His 24 year old wife replied that she had decided to remain in Milton with the children, and that Mr. Coup should remain in Ohio, as she had fallen in love with Thomas Thompson.
Arthur immediately returned to home to Milton, where he found the conditions at home to be "intolerable". He filed for separation papers and they were granted in September of 1916.
Mrs. Coup went to live at the Fritz boarding house, where Thompson was a boarder. The "Fritz Boarding House", located on North Front Street between fourth and fifth streets, was owned by Carrie's sister, Bessie Fritz.
Six weeks after Arthur had filed for separation papers, Carrie had already lost interest in Thompson.
On Friday and Saturday, Thompson didn't go to work. On Saturday, he refused to eat. According to all reports, he was "brooding over something". Several claimed he had declared he "would kill somebody", but no one paid much attention, as they all said he had been "acting queerly for some time."
Homer Daniel Remmel, or New Berlin, had formerly boarded at the Fritz house, but was currently residing at the home of Norris Kint, on 5th Street in Milton. On Saturday October 21 1916, Remmel stopped by the Fritz house to visit some friends there. He found Mrs Carrie Coup & Her Sister, Mrs Bessie Fritz, along with others, making ice cream. He laughingly offered to help. A few minutes later, the ice cream was frozen, and he was invited to have some.
This is where the story has a lot of variations, depending on which newspaper did the reporting.
One paper states that Thompson walked by, saw Remmel sitting with Mrs Coup, and shot him through the window. Another report has him entering the house, walking in and shooting Remmel while he was holding hands with Mrs Coup. The most reliable however, appears to be the Lewisburg Chronicle, which reported that Thompson was in the kitchen already.
According to the Journal, Thompson asked Remmel "Homer, did you get that letter yet?" and Remmel replied "Not yet Tom." Remmel then walked to the dining room, adjoining the kitchen, where he sat with Mrs Coup to eat his ice cream.
Here the journal stated that "For some time past, Thompson had been paying attention to Mrs Coup, who had been staying at the Fritz home. However, his irregular habits during the past few weeks had cause the woman's favor to turn to Remmel. Thompson was plainly informed of the change in sentiment as the men walked from the kitchen to the dining room. "
Upon being "plainly informed" that Mrs Coup was no longer interested in him, Thompson walked to the kitchen, then returned, stood in the doorway behind Remmel, and shot Remmel in the head with a 32 revolver.
"So close was the revolver to the victim that the mans neck was burned by the powder."
Some reports state that after firing the shot, he turned to Mrs. Coup and said "Honey, I said I would kill for you." Mrs Coup repeated something to this effect at the trial.
Frank Miller, who had been in the kitchen, hurried over, and Thompson calmly handed him the revolver, turned, and walked out the door. A few minutes later, he leisurely walked into Hornbergers grocery store, which was located right behind the Fritz boarding house. There he asked Mr Hornberger if he could use the telephone.
A woman was using the phone at the time, but Mr. Hornberger told Thompson he thought it would be available soon. Thompson calmly replied "I just killed a man over at Fritz's"
Mr Hornberger, shocked, asked why he would do such a thing, and Thompson replied "Well, I had my reasons. I shot him in the head and I guess he's dead now, and I don't give a d----" at trial, the statement was repeated as "Yes, I killed him damn good."
This same newspaper article reported all the lurid details of Remmels death, with vivid descriptions of blood running in the ice cream. In another issue the same year they reported graphic details of a boy being torn apart by a train. But they didn't print the word "Damn."
Thompson made his phone call, then returned to the boarding house, where doctors and police officers had already begun to arrive, summoned by other boarders. Thompson was put under arrest, making no resistance. Remmer died a few minutes after the doctors arrived.
Those listed as giving testimony at the inquest included: John Miller, Mrs Fritz, Mrs Coup, A.W. Hornberger, Frank Wright, and Albert Cohen.
Remmel's body was taken to New Berlin, where his mother had already recently buried two other sons. William Oscar Remmels died in October 1914, at age 41. Martin Luther Remmel, age 38, died in May of 1916, from Tuberculosis. Another son, George Swartz, died in 1915, in Illinois.
At his trial, the defense made no case, and offered no testimony, only a closing plea to the Jury. Mrs Coup testified at the trial, and stated she didn't know if Thompson was jealous. According to her statements, the men got along fine. She claimed to have taken a gun from Thompson earlier, then given it back so he could sell it, and that he later brought it back to show her he had purchased cartridges to fill the chamber. She stated that Thompson was drunk at the time of the murder, that she could "smell it on him."
The jury deliberated for 6 hours before returning with a verdict of second degree murder.
The judge, Judge Cummings, was severely displeased. He "severely scored the jurors for their leniency", stating that this was a clear case of cold blooded first degree murder.
"Thompson, you are the most fortunate man I know. The jury in your case disregarded both the law and the evidence. If ever there was a man entitled to be electrocuted, you were. I have no sympathy for you. You deliberately shot your victim. You were jealous over a worthless woman, and concluded to take a life. IF the law was carried out, you would be electrocuted.
The sentence of the court is that you undergo imprisonment in the Eastern penitentiary for a term of 20 years, and stand committed."
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