Iowa
Old Press
Sioux City Journal
Sioux City, Woodbury co., Iowa
Tuesday, May 1, 1928
Page 1, Column 6
S. C. MAN IS SLAIN; POLICE HOLD WIDOW
Woman Tells Conflicting Story of Shooting--4 Others Jailed.
The lifeless body of Fred Ulrich, 39 years old, a farm laborer,
was
found lying on a bed in his home, 713 Wall street, with a bullet
hole near
his heart, late Monday.
Accused of firing the shot that fatally wounded her husband
during a
drunken brawl, Mrs. Nettie Ulrich, widow of the slain man, is
being held
without charge in the city jail for questioning.
A .32 caliber revolver with one empty cartridge in the barrel,
was found
under the bathtub in the home. Hammer marks on another cartridge
showed
that the first attempt to fire the gun had failed.
Besides the widow, police arrested four other persons, who were
in the
house when they arrived, for investigation. They are Johnny
Ulrich, 17
years old, and Fred Ulrich, jr., 16 years old, two sons of the
dead man, and
Frank Thomas, 60 years old, and N. E. Connor, 41 years old,
farmers from
near Moville, Ia.
Widow Appears Dazed.
Police said that they believed all four men witnessed the
shooting,
although Thomas and Connor said that they had gone to the house
shortly
after Ulrich was killed.
Mrs. Ulrich has been arrested here several times for violations
of the
liquor laws, police said.
Mrs. Ulrich appeared to be dazed and told the police a
disconnected
story in which she was said to have first admitted the shooting
and later
denied that she was the slayer. The youths, who are Ulrich's sons
by a
former wife, were not questioned by the officers Monday night.
Mrs. Mae Hermanson, proprietor of a grocery store next door to
the
Ulrich home, was one of the first persons to enter the house
after the
shooting. She said that Mrs. Ulrich met her at the rear door and
said,
"Mae, I shot him--they forced me to do it, but he isn't
dead, I just know he
isn't dead."
Later in her story to police and Coroner J. H. Robbins, Mrs.
Ulrich said
that she shot her husband when he threatened her and rushed at
her with a
chair following a quarrel. They were in the dining room at the
time, she
said.
Denies Statement to Police.
When questioned by County Attorney Ole Naglestad a short time
later,
Mrs. Ulrich denied her confession to police and said that she
would tell a
complete story of the shooting this morning. Mrs. Ulrich seemed
unable to
believe that her husband was dead and appeared stunned when the
officers
questioned her.
The bullet struck Ulrich under the heart and deflected through a
rib and
into his heart, Coroner Robbins said. Dr. Frank G. Valiquette was
called
shortly after the shooting, but Ulrich was dead when he arrived.
Relatives and neighbors said that they knew of no quarrel between
Ulrich
and his wife, except for some disagreement they had had about
Ulrich's two
sons. Officers said that they believed the couple had been
drinking before
the shooting.
Coroner Robbins said that he would investigate the case further
before
giving his verdict, although all evidence showed a plain case of
murder.
Relatives said that the Ulrichs had been married about 10 years,
during
which time they lived in Sioux City and on a farm near Oto. They
returned
to Sioux City a short time ago.
Born at Wayne.
Ulrich was born at Wayne, Neb., and had lived there for several
years.
He is a member of a family of 11 children, four brothers and six
sisters.
Although five persons are under arrest, police are searching for
a man
named Jergenson and his wife, who were at the Ulrich home earlier
in the day
and were believed to have been there during the shooting.
Jergenson and his
wife had been at the Anton Peterson home, 505 Iowa street but had
quarreled
and were asked to leave by Mr. Peterson.
From the Peterson home they went to Ulrich's where they
continued their
quarrel, police said, and while there Jergenson fired a shot at
his wife.
The gun which police found under the bathtub at Ulrich's home
belonged to
Mrs. Peterson, officers said.
Jergenson and his wife could not be located Monday night and it
is
believed they may have left the city. It is possible, officers
said, that
Ulrich was killed when he interfered in a quarrel between Mr. and
Mrs.
Jergenson.
Mother Critically Ill.
Surviving Ulrich are: His widow; two sons, Fred and Johnny; his
mother,
Mrs. Anna Ulrich, who is critically ill at her home in Wayne,
Neb.; four
brothers, Henry of Omaha, Johnny of Wayne, Frank of California,
and Richard,
who resides in Canada, and six sisters, Mrs. Bill Rentz, Mrs.
Frank Chippey
and Mrs. Bob Chippey, all of whom reside in Minnesota, Mrs. Bob
Mears of
Omaha, Mrs. Gus Michaels, who lives in Oklahoma, and Miss Ella
Ulrich of
Wayne.
The body was taken to Westcott's undertaking parlors pending
funeral
arrangements.
Page 1, Columns 6-8
SLAP CAUSED SIOUX CITY MURDER
(Individual photos of Fred and Nettie under the title "Sioux
City Wife
Tells of Killing Husband", with this caption:
"Confession to the murder of
her husband, Fred Ulrich, 39 years old, 713 Wall street, was made
by his
widow, Mrs. Nettie Ulrich, 35 years old, Tuesday, according to
detectives.
In the confession, the woman said she shot her husband after they
had been
drinking and quarreling in their home Monday night. After the
shooting she
was prevented from turning the gun on herself by a witness of the
murder,
officers say.")
WIFE TELLS OF SHOOTING MATE AFTER QUARREL
Mrs. Nettie Ulrich Confesses to Slaying Husband During Brawl
Because Mrs. Nettie Ulrich, 35 years old, 713 Iowa (error--Wall)
street,
was slapped after a maudlin quarrel with her husband, Fred
Ulrich, 39 years
old, he is a lifeless corpse with a gaping bullet wound in it's
heart and
the woman is held in the city jail pending the filing of a murder
charge.
The story of the domestic tragedy was related to police officers
Tuesday
afternoon, 16 hours after the tragedy. The woman probably will be
arraigned
in police court Wednesday morning.
Mrs. Ulrich, a short, plump, ruddy faced woman cleared up
numerous
conflicting stories about the killing, which had caused the
arrest of four
other persons on investigation. Her face flushed from crying all
night, the
woman told Farley, Capt. James O'Keefe, and Detective Spencer the
complete
account of the affair without once being prompted.
Tries to Kill Self
"My husband and I had been drinking quite heavily all day
Monday." Mrs.
Ulrich said, "The more we drank the more we quarreled. About
3 o'clock in
the afternoon Mr.and Mrs. Jergensen who live at 505 Iowa street,
paid us a
visit. Mrs. Jergensen has stayed at my home a number of times.
She and her
husband had a quarrel and he threatened her with a revolver. When
he left,
he put the gun on a shelf in the kitchen.
"Early in the evening, my husband and I quarreled again and
he slapped
me. Earl Anderson, a roomer in my house, and N. E. Connor of
Moville, Ia.,
a friend of ours, were in the room--the dining room--then.
Anderson made my
husband sit down. In a fury, I rushed to the kitchen, got the
revolver and
fired one shot at Fred.
"Connor yelled 'Don't shoot!' but I had already pulled the
trigger and
the bullet had hit my husband. Then I tried to turn the gun on
myself.
Connor struck my hand and took the gun away. I called Mae
Hermanson who
lives next door and she telephoned police."
Dead When Police Arrive
When police and Dr. F. G. Valiquette, police surgeon, reached the
Ulrich
home Monday night, Ulrich was dead. Coroner J. H. Robbins who was
summoned,
called County Attorney Ole T. Naglestad and an investigation was
under way a
short time after the shooting.
Details Hazy
Details of the shooting given by Mrs. Ulrich Monday night were
hazy and
conflicting, the coroner said.
Says Woman Drunk
Coroner Robbins said he could not get an accurate story from
anyone at
the Ulrich home Monday. He asserted that Mrs. Ulrich was drunk
and a post
mortem on Mr. Ulrichs's body disclosed the fact that he had been
drinking.
The four others held in connection with the murder are the
murdered
man's sons, Fred, 16 years old, and John, 17 years old; N. E.
"Shorty"
Connor, 41 years old, and Frank Thomas, 60 years old. The latter
two are
from Moville, Ia. They were released Tuesday afternoon.
After Mrs. Ulrich had given her confession, the others were
brought to
Farley for questioning. Farley did not indicate when he would
release
Ulrich's sons.
Duplicate of Stiglitz Murder
In many respects this shooting is similar to the murder of Arthur
Stiglitz by his wife in the Chicago House February 4. In both
cases the
wives and husbands had been drinking and quarreling. Stiglitz's
heart was
pierced by a bullet that was deflected by a shoulder bone and
Ulrich's heart
was pierced by a bullet that glanced off one of his ribs. Mrs.
Stiglitz was
acquitted on the murder charge.
Police records show that Fred Ulrich was arrested the following
dates
for maintaining a liquor nuisance: September 17 and October 11,
1923, and
June 9, 1924. Records show Mrs. Ulrich was arrested July 16, 1924
for
vagrancy and illegal transportation of liquor and August 16, of
the same
year, on a liquor nuisance charge.
Widow and Two Sons
Ulrich had lived in Sioux City intermittently for the last 12
years. He
was born at Wayne, Neb. Surviving are his widow and two sons;
four
brothers, Henry of Omaha, John of Wayne, Neb., Frank of
California, and
Richard of Carroll, Neb.; six sisters, Mrs. William Rentz, Mrs.
Robert
Chippey and Mrs. Frank Chippey of Minnesota, Mrs. Robert Mears of
Omaha,
Mrs. Gus Michaels of Oklahoma and Miss Ella Ulrich of Wayne and
his mother,
Mrs. Emma Ulrich of Wayne.
The body is in Westcott's funeral parlors.
[transcribed by V.R., October 2006]
The Sioux City Journal
May 10, 1928
L. H. Henry Resigns as Vice President of the First National.
L. H. Henry has resigned as vice president of the First National bank and will leave soon on an extended western trip for the benefit of his health. He has been engaged in the banking business in Sioux City for many years.
No successor to Mr. Henry has yet been chosen, said John L. Mitchell, president of the First National.
“We are sorry indeed to have Mr. Henry sever his connection with the bank,” said Mr. Mitchell, “and we hope that the vacation trip he has planned will fully restore his health. It is likely that his position will be filled by advancement within the personnel of the officers. He has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who will regret his departure.”
[transcribed by LZ, Apr 2020]
Sioux City Journal
Sioux City, Woodbury co. Iowa
May 15, 1928
LAWYER’S WIFE GETS DIVORCE FOR DESERTION.
Dissolution of her marriage to Henry I. Brouillette,
former Sioux City attorney, who was active in court work here a
few years ago, has been obtained by Mrs. Marie Brouillette, in
district court. Mrs. Brouillette charged her husband with
desertion. They were married March 17, 1918. [Transcriber note:
That date might read 1913.]
Three other divorces were granted in district court. Mrs. Ora
Coleman, a nurse, was given her freedom from Louis Coleman; Mrs.
Doris Burge, Decatur, Neb., was granted a decree from Glenn
Burge, and Mrs. Bertha MacNaught was given a divorce from Donald
MacNaught. All three divorces were based on cruelty.
[transcribed by L.Z., August 2015]