Several months ago, I received photocopies of articles from the
Shenandoah Pennsylvania Evening Herald, dated March 26, 1894. I put them aside to
read at a later date and to assess their value for inclusion in LABAS.
Obviously, I found them to be very interesting for a variety of reasons
and I hope that you too will find them interesting to read. It is a
long article, therefore it will be in several parts for this
publication.
A FATAL PISTOL SHOT
SAID IT WAS ACCIDENTAL
A peculiar combination of circumstances which excites great interest in
the case - the corpse abandoned by the family because of atheism.
Matthew J. Andrukaitis, aged 48 years, was killed by a pistol shot wound
at the office of Dr. Szlupas, on south West Street, on Saturday.
All investigations thus far made seems to confirm the statements made
immediately after the accident happened, including a statement by the
victim, that Andrukaitis died from the effects of a wound accidentally
inflicted by his own hand.
Shortly after two o’clock Saturday afternoon there was excited rapping
upon the office door of Dr. S. M. Fetzer, which is located almost
immediately opposite the office of Dr. Szlupas. The person giving the
alarm was a tall, well-built and white bearded and white haired man who
subsequently proved to be a person known as Father Demski. The man
could not make himself distinctly understood. He is a Lithuanian, an
ex-priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and has been making his home
with Dr Szlupas.
Father Demski, as he’s called, succeeded by gesticulations and such
intelligible language as he could command, that a very serious accident
had occurred at Dr. Szlupas’ residence, that the immediate attendance of
a physician or surgeon was required.
Dr. Fetzer responded and found a medium sized man with a heavy, grizzly
beard writhing upon the floor of one of the apartments on the first
story of the house in great agony. There was no blood upon the floor,
but the victim pointed spasmodically to his throat.
Drs. Hoclerner and Woomer, the latter an eye and ear specialist,
subsequently responded to the alarm, and Dr. Szlupas was summoned from
the business portion of the town, where he had been making purchases.
Dr. Fetzer was asked to take immediate charge of the case and proceeded
to make an examination. He found that there was a bullet wound in the
throat hidden by the heavy beard. He proceeded to probe the injury and
reported that the bullet had entered in the center of the throat, had
passed below the right clavicle, or collar bone, and, apparently, had
dropped into the upper lobe of the right lung.
At first the wound did not appear to be a fatal one. In fact, when a
Herald reporter called at the house at abut 4:40 o’clock he was told
that it was not thought the wound was dangerous, in the absence of blood
poisoning; but shortly after 5 o’clock Dr. Fetzer was again summoned and
, after a consultation, in which Drs. Fetzer, Hochlerner and Szlupas
were engaged, it was stated that the wound would probably prove fatal.
The injured man lingered until 10 p.m.
The only statement secured from the victim, so far as the reporters have
been able to ascertain, is that Andrukaitis stated in the presence of a
witness that the shooting was accidental and had been inflicted by his
own hand.
Dr. Szlupas made this statement to a Herald reporter Saturday
afternoon: “Andrukaitis was a dear friend of mine. At about noon today
he called at my office and we had a very pleasant chat. It was agreed
that in the afternoon we should take a walk in the woods, and my wife
and myself started down town to make some purchases. I wanted to buy a
suit of clothes. When my wife and myself went we left Andrukaitis and
Father Demski in charge of the house and of my children. They were to
await our return. I did not learn anything until after the shooting.
It is not a case of suicide, but purely accidental. In all the
conversation I had with Andrukaitis before I left the house there was
nothing in speech of action to lead me to believe that he contemplated
suicide; in fact, he was very cheerful. From what I have been able to
learn he saw my revolver on the high shelf of a medicine case in my
middle room and attempted to take it down. It was very high, almost as
high as I can reach, (Dr. Szlupas is much taller than the deceased) and
I do not see how he reached it at all; but he evidently got hold of it
and the revolver was discharged, the ball entering his throat.”
When asked about the family connections of the injured man Dr. Szlupas
said a son, aged 15 years, had responded to the alarm, but he (Dr.
Szlupas) had decided not to allow the victim to be removed from his
house until he had recovered, if a recovery could be secured. At this
point Dr. Szlupas commenced to prepare for use some absorbent gauze,
which he evidently intended using in dressing the wound.
The Herald reporter followed the doctor into the middle room of the
first floor suit, where the victim was in sitting position on a cot.
The victim appeared to be perfectly conscious, though suffering great
pain. Upon Dr. Szlupas’ assurance that there was no immediate danger
the reporter withdrew.
There has been no case in town in several years which has aroused so
much interest, and in justification to Dr. Szlupas and Father Demski
there should be a full investigation.
It is said Chief of Police O’Hara asked that an official be sent at the
last moment to take the ante-mortem statement of the deceased, but owing
to a difference of opinion as to whose duty it was to take such a
statement the request was not complied with.
It is quite certain, however, that shortly after the accident happened
the victim stated that he had shot himself accidentally.
The interest elicited over the case is due to the fact that the deceased
was n atheist. Dr. Szlupas does not claim to be an atheist, but a
Lithuanian opposed to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church of his
people. Father Demski, the man left in the house with the deceased and
the children, is alleged to be an ex-priest making his home with Dr.
Szlupas and engaged in writing a book against the Roman Catholic Church.
Dr. Szlupas occupies the house at No. 125 South West Street. The
office proper faces on West Street; the room immediately to the rear is
the one in which the medicine case, similar to those found in drug
stores, is located; and the far rear and only other room on the floor is
used as a kitchen.
Father Demski is said to have been playing with the children when the
deceased reached for the revolver.
It is said that any curiosity on the part of the deceased would not have
excited any suspicion, because he was a frequent and welcome visitor to
the house.
Dr. Szlupas says that the revolver was left upon the shelf as a matter
of convenience when he should be called out at night to respond to
calls. It was an English bull-dog revolver of 32 caliber, of six
chambers, and but one chamber was loaded. This the doctor asserts
positively.
Shortly before the victim died his daughter, who is about 20 years of
age, volunteered to common Rev. Abromaitis, pastor of the St. George’s
Roman Catholic Church, but the dying man protested with an oath and died
without spiritual consolation.
For this reason, it is said, the corpse has been abandoned by the
relatives, and when a reporter called at Dr. Szlupas’ residence
yesterday afternoon he was informed that Dr. Szlupas would in all
probability be obliged to look after the burial, as the widow and
children had become offended at the dying declaration.
Andrukaitis lived on Bowers Street with his wife and three children, a
daughter aged about 20 years, a son about 15 and a daughter about 13.
There is no question that the statement of accidental injury can be
established by a reputable and respected lady of town, but there are
other statements attributed to occupants of the house which warrant a
full investigation of the case.
Andrukaitis was a well-known character in the town, because of his
advocacy of atheism. He had resided here for about eighteen years and
was a miner by occupation. He had been a resident of this country for
many years and before coming to Shenandoah lived and worked in the
surrounding patches. It is said his parents were well-to-do people in
his native land, but he did something which caused them to cut off his
revenue.
Compiled by Bernard Tirva, Editor
