The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-12-26
LOVER
SHE SAYS IN
SELF DEFENSE
Christmas Tragedy in Louis
vile Mystery to Police
Who Investigate
C0NFESsES TO CRIME
Automobile Salesman Found
Dead in Room of Divorce
He Courted

LOUISVILLE, N.Y. Dec. Ca W.
mans story of quarrel, shot and
her vigil from dusk to dawn over
the body Of the man she killed was
being checked up BY police depart
ment Investigators here today.
II killed my FRIEND" Mrs. Olive L.
Jones, 80 years old, pretty divorcee,
announced when she entered police
headquarters just after daylight
Monday. She was disheveled, hys-
terical. The men on duty discount
ed her statement.
ooh, he's dead, l shot him; you'll
find him out there on the floor. I
left him covered up with his own
overcoat. I know he's dead. He
hasn't moved for hours" she de-
clared. -.
This was the first intimation Of
ficials had that 0. L. Blavck, sales
manager for, a Louisville automo-
bile company, had been shot to death
late Sunday afternoon in Mrs. Jones'
apartment. .
Mrs. Jones sid she had fired in
self defense. Black, according to
her account of the tragedy, became
angry when he learned her daugh-
ter, Clara, II, was with her and that
her divorced husband, C. H. Jones Of
Cincinnati, Louisville and Nash
vile baggage master, was to visit
his daughter. Black feared, Mrs.
Jones declared that a reconciliation
between the divorced couple would
be effected through the visit of the
father with Clara.
When Black, who. she declared,
"broke up my home and caused me
to get divorce" reached for pis-
tol on a nearby table she seized
the weapon first and fired. Black
fell. How long he lived she did not
know. She covered him with his
coat and u quilt. Later she placed
ayscreen Of chairs before the body.
All night long she kept the death
watch. Never was she able to sum-
mon courage to call the police. Three
times, she declared, she went to the
telephone, and three times she
turned away. =. Z
Clara returned from a picture
show. With her companion the
daughter spent some time in the
hall. Later she went to her bedroom
on the second floor. Mrs. Jones fin
ally called the girl to come down
stairs and sleep with her. When
morning came the daughter was still
unaware of the presence in the room,
the mother said.
And then Mrs. Jones telephoned
for her former husband to come to
her. He refused. It was then that
she told Clara what had happened
and sent her for her father. In
the girls absence the woman went
to police headquarters rand told her
story. She was CHARGED with muir
der. ~
Jones, it was said, here, filed suit
for divorce -four years ago, naming
Black correspondent. Later the pc
tition was withdrawn. Mrs. Jones
then filed suit charging cruelty and
non-support. By consent, it was
said, this suit was not contested.
Jones said yesterday he would do
ANYTHING possible to help his former
wife. ........
Already, police investigators de-
clare, flaws have been found in the
account, of the tragedy as given by
Mrs. Jones.
Black was shot in the back, E. A.
Larkin, captain of detectives said.
This fact, he said, indicated the vic
tim was not taking the aggressive
when wounded. Also his clothes
were powder burned, showing that
the weapon was fired at close
range.
Two other facts also are unex-
planned. Clara has declared, police
say, that she did not sleep with her
mother any part Of the night. In
vestigation disclosed, it was claimed
that the bed in the girls room had
not been occupied. The investigat-
ors also are at loss to account for
the fat that no occupant of the three
story apartment house heard pis-
tol shot near the time Mrs. Jones
claims the shooting occurred.