Father: William Patrick Belger 1879–1954
Mother: Mary Louise Brown 1881–1936

Spouse: June Rose Crowther 1906–1950
Marriage: 29 June 1929
--
Salt Lake Telegram - 1934-11-19 - Slayer Held on 2 Charges of Murder

SLAYER HELD
ON 2 CHARGES
OF MURDER
---
Man Who Killed Wife and
Son-in-Law Remorseful
Over Deed.

--
...Charles B. Crowther, 61, was
twice charged with first degree
murder in connection with the
shotgun slaying of his wife and
son-in-law in complaints filed be-
fore City Judge W. Douglas Beatle
Monday.
...Meanwhile, Crowther lay on a
cot at the emergency hospital and
sobbed the story of the shooting of
his wife, Mrs. Susan Lester Crow-
ther, 58, whom police say he killed
in their duplex home, 138 North
Eighth West street, following a
party Saturday night. He is suffer-
ing from a self-inflicted shotgun
wound in his chin.
...."Oh, God, giver her back to me!"
he repeated over and over.
...The second victim, Crowther's
son-in-law, was Melvin Belger, 25.
...A separate complaint for each
slaying was filed by Parnell Black,
deputy county attorney. Judge
Beatle fixed bond on each at $15,-
000.
..The stature provides that al-
though bond may be fixed by the
city judge, Crowther, if he is ad-
mitted to bail, must go before a
district judge or supreme court jus-
tice.
--- The slaying climaxed a series of
domestic difficulties brewing over a
long period, police said. Two jami-
lies living in the same house--
{Continued on Page Two.}
S.L. SLAYER
REMORSEFUL

"Liquor Did It,' Says man
Who Killed Wife,
Son-in-Law
---
_{Continued from Page One}
father at odds with his wife and son-
in-law.
--Both victims fell in the bathroom
of the home, nearly decapitated by
two blasts from a shotgun fired by
Crowther as a party progressed in
other rooms, and three children lay
sleeping in a bedroom.
...The home is occupied by the
Crowthers and the family of James
A. Lott.
...Crowther ran into the kitchen im-
mediately following the shootings and
attempted to take his own life, wit-
nesses said. The resulting blast from
a 12-gauge, double-barreled shotgun,
tore away part of his chin and struck
the ceiling.
----Fires Into Ceiling
...When police arrived, he fired an-
other shot into the ceiling, and as
Patrolman H.E.Jones and H.A.
Peterson ran into the bathroom, then
into a bedroom from which screams
came, they emerged to be faced by
Crowther menacing them with the
gun.
..."He had us covered," they reported,
"so we left and tried another door
of the home."
...Crowther then fled to the basement
as more police arrived.
...Detectives W.C. Smith, D.G. John-
son and Reed Billings broke into the
front door of the home. While they
questioned witnesses as to Crowther's
whereabouts, tow more shots rang out
in the basement.
..."Stay where you are and don't
come down here," police said Crow-
ther shouted as they started down
the stairs. After commanding him to
surrender, he said: "All right, Offi-
cers, I'll come up," police reported.
-------Gun Jams
...He was found standing in the base-
ment, the gun in his hand containing
a shell which had jammed. Three
more shells lay on the floor. Seven
shots were fired in all, police said.
....Witnesses to the slaying were Mr.
and Mrs. Lott, their son and daughter-
in-law, Mr,. and Mrs. Cleve Lott; Mrs.
Florence Fotes and her son, Marsden
Whittke and Mrs. June Belger, widow
of the one victim and daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Crwther.
....."Oh God, giver her back to me.
Crowther sobbed Monday. "It was the
liquor that did it. They gave me two
big glasses of whisky. I drank one
just before I went to bed. They were
having a party.
..."Then Mrs. Lott came into the bed-
room and told me to fix a light that
ad burned out in the kitchen. She
handed me another. Then I sat
on the edge of my wife's bed. She
sort of hollered, 'Go away!'
---"Mind Went Blank"
..."Then Melvin came into the bed-
room and hit me. Then my mind
went blank. I don't remember any-
thing after that."
...."I shot Melvin in self Defense," he
told Police. "He started for me and
I fired."
...Mrs. Lott told police the dispute
started when Bennie Crowther, 15
son of Mr. and Mrs. Crowther, ran
into her quarters and asked for help
saying his father was beating his
mother. Mr. Belger then ran into
the bedroom and slapped Mr.
Crowther, she said according to the
police.
...Enraged, Crowther grabbed his
cane (he is crippled in one leg) and
left the house. He went to the home
of W.T. Robinson, 69 Chicago street,
and obtained a gun he had lent Mr.
Robinson, telling him he intended to
shoot rabbits with it on Sunday.
...."I loaded the gun on my way back."
Crowther said, according to police.
-----Abused Wife
..He reentered the house through an
east rear door, police said Mrs. Lott
reported, and immediately began
abusing his wife. Mr. Belger inter-
ceded. Member of the party which
was on progress in the Lott quarters
were attracted to the bathroom by
the dispute. Crowther ordered them
all from the bathroom. They all left
but Mr. Belger and Mrs. Crowther.
When Mr. Belger refused to leave,
Crowther fired and Mr. Belger
slumped to the floor in a sitting po-
sition, the charge striking his throat
and chest, police said. As Mrs.
Crowther ran to the slain man's as-
sistance, Crowther fired again, near-
ly decapitating his wife, who fell on
the body of her son-in-law, officers
reported.
....Mrs. Lott denied giving Crowther
any liquor and said none of her guests
had done so to her knowledge.
...Crowther maintained he had ob-
taing the gun to order his son-in-
law from the house and with no in-
tention of killing him. He had
loaned the gun to Mr. Robinson about
a year ago, he said. The shells used
had been in his won basement, he
admitted.
---------Sleep During Tragedy
...Police said they had been called to
the home on previous occasions on
reports that Crowther had been beat-
ing his wife with a cane.
....In the bedroom where Crother
cowered as he menaced police with
his shotgun, slept his children, Flor-
ence, 12, and Bennie, 15 and Melvina
Belger, 3, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Belger.
...."Melvin was always after me."
Crowther declared from his hospital
bed. He beat me and he had me
taken before a sanity board."
...Police said Crowther had been
given a sanity hearing several months
ago.
...Detectives W.C. Smith, D.G. John-
son and Read Billings and Patrolmen
Wilburn Cloward, Mose Whitaker, H.
E. Jones and H.A. Peterson said they
had to break the front door down to
enter the home after Crowther men-
aced two of them with his shotgun
and locked the doors.

---.