Pressly, 50, Shoots Wife, Then Himself; She Gave 25 Cents to Church, Nov. 4, 1922

Shot His Wife, Then Killed Himself

By the Associated Press

Asheville, N.C., Nov. 6—After firing four shots point blank into the body of his wife, Mrs. Lillie Pressly, William H. Pressly, aged about 50, of 81 Haywood avenue, placed a revolver to his own head and was killed instantly.

Mrs. Pressly is at a local hospital believed to be fatally wounded. In a statement to the police she said her husband shot her because she had contributed 25 cents to a church collection Sunday night. The statement also sets out that Pressly had sustained an injury to his head about two years ago and that since then had been subject to irrational spells.

From the front page of the Hickory Daily Record, Nov. 4, 1922. A dollar in 1922 is worth $16.12 today, so Mr. Pressly objected to his wife dropping the equivalent of $4.03 in the collection plate.