Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 153, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 June 1913 — SON KILLS FATHER IN DEFENDING MOTHER [ARTICLE]

SON KILLS FATHER IN DEFENDING MOTHER

Monon Freight Conductor Assailed Mother White Drunk and Son Shot Rim to Death.

John C. Barger, a freight conductor on the Monon railroad, was shot three times and almost instantly'killed at 12:30 o’clock Thursday morning by his son, Paul, 18 years old. The tragedy took place at the Barger home, 1134 North Fifteenth street, Lafayette, and was the result of a vicious attack by Barger on (his ,wife, who was lyingin bed. Barger, who had been asleep upstairs, came down to compel his wife to go upstairs With him, and uttered an .oath when he entered the room and saw his wife and son lying in bed. He walked to the bfd, leaned over Jiis son and, with his right hand, seized his wife by the throat.Mrs. Barger and her son were anticipating troub'e because Barger had come home under the influence of liquor early in the evening, a condition that always made 'him abusive, ?.nd they had thrown themselves, fully dressed, on a bed downstairs. Paul had determined to protect his mother from his father’s abuse and bad placed a pistol under the pillow before he threw himself on the bed. When bis father leaned over him and sedzed Mrs. Barger, Paul, who had remonstrated wi]th him when he entered the room and had begged him not to hurt his mother, drew the pistol from its hiding place. He pressed the muzzle against his father’s body and fired. Barger straightened up when he re-' cedved the wound and Paul fired again. Barger then started toward the foot of the bed and passed around it to reach his wife. Just as he passed the foot of the bed, Paul fired the third shot. Barger staggered under the wound, sank to the floor, gave a few gasps and was dead. , After his father fell, Paul went to the telephone and ealled Dr. Arnett, the family physician, who hurried to the house. When Dr. Arnett arrived, he found that Barger was dead and notified the police department. < Captain PoweH called the ambulance and he and Officers Younker and Kelm went to the Barger home. They made a hasty investigation and returned to headquarterg, taking Paul to jail with them. —i All of the shots fired’by the son had taken effect. One entered the body just below the heart, one penetrated the upper part of the abdomen and the third entered the chest just below the left arm,