At an inquest into the death of Mrs. Stutler, called by Dr. C.M. Frye of Rock Falls, Whiteside county coroner, the jury returned a verdict of death as a result of gunshot wounds and recommended that Stutler be bound over to the Grand Jury and charged with the murder of his wife.
Stutler who suffered serious face wounds in the shooting, is in "fair" condition at the Morrison hospital.
According to witness', Stutler went into the residence of Harry Laurence, a short distance of East Lynn and found his wife standing in the kitchen. He fired at once and the shot struck Mrs. Stutler in the chest.
Laurence who was in the room at the time the shooting occurred, told authorities he ran upstairs after Stutler had fired the shots at his wife. After Stutler left the house, Laurence said he went to the home of a neighbor and telephone police.
Meanwhile Stutler returned to his home in East Lynn and called the office of Whiteside County Sheriff Charles Westendorf and reported " I went over to kill my wife and I did it ".
When authorities arrived at the Stutler home, they found Mr. Stutler lying on the floor he had apparently fired three charges from the shotgun, police officers said.
Dixon Evening Telegraph 05 September 1944
