East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-07-05
MR., AND MRS. JOHN N. BOWMAN
PRINCIPALS IN TRAGEDY FOR
WHICH JEALOUSY IS CAUSE
Shooting Follows Desperate Struggle Between Two About
Five O'clock This Morning in Sheridan Rooming House.;
Neighbors Hear Womans Call for Help and Summon Police

'ariy this morning shot and kill
ed his wife and then committed
suicide, the tragedy taking place
at the sheridan rooming house
at 400 Fast Attn. which place
they had leased The shooting
followed a desperate struggle be-
tween the two and the mans
insane net IL ascribed tO jcai-
ousy.
The murder and suicide occurred
about 4:45 this morning. Neighbors
heard the woman's cries for help
and the shooting. and officers were
summoned at once. The full cir
cumstauces. as far as they are OBJ
;ainao ole, will probably be disclosed
at the coroner's inquest this after
noon.
Bowman was carpenter employ
ed py Carl swanson and had been
absent from the city on a country
Job. He and his wife have been in
the habit OF quarreling at frequent
intervals. according TO neighbors. and
IL ii said that Mrs. Bowman was in
fear Of her lie. Her husband is said
to have accused her of associattng
with another man.
IA. returned to the city for the
Fourth OF July. From the appear.
snces of the bodies when found he
had started to dress when the quar-
reling started He had on only his
trousers and undershirt while his
wife had on only her nightgown. The
bodies were found In the kitchen
but there had evidently been a strug-
gle in the bedroom for table was
overturned and things generally In
disorder. Black and blue spots on
the womans head and scratches on
her legs and arms indicate that she
had fought with him for her life.
There were powder marks on her
arms, too, showing that she had been
close when he fired,
He fired three shots. One bullet
entered his wife's back between the
shoulders, another entered her left
temple and the third entered his own
left temple. The shooting was done
with a .32 Savage automatic revolver.
II. H Lowe, IA barber at the Pat
ton shop. was sleeping in tent at
his home next door He was awak-
cned by the shots and heard wom-
ans voice crying for help He heard
her say. "l'll do il, I'll do it," and
then groaning. Hurriedly dressing
he ran to the police station and re-
turned with Officer E. f.. Turner,
within 10 minutes. Looking through
the kitchen door they saw the body
ot the woman but could not see the
man.
Turner summoned Sheriff Taylor
who lives Ia the same block and to-
sether they entered the house and
found the bodies Both were dead,
Coroner Brown was at once summon
ed TO take charge of the bodies
Among the witnesses summoned
for the inquest this afternoon are
roomers at the house who heard the
shots.
Had started Divorce.
Attorney Will NJ. Peterson threw
some light on the motive today, hs
having already drawn up a divorce
complaint for the woman whose
name was Mable A. Bowman. She
WAS to have signed the complaint
today. In II she alleges that her
husband had been insanely jealous
OF her for some time and had chok-
ed and slapped her on several occa-
sons. one being on June 8, when he
falsely accused her Of intimacy with
well known local man. and had
threatened to kill her. They were
married in Portland September 2s
1914. and lived at klamath Falls for
about six months. They had been in
pendleton about two years Mrs
Bowman not only ran the Sheridan
house but also the Monterastrelli
rooming house. Relatives in Spokane
have been notified as have also rea-
tives OF the man in the east