Moss, Jesse

Jesse Moss - 34 years old miner, at 2:45 o'clock yesterday afternoon shot and killed his 15 year old wife, Agnes Dodson Moss, and a second later fired a bullet into his own head, at the home of the couple near Gum Springs...Jesse told his brother, David Moss, that he resented alleged attentions of another man to his wife. Mrs. Moss went to the home of David Moss to see her husband. "What do you want here?" he asked. "You'll see," she replied, and ran from the house, dropping an open pocketknife from the folds of her dress. Sibyl Moss, a sister-in-law to the dead man, and Mrs. L. B. Moss, his mother, were in the house when they heard shots, and through the open door his mother saw Jesse Moss raise the revolver to his head. She cried to him to stop, but he shot himself. Sibyl Moss said she was in the room with the quarreling couple and said they were quarreling over the division of the rent for the house. Agnes Moss was trimming an old hat when Jesse drew the revolver and shot her. She fell without a word, and a minute later he shot himself and fell across her body. The first shot fired by Moss entered his wife's left temple. As she fell he fired a second time, the bullet entering at the throat. The third shot pierced the center of his own forehead. He used a .38 caliber revolver. Coroner R. James will hold an inquest tomorrow. Mrs. Sadie Dodson, stepmother of the girl, said yesterday afternoon that on several occasions each of the couple had threatened the other's life. Mr. and Mrs. Moss were married in Galena Kansas, July 4, 1916. Noah Moss, a brother of Jesse, committed suicide six years ago by drinking carbolic acid. John Moss, who is employed at the Hartford Mine, No. 2, is recovering from a serious injury received when a boulder fell on him in the Hartford Mine two weeks ago. Jesse Moss had obtained a position as screen man at the mine and was to have started to work tomorrow. Mrs. Moss was born in Italy Texas. She came to Joplin Missouri with her family several years ago. Funeral arrangements for the couple have not been made, but it is probable that the bodies will be taken to the home of David Moss in Gum Spring tomorrow afternoon. Note: This date could be Feb 25th instead of Feb 15th. See the original article for more details, however the article does not explain how Agnes ran from the house and then somehow was trimming a hat.