Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Whitacre, Louise 1929
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Pat Blood pat.blood@gmail.com June 22, 2011, 10:58 am

Ionia County News – Thursday, 13 June 1929

FORMER DANBY WOMAN KILLED BY PAR AMOUR
Mrs. Vern Whitacre Dies of Slashed Throat; Murderer Shot
LIVED UNDER ALIAS
Was Known as Wife of Man Once Convict Here

Because she “wanted to live in the city” and because she was not content 
without the company of men other than her husband, Mrs. Vern Whitacre, who 
formerly lived on the farm in Danby where her husband resides is dead, her 
throat having been slashed with a razor by a maddened lover just before a 
bullet from a policemen’s gun at Flint killed him.

The whole sordid story is revealed through bits of information pieced together 
following the tragedy.  The Flint police records at first showed that Louise 
Wanzer, 36, was killed by her husband, Lynn Wanzer, 36, in the apartment they 
occupied in Flint.  It was not until the police traced a bank book on a 
Lansing bank which was in her possession that her true identity was discovered.

Her husband had been trying for several months to locate her in order that he 
might be able to serve divorce papers on her.  His married life with her had 
come to an end just a year ago and after there had been two previous 
separations it is reported.  Twice Mrs. Whitacre is said to have left and to 
have been forgiven and given a new change but, her husband says, “she was 
dissatisfied with living on a farm and wanted to live in the city and run 
around with other men.  Naturally I objected.  This was the basis of our 
trouble.”  They were married in August 1924.

After she had been taken back twice and it appeared that she was ready to 
leave a third time, Mr. Whitacre told her never to return and helped to move 
some of her goods to Lansing from which city she is believed to have gone to 
Flint.

The crime was committed early last week.  According to the story told by Miss 
Stella McFarlane, who lived in the same house, she heard Wanzer threatening to 
kill “Mrs. Wanzer” and she heard the woman scream.  She hurried from the house 
called the police and an officer responded.  He broke down the door and 
entered the room just in time to see Wanzer slash the woman’s throat as he 
fired in a vain attempt to halt the murder.  Wanzer was killed instantly.  She 
died a half hour later.

Finger prints taken from the dead man’s hands proved the means of identifying 
him as having served time at the state reformatory here for stealing household 
goods.  At the time of his trial it was shown that he suffered nervous 
disorders since the World War and a doctor who examined him at that time 
reported the man should have been sent to an asylum instead of prison.  Mrs. 
Whitacre is said to have been married previous to her marriage to Mr. Whitacre 
and to have been the mother of two children.




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