Davis - Claude
CLAUDE DAVIS
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal 6 October 1914
Claude Davis, 28 years old, a native of Crawfordsville and a man known to many friends here, shot and fatally wounded himself at six Monday evening after he had made an unsuccessful attempt to kill his divorced wife, Minnie Davis, as she alighted from a street car in Indianapolis. The former Crawfordsville man was rushed to the city hospital where he died an hour after firing the bullet into his brain. Two bullets were fired into Mrs. Davis' body, one entering her shoulder and the other passing between the jugular vein and the cartoid artery. The bullet lodged in her shoulder was removed but probing could not remove the other bullet. The woman is in a critical condition in St. Vincent's hospital. Mrs. Davis, who has a large number of friends here, was returning to her parents' home on Delaware Street from her work when the tragedy occured. Her husband was on the same car with her but she was not aware of his presence until she started to dismount from the car. At Wyoming Street he approached her and asked her to go with him to Garfield Park as he said he wished to "talk things over." The woman refused and ringing the car bell, started to leave the car. Davis followed her and as she alighted and started to run he pulled a revolver and fired once, the bullet entering his divorced wife's shoulder. The woman ran screaming to the rear door of the home of John Lark, Delaware Street with her husband in close pursuit. Mrs. Lark, hearing the screams, rushed to the door and after pulling the woman into the house slammed the screen in Davis' face. The man fired through the screen, the bullet striking Mrs. Davis in the jaw and inflicting a wound that may prove fatal. Shouting that he would come to the front door Davis starated around the house. He stopped at the corner of the house and fired a bullet into his into his brain. The tragedy was witnessed by Martin Wehinger, aged father of the woman, who was almost prostrated when the shots were fired. Mrs. Davis did not lose consciousness when removed to the hospital. She said she did not know why her former husband wanted her to go to the park with him. Davis was on parole from the Jeffersonville prison where he was sent for alleged participation in an automobile theft. The woman's relatives say he has bothered her for months and has threatened to kill her if she did not live with him again. They saw Mr. and Mrs. Davis lived together 7 years until she was forced by cruelty to leave him. The Indianapolis police held a warrant charging Davis with assault and battery upon the woman's father, said to have been committed a few weeks ago. Mr. Davis was born in Crawfordsville 28 years ago. He was a son of AB Davis, formerly of this city and a grandson of the late Warren Davis, one of the best known and most highly respected men of Crawfordsville and Montgomery County. At the age of 10 years he left this city with his parents going to Indianapolis. He was married in that city and came with his wife to Crawfordsville where they resided on Binford Street for several months. During that time, Mr. Davis was employed at the Crawfordsville Wire & Nail Factory. He was an expert mechanic. Mr. Davis has 3 uncles in this city and he is survived by other relatives here, all highly respected and substantial citizens. These relatives were informed of the tragedy Monday evening, the information coming as a severe shock. -- typed by kbz