George Woolum, 40, shot and killed his wife,
Florence Margaret, 35, and then turned the same gun on himself
at their home, 316 Quarry St., at 4 o'clock Sunday morning.
Mrs. Woolum was killed instantly. The husband was rushed
to the City Hospital, where he died at 5:30 o'clock.
The double tragedy followed domestic difficulties which had
resulted in frequent separations of the couple during the last
two years and which reached a climax in a quarrel Sunday
morning over the wife's failure to have fried chicken prepared for Woolum, when he arrived at the home after an
absence of several months.
Meets Daughter:
Ethel, a daughter, 17 years old, was standing at the front
door talking to Howard Beveridge, a friend, when Woolum
arrived at the home. She saw her father come across the
lawn in front of the house and then up the walk. He was
hatles and disheveled and the daughter says he was
intoxicated.
After exchanging greetings, Woolum took a very large tomato
from his pocket and showing it to them said: "See the
little tomato I grew last night."
Inquiring about his wife, he was told she was in bed.
Woolum then went into the house and entered his wife's room.
He awakened her and asked where the fried chicken was that she
said she would have for him. Mrs. Woolum replied
sleepily that it was a "fine time to come around looking for
chicken" and that she supposed he was loking for an argument.
Then the couple on the porch heard the shot.
Completes Deadly Work:
Woolum, staggering out of the house and onto the lawn at the
side and said: "Well, everything's ended now" and shot
himself.
The bullet penetrated Woolum's head at the right temple.
His wife was shot through the right cheek close to the nose.
The bullet emerged from the back of her head. The
shooting was done with a .32 calibre automatic.
Woolum and his wife had been separated frequently during the
last two years because Mrs. Woolum objected to his habitual
drunkeness, members of the family say. Prior to the
shooting his wife and family had not seen him for six months
although they knew that he was in the city. Woolum was a
laborer and had no permanent place of employment, members of
the family say.
Two children were asleep in the house at the time the shooting
occurred. They are a daugther, Mrs. Nellie Mae Prater,
15, and a son, George, 13. The other daughter, Ethel
Jane is 17.
Funeral Plans
Funeral services for the murdered woman are to
be held at 2:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at the W. C. Boyd
Funeral Home, South Main St. with the Rev. George Whitlock,
pastor of Wesley M. E. Church, in charge. Interment will
be at Brush Ridge.
Arrangements for the funeral of Woolum are being made by
relatives today. The body was removed to the funeral
home of the Hess, Markert &Y Axe Undertaking Co., East Church
St.
Mrs. Woolum was a native of Ohio, born Dec. 21, 1892, the
daughter of Andrew and Ella Kingrey Ferrell, who were also
natives of Ohio. The mother, Mrs. Ella Ferrell who
resides at the Woolum home was in southern Ohio visiting
friends when the shooting occurred.
Mr. and Mrs. Woolum were married in Lawrence County, August 9,
1910. They leave children, and Mrs. Woolum is survived
by a sister Mrs. Myrtle Landis, of Columbus, three brothers,
George Ferrell, 19? Tully St. Lindsay Ferrell, Lee St.,
and Emery Ferrell, 760 Creston Ave. Woolum is survived
by eight sisters.
Woolum was also a native Ohioan born in Lawrence County May
19, 1882, the son of Isaac and Jane Woolum, native Ohioans who
preceded him in death. |