 The Denison Herald
Thursday, December 8, 1921 pg. 1 MYSTERY IN DEATH OF SHERMAN GIRL Denison Youth Held Pending Investigation Miss Louise Carpenter Was Found Dead in Automobile - Charles Steele was Jacking Up Car When Shot Was fired Bulletin - Charles Steele was bound over to the 59th District court on a $2500 bond today by Judge McCrary, justice of the peace, at the preliminary hearing on the charge of murder of Miss Louise Carpenter. F.G. Coleman, former mayor of Denison, is the bondsman. Special to The Herald Sherman, December 8 - Unless later developments reveal facts which a police investigation so far has failed to produce the manner in which Miss Louise Carpenter, pretty 19-year-old Sherman girl, met her death Wednesday night may never be known. The body of the girl with a bullet wound through the heart was found in an automobile on the "eighty foot" Sherman-Denison road, near the Frisco shops, about 7:30 o'clock. Charlie Steele, 19 years old, of 111 West Munson street, Denison, who was with the girl at the time she received the fatal wound and who was, according to his story to the police, jacking up the rear end of the car at the time the shot was fired, can shed no light on the tragedy. Steele's gun was found on the floor of the car. The Denison youth was detained by the officers pending a thorough investigation. Youth Tells His Story Steele, who is a young man of nice appearance and refined manners, was interviewed by a Herald representative early Thursday morning, and without hesitation told a straightforward story of the affair. He said that he had known Miss Carpenter about 2 years, and that for the past several months he had been calling on her. Miss Carpenter drove her mother to Denison Wednesday afternoon and saw her off to Houston on the Katy train which left Denison at 4:30 o'clock. After her mother left, Miss Carpenter drove to the Steele home, visited for a while and ate supper with the family before leaving for her home in Sherman. While at the Steele home, Miss Carpenter explained to Charlie Steele and his mother that she had been having a good deal of trouble with her car, and that she was afraid to drive it back to Sherman by herself. It was arranged that Charlie should drive the car back to Denison so he could make some repairs on it Thursday. Everything went well until young Steele started to t urn off the Sherman-Denison road at North Grand avenue in Sherman. As he attempted to steer the car around the curve, he says the front wheels locked on him and in stopping the car he "killed" the motor. He stated he tried for several minutes to start the car and when he had no success Miss Carpenter suggested that he go to the Frisco telegraph office, where she worked during the day, and get the night operator to help start the car explaining that he often helped her get the car started. Steele followed the suggestion but after both had worked 5 or 10 minutes the car would not start. The operator suggested that a rear wheel be jacked up as that method had a tendency to make the motor easier to start. Shot Through the Heart As Steele was getting the jack out of the car the operator was called back to the office, which is only about a 100 feet from where the car stopped. Steele stated that he had the car about halfway jacked up when he heard a shot. He said that he was frightened and did not know what had happened. He called to Louise and when she did not answer he ran to the railroad office, calling for help. Some of the men in the office ran to the car while others stayed with the boy who did not go back to the scene. The young lady was found in the rear seat of the automobile, slumped down in the corner, shot in the center of the breast, and dead. The .41-caliber Colt double-action revolver was found lying on the floor of the car between her feet. All of the curtains of the car were up. Doctors who reached the scene a few minutes after the shooting pronounced the young woman dead. It is thought that the bullet, which drilled a nearly straight path through the body, passed through the heart and that death came instantly. The automobile with the body was pulled to the John C. Dannel Undertaking Company where Judge H.C. McCrary, justice of the peace, and Henry Wilson, assistant county attorney, held a partial inquest which will be completed Friday. Steele was closely questioned and is being held pending further investigation. Carried Revolver for Protection In the course of the interview Thursday morning Steele told The Herald reporter that the revolver with which Miss Carpenter was shot belonged to him. He said that he came to Sherman nearly every night to see the young lady, and that he always carried the gun in his car, under the front seat and that Louise knew where he kept it. He said that he knew he would drive the car back to Denison late, that it was a bad night, and not knowing what might happen took the gun with him. Steele states that he does not know when Miss Carpenter climbed into the back seat, other than it must have been after he got the jack from under the rear seat of the automobile, for at that time she was in the front seat. He also states that he does not know of any reason why the young lady should have killed herself. He says that she seemed disappointed and disgusted with her automobile which had given her a great deal of trouble, but not enough so as to cause her to kill herself. He says that she was not particularly depressed or in a despondent mood during the drive to Sherman. At 11 o'clock Thursday morning the inquest had not been completed and no official information had been given out. Miss Carpenter was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Carpenter, 903 North Throckmorton street, this city. Her father has been employed at the local Frisco shops for a number of years, while the young lady had been a telegraph operator for the same company for 2 years. She is survived by her father, mother and 2 sisters. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made. Charlie Steele is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis J. Steele, of 111 West Munson street. For some time he was employed as a clerk in the M. K. & T. railway shops here, and at another time in the accounting department. It is understood that he has recently been employed as a mechanic's helper in local garages. He attended high school here, but was not graduated. He is not very well known among the young people of the town, having been quiet and not a wide mixer.  The Denison Herald Friday, December 9, 1921 pg. 1 HERALD SCORED A SCOOP IN THE CARPENTER CASE The Herald completely scooped the Sherman paper Thursday afternoon with its bulletin announcing that Charles Steele was bound over to the district court charged with the murder of Miss Louise Carpenter. Although the hearing was held in the county seat The Herald was the first to carry to Sherman the latest development in one of the most sensational local stories of the year. TWO CLAIM GUN WHICH KILLED GIRL Ownership of Weapon Puzzles Authorities Special to The Herald Sherman, Texas, December 9 - Up until noon Friday there had been no new developments in connection with the tragic and mysterious shooting Tuesday night which resulted in the death of pretty 19-year-old Louise Carpenter. In order that Charles Steele, the Denison youth who was with Miss Carpenter at the time of her death, could be released from custody while the grand jury, which is now in session, can thoroughly investigate the case, a charge of murder was filed against him Thursday afternoon and his bond, which he readily gave, was set at $2,500 after he waived examining trial. It is the general feeling that the filing of the murder charges against the boy was a matter of formality in order that he could be released from custody. In the course of the unraveling of circumstances surrounding the death of the young lady, only one question arose, and that is: "Who owned the gun with which Louise Carpenter was shot?" Charles Steele testified at the inquest that he owned the gun which was found in the automobile with his fiancee's body. Officers state that the revolved belonged to Mr. Carpenter, the young lady's father, and it is alleged that the father has declared that he was the owner of the gun. Thursday morning Steele told a Herald reporter that it was his gun and that he always carried it with him on his frequent trips, made by automobile, between Sherman and Denison. It is alleged that the young lady, who often had to drive to and from her work at late hours, always carried the gun with her for protection. It has not been determined who actually owns the revolver. The Denison Herald Sunday, December 11, 1921 pg.1 MYSTERY THAT SURROUNDS DEATH OF LOUISE CARPENTER, SHERMAN GIRL, MAY NEVER BE DISPELLED If Nineteen-Year-Old Telegraph Operator Took Her Life Reason For Act Was Buried With Her If Louise Carpenter, in the darkness of the night, sought relief in death from a trouble which she could no longer bear, the cause of the action may never be known. Neither the family of the dead girl, her financee, Charles Steele of Denison, or his family or her friends can give any reason why the 19 year old telegraph operator should have taken her life. While the Denison youth is charged with the murder of his pretty sweetheart, there are none in either of the "twin cities" of Grayson county who believe that the quiet mannered, grief stricken boy deliberately slew the girl. It is generally believed it was suicide or an accident. And nothing remains to indicate suicide. Sometimes the hand of God seems to stretch out to our materialistic world and to take from it an impeccable soul. The hand of Fate turns the wheel of fortune simultaneously and carves a wound of suspicion, which will leave a despicable scar, that neither time nor toil shall obliviate. Such is the case of the death of Louise Carpenter, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Carpenter of Sherman. Today the body of that former joyful creature lied dead and the heart of her sweetheart, grief stricken, is as cold as the earth that covers her grave. Around the fireside at his parents' home at 111 West Munson street, Charles Steele, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis J. Steele, sweetheart and financee of Miss Carpenter, is bowed in grief. His mother and father are at his side, attempting to console the grief stricken lad. At night he lies staring and awake through the long dreary hours, reviewing the tragedy of Wednesday night. His existence is merely a mist, a confusion of anguish, grief, and sorrow. For 2 happy years these young persons, lived with the thoughts of each other alone. They were looking forward to the time when they could become as one. Now only one remains, and he is facing a charge of the murder of his sweetheart. Was Jolly On Last Ride The last meal the girl ate was from her sweetheart's mother's table. She was jolly and happy, happy in the thought of living and being able to contribute to the support of her own family. A vivacious creature reveling in all the exumbrance of life. The ancient-old instinct of protection for her lover, it is believed, is what called her death. Her sweetheart was underneath the stalled automobile, when a muffled shot was heard. Not a word was said. The alarmed youth called. No answer. Without waiting to view the body of his love, he dashed for help and when told of the death of his loved one he fell into a frenzy of grief, which continues to cling over him as a damp morbid blanket mouldering out his spirit of life. At the home of the dead girl in Sherman, an aged and ill father futilely attempts to conceal his grief over the death of his elder daughter, while he tries to console his helpmate, and the 2 child sisters. "The good die young," must be true. For nothing has developed to show an unfavorable light on the character of the girl. There was nothing, a rigid investigation shows, to indicate a motive for suicide or for murder. Her last words to her lover were, "Can't I help you?" and it was a cold night on a dangerous highway, a chilling, drizzling and penetrating rain fell from darkened skies. Never had she confided any secrets to her lover because she had none. Her life was an easily read book, for it contained a record of kindness, generosities, and good deeds. There was never an intimation to her sweetheart that she had any reason to take her life. Apparently the last chapter in one of the most sensational and mysterious deaths to occur in this county has been closed. If Louise Carpenter took her own life, she carried the secret of the cause into the grave with her. The Denison Herald Monday, December 19, 1921 pg. 3 OKLAHOMA WOMAN LIVES IN DENISON THROUGH THE HERALD Wynona, Oklahoma, December 14, 1921 Editor, Denison Herald: Today I've read in The Herald the mystery surrounding the death of Miss Louise Carpenter, Sherman girl. I"m so sorry to learn of her death, and I felt that it was indeed an accident. She probably knocked the gun to the floor of the car, causing it to discharge the bullet which entered her body. Knowing Charles Steele through my brother (they having worked together in a Denison garage), I can truly say I believe him to be clear of all blame, and I do hope he will soon prove himself such. The Denison Herald finds its way into our home here in Wynona, Oklahoma, as a dear friend and we may still live in Denison through The Herald. Wishing Denison a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, Mrs. C.O. Campbell Cold Case Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |