MURDER AND SUICIDE
IN HOME OF POVERTY.
BOY 2 YEARS OLD AND DOG
KEEP VIGIL OVER BODIES.
Kansas City, Kas., Baker Kills Wife
and Himself as a Result, It's
Thought, of Jealousy Caused
by Use of Morphine.
MRS. MYRA CAMPBELL.
Neighbors entering the home of Joseph Campbell, 2952 North Seventeenth street, Kansas City, Kas., at 9 o'clock yesterday morning found the dead bodies of Mr. Campbell and his wife on the floor of the stuffy little room which served the double purpose of sleeping and living room. Clasped in the right hand of the man was a revolver. He evidently had murdered his wife, then committed suicide. Crouching down against the bed in one corner or the room, benumbed with cold and fear, was the little white robed figure of a boy, 2 years old, whose crying through the night and early morning attracted the attention of the neighbors and led to the investigation which resulted in the finding of the bodies.
GUN IN MAN'S HAND.
Charles Phillips, 18 years old, who lives next door to the Campbells, and C. R. Lumsdon, another neighbor, were the first persons to make the discovery. The sobs of the baby induced the two men to knock at the door. Receiving no response after repeated knocking they broke the lock and opened the door enough to obtain a view of the interior of the room. The body of the woman was almost against the door. She had remained in a kneeling posture, the head to one side. A bullet had entered below the left breast, passing entirely through the body and lodged under the skin on the right side. The man lay in almost the same position against the south walls of the room and behind the woman. His arms were folded across his breast and the revolver was held tightly against his body. The bullet had passed through the heart. Campbell was a baker. He was 32 years old.
WIFE SOUTH MISSOURI WOMAN.
He was married about three years ago in southern Missouri, where he became acquainted with the girl, Miss Myra Matthews, who became his wife. She was 20 years old. Although worn and haggard she bore the traces of having been beautiful. Insane jealousy on the part of the husband is the reason attributed for the murder. The bodies were viewed by the coroner and taken to the undertaking rooms of Fairweather & Barker.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL.
The killing of the innocent wife and the subsequent suicide of the murderer was but the logical climax of the events which mark the life of Joseph Campbell. Although for weeks Campbell has spoken of domestic troubles, even going so far as to consult Chief of Police W. W. Cook, and on numerous occasions threatening to buy a revolver and "end it all," it is believed by those who knew him best that these troubles and the consequences had their inception in a drug filled brain.
KNOWN AS "MORPHINE JOE."
That the murderer had been addicted to the use of morphine for many years is known, in fact so common was this knowledge that for at least fifteen years he has been known to hundreds of persons in Kansas City, Kas., as "Morphine Joe." A bottle half filled with the drug was found on a chair near the bed.
The police are at a loss to determine at what time the tragedy occurred. The family of William T. Kier, 2950 North Seventeenth street, say that the Campbells were heard pumping water from the cistern as late as 9:30 o'clock last night, but they heard no shots. The family of William Brocket, whose rooms are over those of the Campbells, did not return until about 11 o'clock at night, and no shots were heard by them. Daniel Galvin, a carpenter, living a few doors north, said that he heard a shot around 10:30 o'clock but thought nothing of it.
CHILD AND DOG WITH DEAD.
A scene of utter desolation was witnessed by the men first entering the room. On every side was the evidence of extreme poverty. The ragged covers of the bed, which had not been slept on, were folded neatly back. A few little, cheap pictures adorned the unplastered walls. Despite the cheapness and the poverty there was the touch of a woman's hand, which transformed the scantily furnished room into a home.
The little boy, Earl, crying by the bed where he had stood in the cold during the entire night, and a large dog which stood guard over the dead body of his mistress, were the only living beings in the place of death. The child was hurried to the home of Mrs. C. R. Lumsdon and placed in ht blankets, but the dog growled savagely at the intruders and would not submit to being moved until petted by a neighbor whom he knew.
THE CAMPBELL HOME, KANSAS CITY, KAS.
The news of the murder and suicide spread rapidly over the neighborhood and hundreds of persons gathered about the house. The police were notified and after the bodies had been taken away a guard was set about the house to prevent persons from entering.
The orphan boy will be cared for by his father's mother, Mrs. James B. Grame of 2984 Hutchings street, Kansas City, Kas.
"The news of this awful deed came as a shock to all of us," said Mr. Grame last night. "The fear that something like this would happen has been in our minds for years." The awful condition of Campbell, crazed by drugs, has added twenty years to the age of his mother, who has clung to him through all his troubles.
"It is a matter I cannot discuss, but harsh as it may sound, it is better for the world and better for himself that his life is ended. The thing that hurts me the most is the thought of that poor innocent girl a sacrifice to his drug crazed brain."
Persons living in the neighborhood say that Campbell has made numerous threats against his wife. Mrs. M. J. Cleveland, 2984 Hutchings street, said yesterday that Campbell came to her home Saturday morning and told her that he was going to get a gun and kill the whole outfit, meaning his wife. Practically every person living near them were afraid of the man and it was said that he constantly carried with him a gun and a butcher knife. He had recently secured work at the Armour packing plant.
