John Wright Davis Kills His Wife and Then Himself, June 3, 1921

Salisbury Is Shocked by a Double Tragedy. . . John Wright Davis, Bank Official, Kills His Wife and then Himself

Salisbury, May 31—This city was shocked this afternoon as it has not been shocked in years by the discovery of a double tragedy in the home of John Wright Davis, a local bank official. Mr. Davis and his wife were fund in bed and a pistol still gripped in Mr. Davis’ hand, together with the orderly condition of the home made an inquest unnecessary.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis had been married about eight years and during most of the time Mrs. Davis had been in poor health, being an invalid in recent months. Mr. Davis’ loving devotion to her had been a thing of common knowledge and comment among neighbors and friends.

Just when and how the tragedy occurred will probably never be known. Mr. Davis went home from the Davis and Wiley bank, where he was employed as bookkeeper, Monday about noon. Solicitor Hayden Clement, who is a neighbor of Mr. and Mrs. Davis and who, with the coroner, the sheriff and chief of police made a thorough investigation and decided that no inquest was necessary, is of the opinion that the tragedy took place between 1 and 3 o’clock Monday.

Friends failed to get response over the phone from the Davis home during the afternoon and evening. This morning the cook prepared breakfast and left without seeing Mr. and Mrs. Davis. As Mr. Davis did not go to the bank, relatives went this afternoon to see what the matter was. Upon entering the bedroom on the second floor they found Mr. Davis and his wife both on the bed for some days and wore only a gown. Mr. Davis was dressed except for a coat. Positions of the body showed that Mr. Davis had shot his wife through the left temple, the bullet, a 38, having gone through the head and was found on the bed. He then, according to the natural evidence, put the pistol to his left temple, shooting with his left hand with his right, sent a ball entirely through his own head, falling back by the side of his wife on the bed. His right hand showed powder burns. His left hand still gripped the pistol with his thumb against the trigger.

From the front page of The Dunn Dispatch, June 3, 1921