Saturday night the bad feeling of several parties in the north part of town culminated in a shooting affray in which two women were probably fatally shot with a 45 caliber revolver. The shooting was done by Robert Snider and the women shot were his wife, Lizzie Snider, and her mother, Mrs. Sarah Collins. All the parties formerly lived in Wichita and had been here but a little over a month. Snyder has served one term in the penitentiary for burglary and is a tough character generally. He has been in the habit of distributing his affections and his mother-in-law’s money on various specimens of the frail sex, a woman by the name of Payton, living on North Main street, having been his last “mash.” Saturday afternoon the Payton woman and Snyder’s wife had a fight which resulted in the arrest and trial of both. This resulted in a victory for the wife. This seemed to enrage Snyder and he told his wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, Florence Collins, that he would kill them all before morning, and evidentally tried to follow up his threat. The women retired about 10 and locked the doors, Snyder being outside. About 1 o’clock he opened the kitchen door with a key, broke in two inner doors, shot the two women, and attempted to shoot the girl, Florence Collins. She ran out the outside door, dodged as he fired and the ball passed over her. The women had all got out of bed and attempted to hold the door against him but was unable to do so. The older woman was shot first. The ball entered the abdomen about the navel and came out at the side. The wife was shot in the right side. The ball is still in her body. After the shooting Snyder came down town and gave himself up to Deputy Sidney Blakeman. His story is, that he was asleep in a room adjoining the women and they tried to break through the door to him when he fired at them. A very gauzy statement. The revolver with which the shooting was done has not been found and is thought to be in the possession of an accomplice. All of the parties who took part in the affair are “tough” citizens and the women have been keeping a bawdy house since their residence here. At this writing both women are still alive but very low. LATER: The woman, Mrs. Collins, died at 12 o’clock to-day. A post mortem was held by Dr. Sigler, assisted by Drs. Armstrong and McKenzie. Contrary to above report, the bullet was found in the body. It severed several of the intestines and lodged near the left pelvis bone. A fuller account of the post mortem will be given tomorrow. The Walnut Valley Times, El Dorado, Kansas. Monday, August 12, 1889. Page 4 © Transcribed by Darren McMannis for the Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies, Inc.
Robert Snyder, who shot and killed his wife and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Sarah Collins, at El Dorado, Kan., August 10, has been sentenced to imprisonment for life at hard labor in the penitentiary. The Globe-Republican, Dodge City, Kansas. December 18, 1889. Page 2. © Transcribed by Darren McMannis for the Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies, Inc.
