Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-09

Mrs, Elizabeth O'Rouke Blanchards Head Blown Off By Charge of Shot From Gun Fired By Albert L. owens-Latter and Woman's Hus- band Were Engaged In Drunken QuarreI-owens, Claiming Accident, Bond Over-Taken To cranston Jail. From out of the back country jus- over the Rhode Island border. location of various horrible crimes. there came Saturday morning the story or the shooting of Mrs. Elizabeth O'Rourke Blanchard, wife of Frank Blanchard. Mrs Blanchard had the top of her by @ charge from shotgun i'll the hands of Albert Lon Owens. She was almost instantly killed.
 wonan's Q ughter Tells Story.
 According to Mary L. O'Rourke, p, daughter of the dead woman, the shooting followed a day of drinking and carousing on the part of Elan, chard and Owens. Owens admitted his responsibility for the shooting of Mrs Blanchard. but told the officers who took him to the Rhode Island state prison at Cranston, where he IS to be held following a preliminary hearing that his shotgun was accident ally discharged by reason of one of the triggers catching on buMon Of his coat as he crouched to av9& being shot by Blanchard, who also was armed with a shot gun. Mrs. Elan pealed to him, he claims, to protect her from her husband, who had been beating her and threatening to kill her, according to Owens story.
 Shack Near Foster Gold Mine.
 A mile and quarter back from the little frequented highway that runs southward just east of the line store, sets the weatherbeaten house that has been the home of the Blanchards. It may be reached over a rough cart path that runs through wild and for bidding country. It is a few rods only from the shaft of the old Foster gold mine, where, in what was the Lon" Owens and his blind brother. Henry, lived a life of isolation, their only neigh1bors being the Blanchards. Any of the barns in the neishborhood are palatial buildings in comparison to the homes of those that figured in the tragedy.
 Returned With Liquor.
 Leaving this back country section Friday afternoon about o'clock, aft CT a morning of more or less wrang- ' ling between themselves, as tine dead woman's daughter tells the story, Blanchard and Owens went to one of the road houses not distant from Hop- kins Mills to buy liquor. When they returned, shortly after seven o'clock, they had been drinking and had with them, the girl says, a quart and pint of whiskey and a pint of gin.,
 Beat Woman and Girl.
 They stopped at the Blanchard Blanchard had beaten his wife ana herself and the O'Rourke girls little daughter, child of four and a half years, before he had left the place to buy the liquor.
 Men QuarreIed.
 It was not long after the return of the men, the young woman says, when Blanchard and Owens engaged In 6 struggle in the Blanchard home. They struggled in the kitchen she charges, and knocked against the stove, fin- ally swaying back and forth until they got into the pantry, where one, of them dashed against the window, breaking it out. Threats passed be- tween the men and Owens finally left the place, going to his shack.
 Left To Summons Help.
 Miss ORourke says that her step- father again began to quarrel and threaten just before 10 o'clock and she left the house with her little daugh- ter, Alice May O'Rourke, to summon Blanchards father, Frank Blanchard, an elderly man who lives on direct line through the woods, about a mile
 
 O'Rourke says, before she returned, though she heard the gun discharge when her mother was shot.
 Mothers Body Near We'll.
 When she reached the house her mothers body lay out near the well, In a grassy path, leading to Owens shack. Blanchard was there and Henry Owens, the blind man, but 'Lon'' was missing.
 Constable Would Not Get Out of Bed Chief John Curtis of the Foster police, who was accompanied by Of 5cer Silas l. Spink and Lester P. simmons told Saturday of the hunt :or Owens and other happenings of the night. After leaving the l3lan- chard place, Owens had gone to his shack and left his gun, immediately thereupon setting out through the woods for the home of Constable Charles Stevenson to give himself up. Chief Curtis said Saturday that Stev- enson dlecined to get out of bed to listen to Owens story, so Owens went away and it was well along to- ward morning before Curtis and his posse found Owens, in an outbuilding in the town of Foster the man offer ing not the slightest resistence to ar- rest
 Unaware Woman Was Dead.
 Owens did not know that the BIan- chard woman had been killed by the shot from his gun, his idea being that he had merely wounded her. To he officers he made the explanation before he knew the W sman was dead, !hat his gun had been accidentally discharged, as he crouched to prevent Blanchard shooting him, as, he claim d, Blanchard had threatened. Mrs Blanchard was in range and was struck by the heavy charge of shot, which, examination by pr. Harry w. Smith, North Scituate, showed, had blown the top off her head at the pack and right side. Owens offered IS further evidence that the discharge