Lillie, Myrtle Patricia, 1903-1925

CRAIG, LILLIE, ANDERSON

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:32

From the Hawarden Independent, November 26, 1925:

TWO LIVES END IN TRAGEDY
Jealousy Prompts Murder and Self Destruction
Harold Craig Kills Myrtle Lillie, His Divorced Wife, and Then Commits Suicide

A gruesome dual tragedy occurred in Hawarden about 11:30 last Thursday night when Harold E. Craig, aged 31, a former well known resident of this city but lately of Des Moines and Newton, Iowa, shot and killed his divorced wife, Myrtle Lillie, aged 22, with a .45 calibre revolver and then turned his gun on himself and blew out his brains. The hearts of both continued to pulsate for perhaps ten or fifteen minutes after the double shooting and then life fluttered out. The tragedy occurred in the apartment of Miss Lillie at the rooming house conducted by her mother, Mrs. Alma A. Lillie.

Harry Garf, young Hawarden meat market proprietor who came here a few months ago from Rock Rapids, had accompanied Miss Lillie to the picture show that evening. They returned to Miss Lillie’s apartment shortly after 11 o’clock and were seated on a davenport in the parlor, when the door which opens directly onto the porch was opened and Craig stalked in. He flourished a revolver and ordered Garf to leave, exclaiming: “Get the hell out of here and be damn quick about it. Don’t say anything or I’ll fill you full of lead.” Miss Lillie remonstrated with Craig but told Mr. Garf to leave and he hesitated only long enough to pick up his hat and overcoat. Craig followed Garf to the door and admonished him to “keep on going.”

Garf’s first thought was to get an officer but he had barely reached the other side of the street when two shots rang out, with only a few seconds between them. Garf immediately turned and recrossed the street to the Lillie home. The door onto the porch had been left open and Garf saw the two bodies lying on the floor. He went in at once and called Miss Lillie’s sister, Mrs. Erma Coleman, who was still sitting up in another room in the house. Mrs. Coleman is decidedly hard of hearing and while she had heard the reports of the revolver had not realized what had caused the noise. Together they lifted Miss Lillie from the floor and placed her on the davenport bed in the room and then called Mrs. Lillie, who was asleep and had not been awakened by the shots. Other roomers in the house had been awakened and hastily joined the group. Dr. A. J. Meyer was immediately summoned by telephone and reached the Lillie home in a very few minutes. Both Craig and Miss Lillie were still alive when he reached them but their breathing ceased shortly afterwards, Craig expiring a minute or two before Miss Lillie. Mayor French was summoned from his home and went immediately to the Lillie home.

Craig lay on his back on the floor with his knees elevated slightly, and the barrel of the revolver protruding between his knees, the butt of the gun still clasped in his right hand. Mayor French removed the gun, the cartridge chamber being filled with steel jacketed bullets except the two which had been discharged.

The bullet which caused Miss Lillie’s death entered about the middle of the back of her head and came out on the front of the head. Her skull was badly crushed by the force of the bullet. Bits of her hair were found on the screen door as though she might have fallen against the screen and then slipped to the floor. A hole was torn through the screen door where the bullet passed through after penetrating Miss Lillie’s head.

The bullet which ended Craig’s life went in through the right temple and emerged near the top of the left side of the head, passing through the crown of his hat where it emerged. Traces where this bullet had struck were found in the room. Craig’s skull was also badly crushed by the bullet. There were powder burns on his right temple where the bullet went in.

Coroner Wm. Duven was notified at Orange City by telephone and, accompanied by Sheriff Hugo Synhorst, reached Hawarden about 2:30 a.m. but decided to postpone the holding of an inquest until Friday forenoon, the bodies in the meantime being removed to Sumners’ Funeral Parlors.

The inquest was purely perfunctory and at its conclusion the jury returned a verdict setting forth that Miss Lillie had come to her death by a gun shot wound fired by Harold Craig and that Craig had committed suicide. The coroner’s jury was composed of J. H. McNally, A. G. Ensign and L. L. Kenny.

Craig had been employed for some time in a clothes cleaning establishment at Newton, Iowa, and came to Hawarden on Wednesday morning of last week. It is believed that he came to try and effect a reconciliation with his former wife. They were married June 3, 1922, a little over three years ago and after living here for a time during which period she taught in the rural schools of the county, they went to Des Moines where they resided for about a year during which time Craig was employed in the servidor department of the Savery Hotel. An estrangement occurred between the couple last summer and she returned to Hawarden and opened a beauty parlor in the apartment which she occupied in her mother’s rooming house. She secured a divorce from Craig at the September term of the district court in this county on the grounds of non-support and was given the right to resume her maiden name.

Craig called upon her Wednesday afternoon but evidently failed to effect a reconciliation and wired back to Newton at once to ascertain if he might resume his old position but was advised by wire that his place was already filled. Thursday Craig made arrangements to go to LeMars on the following day to endeavor to secure a position there. It is understood that he attempted to arrange a meeting with Miss Lillie for Thursday evening and when she went out instead with Harry Garf to the picture show it is believed that he was seized with an insane jealousy which prompted the terrible deed.

He talked with a number of people on the street Thursday evening, including Marshal Conway, and was in a local restaurant on several different occasions. He did not appear to be unusually nervous and there was not the slightest indication that he was laboring under intense excitement. He was seen in the vicinity of the picture theatre during the time that Miss Lillie and Mr. Garf were there and it is believed that he followed them home. He was a total stranger to Mr. Garf who saw him for the first time when he entered the room at the Lillie home and ordered him to leave. From whom he secured the revolver with which the double tragedy was committed has not been learned. It is known, however, that he had attempted to borrow a revolver that evening on an entirely reasonable pretext but his request was refused.

The funeral of Miss Lillie was held Saturday afternoon at the Associated Church, Rev. Edwin Booth Jr., the pastor, conducting the services. The church was filled to capacity for the funeral service. Six of Miss Lillie’s former high school classmates acted as pall bearers. Interment was made in Grace Hill cemetery.

[followed by a paragraph on Craig’s funeral; see his obituary, posted separately]

The article includes portrait photos of both Lillie and Craig.

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Her death certificate has her as Myrtle Patricia Lillie, divorced wife of Harold E. Craig; born January 1, 1903 in Kingsley, Iowa; parents Willis M. Lillie, born in Clinton, Iowa, and Alma Anderson, born in Swartswood, New Jersey; occupation, self-employed beauty specialist; died Nov. 19, 1925, cause murder (Gun-shot); buried Nov. 21, 1925 in Gracehill Cemetery, Hawarden.

The 1925 Iowa state census for Des Moines (Ward 5) has the couple, although there are some discrepancies in ages and dates: Harold Craig, lodger, age 28, born in Indiana, a World War I Iowa Army veteran; parents Ralph Craig and Mary Aurich[?], both born in Indiana, married in Scotsburg, Indiana; wife Patricia M. Craig, age 22, born in Iowa, father Willis Lillie, born in Iowa, and Alma Anderson, born in New Jersey, married in Kingsley, Iowa.

Researcher Wilma J. Vande Berg found her survivors to be her parents, brother Marcus, and 5 sisters: Emma L. Coleman, Mrs. Madge Wilson of Winner, S.D., Mrs. Maude Stickler of Des Moines, Mrs. Alma Warneke of Carter, S.D., and Mrs. Augusta Wettstead of Bradshaw, Neb. A Card of Thanks in the November 26 Hawarden Independent is signed by Mrs. A. A. Lillie, W. M. Lillie, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus C. Lillie, Mrs. E. L. Coleman, Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Warneke, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Stickler, Mr. and Mrs. C. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Wettstead and Family.