Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1916 — DEATH RECALLS A TRAGEDY [ARTICLE]

DEATH RECALLS A TRAGEDY

Elmira Hart Was Housekeeper of Elian Ray, Accused of Murder. Lafayette, December 4. The death of Elmira Hart, who was found dead in bed yesterday, recalls one of the well-known tragedies in tho history of Tippecanoe county. On May 20, 1909, Elias Ray, one of the wealthiest land owners In this part of the state, is alleged to have struck Conrad Ortman, a farm laborer, with a club and killed him. Ray was arrested and charged with the crime. Ills trial was set for November 19, 1900, and tho judge and attorneys were j n the courtroom ready to begin the trial of the ease, when a telephone call from Mrs. Hart, who was Ray’s housekeeper, told of his death. He had shot himself in the breast with a shotgun. £ - t Mrs. Hart was said to have been a witness to the attack on Ortman.