Evening star., 1959-06-25
Bullet Kills
USIA Official
At Bancroft
Dole Nutter's Wife
Charged in SIoying;
$4,000 Bond Set

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long-dreamed-of Lake Bancroft
(Va0 home died there at dawn
today with q bullet in the back
of the head.
Fairfax County police held
the wife Of the victim, Dale
Nutter. so, on a charge of
murder.
She was released in $4,000
bond after a hearing before
Justice of the Peace j. Donald
Lee, and a preliminary hearing
set for July %.
Mr.. Nutter was chief Of
the United States Information
Agency'S finance reports Sec
ton. He had been with the
agency since its inception in
1858. and before that with the
State Department budget divi-
sion, rounding out Is years
with the Government.
The Nutters had no children.
For years he and his wife
Elizabeth, 40. had planned the
red brick, split-level home in
the tall trees fronting Lake Bar
croft. 1t was one of the pref
tiest locations in the community
Of elaborate residences.
Mr.. Nutter had spent much Of
his spare time the past five years
nursing to life the landscape
around the home he was to
build.
The Dream Realized
Last week the dream was
realized. The Nutters. who were
Schoolmate sweethearts at Nc
Kinley Tech. moved in with
Mrs. Nutter's "a year old
mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Hall.
Then at dawn today-trag-
edy.
Neighbors heard two shots,
the first about 5:45 am. and
the second within five minutes.
When police arrived they
found Mr.. Nutter dead in his
upstairs apartment. Detective
James Cowden said his inquiry
indicated that Mrs. Nutter fired
one shot into the back Of her
sleeping husbands head. He
did not move.
The second shot from the
.32-caliber Colt revolver lodged
in the ceiling, the detective
said. Mrs. Nutter told him she
had tried to shoot herself and
missed.
Why the tragedy in the new
dream home one builder esti-
mated cost $4,000?
nl-Treatment Blamed
Detective Cowden said the
distraught wife blamed Mr..
Nutter for IL years Of drink
ing and ill-treatment.
After the shooting she tele- |
phoned a physician, who in
turn called police and Mrs.
Nutter's attorney. police said. |
At the Fairfax detective |
bureau Mrs. Nutter refused TO
talk further, but awaited the
arrival Of her attorney, Harry
Lee Thomas Of Arlington.
The Lake Bancroft home was
made possible by the sale OF
nine acres of land Mr.. Nutter
had owned in the $500 block of
Columbia pike. Arlington. where
the Nutters had lived since the .
early 1930s. The land was sold .
for an apartment development .
and brought good price.
Friend Telephones
One Of the first to learn Of
the shooting was a close friend
and associate, Cecil C. Glen,
an analyst with the US1A.
Il had been picking Dale up
each morning at Blair road
and Columbia pike" Mr.. Glen
said. His wife had brought
him that far. and called for
him each evening. / never
suspected there was anything
wrong"
This morning wnen he did
not show UP / telephoned to
see what was the matter. 1t
really was a shock"
Mr.. Glen described Mr.. Nut
ter as a nice looking man with
a nice personality, who looked
younger than his age and
seemed to have an interest in
many things"
He recently had been in a
hospital for trouble with a hip
or leg" Mr.. Glen said. This
made it difficult for him to get
around, and his wife was pick
ing him up each day."