The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-05-25

/ when notified that Charles Edward
Apologize had shot and killed his wifi,
and himself and wounded his father-in
law, Coroner Worrell thought the fact.
were SO plain that an inquest would no
be necessary, but rumors were at once
started that caused the Coroner to change
his mind, and he decided to have the
evidence heard by a jury. One story wa,
possibly Apologize could not have in
fiicted all the wounds that were visible
another was that the dead man coulC
not read or write, hence the letter found
near the dead bodies must have been in
dited by another person. So persistent
were the circulators of these stories thai
the Coroner said he would have them
legally investigated.
On Thursday afternoon he went &c
Jacobstown, where the jury that had
been drawn was waiting for his arrival
Prosecutor Kelsey was engaged at court
so he sent Herbert S. Killie to represent
the state.
No evidence was brought out with refer.
ence to the ability of the dead man to
write a letter. 1t was shown that the
wife had been out boating with party
OF young people few nights prior to the
tragedy and that when she stepped from
the boat near her home the husband
was there and slapped her face and
choked her. The woman left him soon
after and went to the home of her par
ents at Jacobstown, and her mother
testified that when the daughter got
home she was covered with bruises where
her husband had beat her.
The testimony did not disclose much
more than was at first published. The
husband went to the home of his wife's
parents and requested a private inter
view with his wife. They retired to a
room and scream and pistol shot were
heard. The father opened the door when
the husband turned and fred. The bull
let entered the oldman's left jaw, passed
out at the right and sank into his shout
der where it still is. Debow, the girls
father, then ran for his life. The
mother, who was in another room.
stepped out to find a pistol pointed at
her and she also fled and after that the
balance of the shots were fred. The
testimony showed that no occupant of
the Debow house owned pistol or had
one in the house.
From the testimony given by the
mother of the dead girl there was some
feeling between herself and her son-in-
law, the marriage of the couple having
been objected to, but Mrs. Debow said
she never had any real outbreak with
although the latter had a
nasty disposition and talked to his wife
and family as if they were dogs.
The medical testimony was given by
DIR. Bickler, of New Egypt. He made
an outward examination OF the wounds
and could not say that any of the bullets
struck the heart. 1t was his idea that
they hit the aorta artery. They were all
in about the same place and showed
they had been fred at close range.
1nOse on Apologize showed that two
bullets had gone entirely through the
body. From the position of the bodies
DR.. Bickler thought possibly the woman
died first. This will have some bearing
on the disposition of the property of the
dead man. The Coroner found over $500
in cash in Applegate's pockets and an
insurance policy for $780,
The jury found that Apologize and
his wife came to their death by pistol
shot wounds inflicted by the husband.
While there was no evidence to indicate
the fact that the latter was inspired by
jealousy it was the general opinion that
the man had very high temper and
was quite jealous of his wife.