The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-11-01
MONTANA
PREACHER
KILLED

Sensation Murder
and Suicide Startles
Northwest
Havre. Mont. Oct fystery
surrounding the ownership of the
revolver with which the Rev. Leon
ard Jacob ChristIer, widely known
sin the west as s.the bishop of all
outdoor. . and Mrs. Marguerite
Carleton, wife of a former Montana
district judge. are believed to have
been killed in the Christ1er home
early today, was engaging the at
tention Of the police tonight.
Mrs. Carleton is known to have
owned a revolver of smaller cali
Der.
The double killing occurred, ac-
cording to Mrs. Christler, as Dr..
ChristIer was accompanying Mrs.
Carleton to the entrance of his
home. after visit made there late
last night by Mrs. Carleton.
Mrs, Christler said DR.. Christ
Ter closed the door between the
room in which the minister. Mrs.
Carleton and Mrs. Christler had
been sitting and small hall. A
moment later. she said, two shots
were heard and she opened the
1 door. finding the two bodies. Mrs.
Carieton's body had fallen across
tha. OF the clergyman. Mrs.
Chrstler expressed the opinion
that Mrs. Carleton had killed the
minister and then committed sui
!. eide.
The Rev. Mr.. Cnristler, who was
rector of st. Marks Church of the
Incarnation here. gained his title
Of bishop of all outdoors by his
: travels over the state in his ca
pacity as clergyman.
Mrs. Chris.ler IS the daughter of
the late David Wadsworth, wealthy
manufactures Of Auburn, n. r. and
IS niece Of United States Senator
%. w Wadsworth. Jr.:of New York
The Rev. Mr.. and Mrs Christler
were married il 1914 The minis
ter was one OF the picturesque
figures Of Montana churchd He
stood six feet one inch In his stock
& ing feet, was built in properties
and had mass of brown curly
hair His oTatory carried beyond
the pulpit and, as a member OF the
Montana legislature his frequent
rhetcricai fights brought him the
title in western newspapers of the
orator gnifieeDt. =
Covering a church area of sew
eral hundred square miles, from
the Canadian border south to the
i Missouri river, which in Montana
flows from west to east. he fre-
uuently travelled over a part of the
country which has retained much
of its gugged frontier aspects.
Speaking often in the open and
hiking across country in leggins
and khaki IN pursuit of funds for
the construction Of a church edi-
ice he came TO. be known as the
bishop of all outdoors. for he
claimed when on such financial
errands that his parish territory
was limited only by his ability to
obtain transportation.
Much local notoriety resulted
from an extensive argument which
he conducted with the head of one
of the large railroad companies OF
the west over freight rate charges
on material used in the construc-
ton OF his imposing church struc-
ture at Havre. It appeared that he
had much of the material shipped
under the name of another COM
modify which had a cheaper rate,
and in his argument with the rail-
road officials he quoted the Bible
freely to show that building stone.
electrical equipment and other
building materials. when used in
the construction OF church. were
not such as are commonly CLASH
fed as building materials on which
interstate commerce regulations
fixed a higher rate. Finally. win
ming the railroad president over to
his views and getting the lower
rate established he prevailed on the
railroad man to make a personal
contribution of sum. which COM
p1etely Offset the freight charges.
Mrs. Carleton. wife of former
district judge Of Montana. was re-
garded as one of the prettiest wo-
men in Montana. She was of min
iature size. being scarcely more
than FIVE feet in height. She was
amember of Mr.. Christler's congre-
CATION and herself public speaker.
For a number of years she had
been engaged in chautauqua work
Woman Was Insane.
Havre. Mont. oct. 2s.-Tempor-
ary insanity on the part of Mrs.
Marguerite Carleton is blamed for
the death of Mrs. Carleton and Rev.
Leonard J.. Christier. DR.. D. S.