C.A. Roark, 32, Kills His Wife's Friend Miss Vena Moore, Dec. 14, 1924

Girl Is Shot By Atlanta Man. . . C.A. Roark Shoots Woman in the Back; Was Friend of His Wife

By the Associated Press

Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 13—In the presence of his 19 year old bride of two months and more than 200 employes of the Western Union Telegraph operating room here, C.A. Roark, 32, Center Hill, Ga., tonight fired four shots into the back of Miss Vena Moore, 20, multiplex operator, as she sat at her machine. She died instantly.

Roark is said to have dropped the smoking pistol crying that he had killed Miss Moore “to save my wife from ruin.” The operating room was thrown into wild confusion, business being halted for some time. Mrs. Roark laid blame for the shooting upon the victim.

Roark, who is a multiplex supervisor, was immediately taken to the police station where he lapsed into a comatose condition.

Police reserves were called out to keep crowds from thronging the operating room, which is one of the 10th floor of a large office building. More than half an hour was required to resume traffic in the room where most of the Western Union’s southern business is cleared.

Miss Moore was seated in a corner of the big room working at her machine when Roark, according to accounts of the shooting given police by witnesses, without warning, walked up and fired four shots into her back, Miss Moore slumped over in her chair without a sound and her body slit to the floor. Her body was sent to a local hospital, where life was pronounced extinct.

Mrs. Roark told police that before her marriage to Roark, she and Miss Moore had been chums and that during their courtship the victim has threatened to separate them. After marriage, she said, Miss Moore continued to endeavor to get her to go out on “parties” with her. She said she told her husband of these alleged invitations and importunities with the result that he became incensed at Miss Moore. She told police that Roark had warned Miss Moore to leave her alone and said that Miss Moore retaliated by asking her to go to a roadhouse party tonight. She also said Miss Moore had remarked to her husband: “I am going to get your wife away from you yet.”

From the front page of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, December 14, 1924

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn84020730/1924-12-14/ed-1/seq-1/