Las Vegas Age, January 13, 2004, Clark County, Nevada  
Copyright © 2004 Gerry Perry <MissGerry@cox.net>

This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.

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LAS VEGAS AGE
12/2/1916

COLORED WOMAN KILLS HUSBAND

JOHN WITHERS RECEIVES FATAL SHOT THROUGH THE NECK THANKSGIVING DAY

    Sortly before noon of Thanksgiving day, Beatrice WITHERS requested 
her husband John to go in town after a loaf of bread to complete the 
Thanksgiving dinner.  John had been drinking and refused to go.  
Beatrice then requested John to give her back her money which he had and 
John retaliated by agreeing to beat her up. The altercation took the 
parties into the yard where John attempted to put his throat into 
execution. Beatrice ran into the house and hooked the screen door.  
John picked up a shovel and demolished the door and Beatrice took her 
revolver and fired a shot into the floor near the door as a warning.  
This did not deter John. He advanced into the house, fortified himself 
with another drink of whisky and then went to where a bottle of wine was 
standing with the remark, "I want a little more tea then, I'll kill 
you." He took a good drink of the wine then took the bottle by the 
neck, raised it in a position to strike and advanced upon his wife.  
Beatrice fired again, the bullet going through her husband's neck and 
severing the jugular vein. John exclaimed "You shot my d__d arm off, go 
for a doctor."  Beatrice ran for town, throwing the gun away as she 
went. The weapon was found where she said she threw it, by W. H. 
HARKINS, Joe KEATE and W. B. MORROW. The doctor came, but the wounded 
man died in about twenty minutes. The tragedy occured at a little shack 
on the creek west of the depot, where the parties lived.
    A coroner's jury impanelled by Judge HARKINS Friday morning  brought 
in a verdict that deceased came to his death on the 30th of November, 1916, 
from a gunshot wound received from a bullet fired from a revolver in the 
hands of his wife, Beatrice WITHERS. Age was about 28 years." The members 
of the jury were H. S. WORKMAN, foreman, Isaac R. LANDIS, H. J. WOODARD, Roy 
GOODWIN, W. B. MORROW, G. H. FRENCH.
    The mother of the dead man who lives at Butte, Montana, was notified 
of her son's death and ordered the body shipped to her. WITHERS has 
been employed at the round house of the Salt Lake Route for about six 
months.
    The couple were married early in October by Judge HARKINS, the bride 
then going under the name of Beatrice HOLLANDS. It is rumored that the 
lady is also the wife of one Andy ANDERSON, a colored clown in Barnes 
circus. It is also said that she was floated from Needles where she 
kept a disorderly house, on a 90 day suspended sentence, when she came 
to Vegas. She is now in the county jail awaiting a preliminary hearing.