St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1922-04-08
HUSBAND KILLS
SELF AND MAN
FOUND WITH
HIS WIFE
Wife Says She Threw Self
Between Them to Save
Costa's Life
TWO BULLETS
ENTER HER BODY
Costa Formerly Worked for
Mackie Pine Products
Co. in Covington

Co. in Covington
William Campbell, 80. and Ralph
Costa, 81, are dead, and Mrs. Alberta
Campbell, rs, is in the hospital in
New Orleans, and may die. Costa
and Mrs. Campbell came to Coving-
ton and got room at the Gardinar
residence, half a mile from Coving-
ton block or two from the Mande-
Vile road. They claimed to be man
and wife and frequently attended the
picture show in Covington. It is
said that Costa always carried gun
in front, in the belt of his trousers.
But when Mr.. Campbell came here
Sunday, found his wife with Costa
and fired the shots from his 1920
automatic that wounded his wife,
killed Costa and ended his own life,
Costa's gun, a .32 special, lay by his
side without single cartridge ex
ploded. It is thought Campbell may
have been too quick for him or that
his gun refused to work.
New Orleans papers say that
Capbell went to the home Of his
wife's mother, Mrs. F. A. Lay, 1851
North Dorgenois street in that city,
and told her he had found his wife,
but said nothing of his intentions.
He asked about his daughter, aged
10, who had been taken to her
grandfather's. Mrs. Campbell had
been absent from her home since
March 10. A note found on Camp
bell after death read.
II found them on the Mande-
Vile road living as man and
wife. His name is Ralph Costa,
1921 N. Claiborne Street."
Around 700 o'clock Sunday even
ing DR.. Gautreaux was called from
the Parkview Theatre. It was said
man had been shot in the face.
Shortly before, seven sharp reports,
that might have been taken for the
cracking of an OK whip, were heard
in Claiborne. When DR.. Gautreaux
left the theatre, the report spread
that a man had been killed, and a
number of cars were rushed to the
scene. Flash lights revealed three
figures lying on the ground short
distance from the Gardinar resi-
dence. Campbell was dead, lying on
his face, with his automatic beneath
his body. Costa was a few steps
away with bullet wound in his left
ear. It entered the orifice of the
ear, scarcely marking it, struck the
neck bone at the base and glanced
upward, coming out at the back OF
the skull not far from the ear. He
lived till about 1870 Monday morn-
ing, but did not regain consciousness.
Mrs. Campbell was shot in the back
on the right side near the waist line
and in the left hip. When found she
said that her brother had shot her
and her husband, but that he did
not intend to shoot her; that she
was shot when she jumped between
them. When questioned closer, she
feigned to be too dazed to talk. She
was placed on the morning train and
taken to the hospital in New Or
leans, where physicians say she has
chance to live. Campbell shot
himself through the lower part OF
the heart. He fired five shots at his
wife and at Costa and then turned
the gun on himself. He also had a
slight wound on the inside OF the
left arm. It is thought that either
this was the first shot fired at him
self or that he still pressed the trig-
ger of the automatic as he fell after
shooting himself in the heart.
&C.. Marvin Poole emba1med the
bodies of Campbell and Costa, and
they were shipped to New Orleans
Monday afternoon.
It is said that when Campbell
came to Covington he went to the
Gardinar residence and talked with
his wife for some time, and that
while he was talking to her Costa sat
In buggy in tho yard. That
Campbell told his wife he wanted
her to go home with him, and shak-
ing his finger at her, said he wanted
her to get on the train alone and nor
with Costa. 1t seems that she prom
ised to do so, and that Campbell
boarded the train at Covington ex-
pecting her to get on at Claiborne.
She did not get on, however, ana
Campbell got of at Abita and walk
ed back to Claiborne and met them
coming from the Gardinar place
short distance on the road. It was
there the shooting took place.
Ralph Costa worked some months
at the Mackie Pine Products Com
pany in 1920. He did hard labor,
working among the extractors AMI
tanks and for a while loading wood
on the carrier. He was a stead'
hand. He came here to save the life
of a tubercular wife. She became
dissatisfied, however, and insisted on
returning to New Orleans, where she
died about four months ago. Costa
was an optician. 1t is thought here
that he was older than 21. Prob
ably 25. William Campbell was an
uncle to the little Campbell boy
drowned at Sulphur Springs last
year.
POLICE JURY.