Owen County (IN) Democrat, November 1, 1917, p. 1.
Three persons are dead as a result of a terrible tragedy that took place
Sunday afternoon at the residence of Albert Walden four and a half miles
southeast of Spencer. Walden used a double barreled shotgun to kill his
brother-in-law, his wife and himself.
About six weeks ago Walden and his wife, who was formerly Mamie Hawkins, a
daughter of Emmett Hawkins and wife of Ellettsville, separated and she had
applied for a divorce from him, the case being pending in the Owen circuit
court. After the separation she took their three children and went to live
with her parents, and Sunday she and her brother, John Hawkins, had Audley
Brown of Ellettsville to drive them to the Walden home where they expected
to secure her share of the personal property. When they reached the house
they met Walden in the road, and he got in the car and road the rest of the
way with them. On their arrival, they found Lewis Walden, the father of
Albert Walden, at the house where he had gone to do some feeding, and he and
Brown remained looking over the automobile while the other three went into
the house.
After a time they heard signs of quarreling and saw Walden put Hawkins out
of the house and lock the door. Immediately Hawkins returned and broke in
the door when Walden fired two shots into his body, one striking him in the
head and the other in the abdomen. On hearing the shooting, the two men at
the auto stopped and before they could decide as what course to pursue, two
more shots were heard and the tragedy was over.
After shooting Hawkins, Walden turned the gun on his wife, the shot tearing
away one side of her head. He then took her body in his arms and placing
the gun between his legs discharged it by pushing on the ramrod which he had
placed in front of the trigger.
Immediately after the shooting Coroner W. M. Blair of Patricksburg was
called, and all three bodies were brought to Spencer and prepared for burial
at the Edwards Undertaking Rooms. The remains of Mrs. Walden and her
brother were taken to their home at Ellettsville Sunday night and the joint
funeral services for the two were held Monday afternoon at Chambersville
after which her remains were interred in the Chambersville Cemetery, and the
remains of her brother were taken to the Gross Cemetery for burial. The
remains of Albert Walden were interred at Chambersville Tuesday. Rev. M. V.
Foster of Indianapolis conducted the service.