He Shot His Wife, Then Himself at Fern Hill
A Tacoma carpenter and mail carrier, described as a heavy drinker, carried out a threatened revenge before turning the gun on himself.
TACOMA, April 23.—A carpenter and mail carrier named Mortimer Lewis shot and probably fatally wounded his wife and blew his own brains out at 9:30 last night at Fern Hill. Drink and domestic discord caused the deed. He had been drinking heavily of late and had repeatedly beaten his wife. She had him arrested and bound over to keep the peace. He swore he would have revenge, and his wife took refuge with a neighbor, but was compelled to return home for medicine for a sick infant last night. As she struck a light he shot her twice, the last time through the lungs. They formerly lived in Dakota, but have resided here five years. He is a G. A. R. man, and they have three children, one 19 years of age.
“Drink and domestic discord caused the deed.”
The Lewis case was reported as a drink-fueled private tragedy, but it is also a familiar public story: domestic violence, a protective order, and a child in the house. Then as now, the warning signs were visible to neighbors and courts. The item is a reminder that “domestic discord” is not a private scandal but a matter of public safety.
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