. Turner proceeded me then
into the private office, and there, ly
ing on the floor between the book case
and the window were two PROSTATE
bodies, Mr.. Engle had undoubtedly
fallen across the desk Immediately af.
ter he shot himself, as the top Of the
table and its contents Of law books and
papers were smeared with blood. How
ever, in his last delirious moments, he
must have reeled toward his wife, as he
was found lying partially across the
body Of his wife Blood was spouting
from both Of their heads and inter
mingled in a large pool on the floor,
Mrs. Engle was done for I guess, but
Mr. Engle was still breathing in little
choppy breaths, and it was evident that
he was mortally wounded. The doctors
in the adjoining offices were called and
Immediately dressed the wounds, in or.
der to stop the flow Of blood, and tine
man was rushed to the hospital
'T have known Mr.. Engle for a num-
Der Of years, and he has always been
a fine. upright, conscientious citizen,
and cannot account for the tragedy,
unless it was temporary insanity, due
TO the awful strain under which he has
labored,'
Bond Surrendered.
The $4,000 surety bond Of the Salem,
Falls City & Western railroad, cover
ING the construction Of the railroad
bridge over the river and other work in
that vicinity, was surrendered by a vote
of the council. the contract having been