Murder-Suicide 20 Mi South of Paducah

Newspaper article:

Paducah, Ky August 17, 1912. Resisting arrest, Joseph Spitzer, 25 years old, shot and seriously wounded the officer who attempted to take him into custody, killed his young wife, and then committed suicide at his home, twenty miles south of Paducah, Today.

 E.C. Anderson, the officer wounded by Spitzer, bore a warrnt sworn out by Spitzer's Mother-in-law, charging him with maltreating Mrs. Spitzer.

(I'm not related to any of these people mentioned, but found the news article in the Atlanta Constitution and as southern death notices are difficult to locate I originally just spotlighted it, then decided to find out a little more information on this couple. Next up: The death records for both Mr. and Mrs. Spitzer)

I searched for Kentucky Death Certificates 1912 and immediately found Jennie and Joseph Spitzer.

Jennie's death certificate is issued by the Commonweatlth of Kentucky State Board of Health bureau of Vital Statistics. Certificate of Death:

McCracken County; inc. town of Oaks, KY

Mrs. Jennie English Spitzer

She is female, white, and married. Her date of birth is listed as Jan 9, 1898. Wait that must be wrong this is only 1912 and she is a wife.  No, accordingly her age is listed as 14 years, 7 months, and 8 days. born Paducah, Kentucky

Her father is listed as Gus English, born Marshall County and mother is listed as M.T.B - - y ---. born Paducah, KY

The informant is John B--y----.

date of death is listed as August 17, 1912 at 3 p.m.

Cause of death is listed as gun Shot wound; found dead on roadside; homicide; supposed to been shot by husband.

The coronor, R.L. Eley, signed certificate on August 18, 1912

She is listed as buried at Oak Grove Cemetery

Interestingly enough Joseph Spitzer's Death Certificate indicates his date of death is August 18, 1912.

Joseph M. Spitzer, male, white married, age 17 years, 4 months and 6 days. Wait he was listed as 25 years old in the newspaper account.

His occupation is farm labor and he was born in Knox County, Tennessee. His father is listed as G.M. Spitzer born Knox County, Tenn and his mother is listed as Sarah Turner, born Knox Co., Tenn.

Informant is G.M. Spitzer of Paducah, KY.

According to this certificate Joseph died August 18, 1912 at 9:45 p.m. The last time he was seen alive by R.L. Eley, coroner was on August 18, 1912.

Cause of Death is lsited as Gun Shot Wound at home; Suicide, Wound in head.

signed by R.L. Eley, Coroner, August 19, 1912.

He was buried at Woods Cemetery on August 19, 1912.

I checked the 1910 census and Joe Spitzer is living with his parents. He is listed as 15 years of age. Father is indexed at ancestry as Hennparte Spitzer.