A Gay Lothario and an Over-protective Old Man

An incident happened in the southwest corner of Polk County, Missouri, in June of 1895 that "caused a commotion" at nearby Walnut Grove, just across the Greene County line. About the middle of the month John Slatter, living about four miles north of Walnut Grove, paid a visit to the adjoining farm of Aaron Estabrook. Old Man Estabrook came into the house and caught his daughter-in-law and Slatter in "a compromising position." Estabrook "took quick action in the matter," said the  Springfield Democrat, "and, getting a bead on Slatter, opened fire." The ball struck Slatter in the right arm between his shoulder and elbow.
Mrs. Estabrook "made a clean cut denial of intending to do anything wrong, and a warrant was, therefore, served on Slatter charging him with attempted rape." Aaron Estabrook, meanwhile, was charged with assault with intent to kill. "The case of the elder Estabrook is a rather peculiar one," observed the Democrat. "If he had been the husband of the woman, it would have been 'perfectly regular,' but as he is the father-in-law it is a question to be solved how much right or provocation he had to shoot.

"It is most likely, however," concluded the Democrat, that the whole matter will be hushed up and little or nothing more heard of it." And that's exactly what happened. Both Slatter and Old Man Estabrook were scheduled to have their preliminary examinations before a Polk County justice of the peace on June 22, but even the Democrat, which had taken such an interest in the minor scandal, didn't report the outcome of the hearing.