BURKE, Jennie - {from Prairie Grove) Quite a shocking tragedy was enacted three miles west of here last Wednesday when Wm. Howell, who has been reared there, shot to death Jennie Burke who had been living with him as his wife for some two years or more and then shot himself. The woman had been on a visit to Vinita, her former home, and was met here by Howell on the arrival of the morning train. Howell secured a team at a local livery stable and said he would return it that afternoon. Not much was thought about the failure to return the team as he was reliable. Thursday his brother, J.W. Howell of this city, in passing by there went to the door and knocked but did not receive any response and as there was some bad feeling between the brothers, he went away without going in. Friday morning Isaac Reed, a neighbor, went and opened the door and found their dead bodies on the bed. She had a bullet hole in her breast and over her right eye and he had a hole through his head. The bullet passed completely through her body. They were buried in the local cemetery on Saturday by undertaker J.T. Carl. Howell had a good reputation except morally and had probably taken up with the woman while in company with an itinerant uncle, who is a horse trader. He leaves a small farm and some personal property. [The Springdale News 11/3/1911] ai summary - July 14, 2026 This murder-suicide is one of the more tragic domestic homicide cases reported in western Washington County during 1911. While the surviving newspaper accounts are brief, they allow a partial reconstruction of the events and identify several avenues for further research. Timeline of the tragedy The shooting almost certainly occurred on Wednesday, October 25, 1911, approximately three miles west of Prairie Grove. The sequence appears to have been: Morning: Jennie Burke returned by train from Vinita, Oklahoma, where she had been visiting what the newspaper called "her former home." William Howell met her at the Prairie Grove depot. Howell rented a team from a Prairie Grove livery stable, telling the owner he would return later that afternoon. The couple traveled to their farmhouse west of town. Sometime that day Howell shot Jennie twice: once through the breast (the bullet passing completely through her body), and once over the right eye, apparently the fatal shot. Howell then shot himself through the head. Because the house stood in a sparsely settled area, neither death was immediately discovered. Discovery of the bodies The account gives an unusually detailed description. On Thursday, Howell's brother, J. W. Howell, happened to pass the house. He knocked but received no answer. The paper notes there had been "bad feeling" between the brothers, so he left without entering. On Friday morning, neighbor Isaac Reed entered the house and found both bodies lying on the bed. This suggests the deaths had gone undiscovered for approximately two days. The relationship One revealing statement in the article says: "...had been living with him as his wife for some two years or more." Notice the wording. The paper deliberately avoided saying they were married. In rural Arkansas newspapers of 1911, that phrase almost always implied they were cohabiting without a legal marriage, something regarded as scandalous by the editors. The article further comments: "Howell had a good reputation except morally." That criticism almost certainly refers to the relationship itself rather than to previous criminal conduct. Jennie Burke The article tells us several important facts. Her name was Jennie Burke. She had previously lived in Vinita, Oklahoma. She had apparently lived with Howell in Washington County for approximately two years. No relatives are mentioned in Arkansas, suggesting she may have remained largely connected to family in Vinita. It is possible Burke was: widowed, divorced, or using Burke as a maiden name. No marriage between William Howell and Jennie Burke has yet surfaced in Arkansas or Oklahoma records. William Howell The newspaper provides more local detail than is immediately apparent. He was described as: "reared there" (meaning west of Prairie Grove), owner of a small farm, owner of personal property, generally considered reliable, well known enough that the livery stable had no hesitation renting him a team. The mention of his estate suggests probate proceedings likely followed his death. Burial Both were buried on Saturday following discovery. The funeral was handled by J. T. Carl, one of Prairie Grove's leading undertakers. The article only states they were buried in "the local cemetery." Given Carl's practice and the wording, this almost certainly refers to Prairie Grove Cemetery, although I have not yet located surviving markers for either William Howell or Jennie Burke. Some graves from this period were never marked or their stones have disappeared. Possible motive No suicide note is mentioned. The circumstances suggest several possibilities: Jennie may have intended to leave Howell after returning from Vinita. Family members in Vinita may have opposed the relationship. The couple may have argued during the trip home. Jealousy or fear of abandonment are consistent with many murder-suicides reported in Arkansas newspapers of this era. Because no coroner's inquest has yet been located, the exact motive remains unknown. Historical context This occurred during a period when newspapers routinely moralized domestic crimes. Rather than emphasizing mental illness or domestic violence, editors frequently framed such cases in terms of "moral character." The statement that Howell's reputation was good "except morally" reflects contemporary attitudes toward unmarried cohabitation rather than evidence of previous violent behavior.