Evening star., 1922-04-16
|SU|TOR SHOOTSG|RL
land KILLS HIMSELF
||NAUTOALONGROAD
Clarence Wood, 80, and Elsie
Powell, rs, Figure in
Tragedy Near Accotink.
CONTEMPLATED SUICIDE,
| HIS LETTERS REVEAL
Passing Auto Rushes Miss Powell
to Hospital Here-Condition
Critical-Tells of Shooting.


Despondent because OF her refusal
| to marry him, Clarence Wood. aged
thirty-three, of 302, Virginia avenue
southeast, shot and probably fatally
| wounded Miss Elsie Powell, twenty
| FIVE years of age, of 1919 K street. an
employe of the Veterans Bureau. yes
terday afternoon shortly before
o'clock, in an automobile on the Fred
ericksburg turnpike mile south OF
Accotink, Va, and then turned his
.3S revolver upon himself. inflicting
a wound from which he died at 7:4o
| o'clock in the base hospital at Camp
Humphreys.
Dies mt Camp Hospital
He was found in his machine by
William Anderson, proprietor of the
Accotink garage, and rushed to the
base hospital at Camp Humphreys,
| about two miles off. Tended by Maj.
Edward 3. Macon and Capt. Charles
c. Cans, he fingered a few hours, but
died as the result of internal hem
| orrhages.
Miss Powell was placed in Woods
automobile by Private Perry Gray of
Company c, 18th Engineers, of Camp
Humphries, and rushed to the Emer
gency Hospital at her own request.
Gray said last night. He wished to
take her to Camp Humphries or 10
Alexandra. but she begged him 20
continue to Washington for hospital
treatment. She was conscious on ar
rival and related details of the TRACE
dy to DetectivessMullen and Messer.
who were sent to the hospital by
Night Chief of Detectives Plemmons
Trying to Save Her Life.
DR.. ". c. Borden operated on Miss
Powell Immediately after arrival bur
has scant hope for her recovery. The
bullet had pierced her abdomen. At
was holding her own. physicians said.
and has a chance for recovery.
That Wood previously contemplat-
ed suicide was evidenced by letters
found in his possession at the base
hospital.
One of them was a letter dated
April 4-on which date persons living
at his house said that he had torn
up letters and the picture of Miss
Powell.
The letter stated:
Dear Elsie, I'll never see you
again. I'm tired of life. 1 don't see
anything to live for. I can't stand
your coldness. God bless you, little
| girl Goodbye, Clarence"
Tired Of Life, He Says.
On the outside of another envelope
was written: Notify my mother,
| Mrs. George NJ. Powell, 3o2 Virginia
| avenue southeast, and Elsie Powell.
| 1919 K street.
Still another letter was found by at
tendants at the base hospital. This
one was dated April 9, 1929. 1t read:
Dear Mother: I am tired of life.
So tired can't live. So I am going
to leave you. I hone you can live
on what 1 have. Tell Harry-(his
brother)-to be good to you. / am so
glad he is happy. I tried to be SO.
though 1 can't. l cannot see anything
in this old world for me but sadness.
God bless you and help you to find
something to liye for. / can't. God
bless you 1 am your sad boy, Clar-
ence."
Refused to Turn Bnck.
Wood did not recover conscious
ness before death. Miss Powell, in
telling the headquarters detectives of
the occurrnce said that she had met
Wood after work yesterday and had
accepted his invitation to take
short ride. They rode into Virginia,
she said. She continually requested
him to turn back, but he refused.
After passing Accotink, she said
she got him to stop the car, upon
which she jumped out. She told him
that she would not return to the car,
until he had turned round and started
in the direction of Washington.
Found Standing I'm Road.
The tragedy ensued shortly there
after. it is believed. He shot her.
but she was able to remain standing
in the road. He was found by An
derson in his machine lying in heap
on the floor. Gray said that he found
her standing in the road while the
man was in the car. A .3S-caliber
revolver, with three shells of its ca
pacity of five discharged. was turned
over to the police. 1t is believed that
since each of the victims has but one
wound, one shot went astray.
Wood was employed as clerk by
the Pennsylvania railroad. His
family have lived here for fifteen
wears, coming originally from vir-
Rinia. Wood is survived by his
widowed mother and two brothers.
Brother Commonwealth Attorney.
Miss Powell is a member OF
family residing at Spotsylvania Court
house, Va. Her brother, it was stated
lsst night, is commonwealth attorney
Of Spotsylvania county. She has
| sister. Mrs. Julia Harg, who was at
her bedside Immediately after she re-
turned from the operating room OF
Emergency Hospital.
| She has been in Washington for
six years, during the last three being
employed in ths bureau Of war risk
Insurance and its successor. the
veterans bureau.
Both brothers of Wood went to