Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-10-10
aoyr;ble gEurGer in Ware County, Geo.

We have received through gentleman Of
this city the following account of one of the
most horrible butcheries we have heard OF
since the days of Adam Horn. yhe intor-
NATION is from one ''whose responsibility
cannot be questioned. The account comes
in a private letter, and is aaid to have oc-
CURED on the 18th ult. :
ut appears that man named Adams
was married short time since to Miss
jenkins, who had previously been engaged
to another man by the name of Harley
Harley on the morning of the wedding day,
had threatened Miss jenkins with revenge
If she persisted in marrying his rival, but
she laughed to scorn his threats, and was,
as appointed, bound in wedlock to Adams.
On the 18th September, Harley came to
Adams's house while the latter was absent
with his wife, and finding it only occupied by
an old negro woman knocked her down with
an axe fracturing her skull, and then pro-
ceedcd to demoish all the furniture and dis
figure the premises, knocking down parti-
tons and breaking the plaster off the walls.
Adams and his wife returned late at night,
and their feelings on perceiving the work
that had been wrought may better be mag
med than described. Medical assistance was
obtained for the old woman, and her few
broken, wandering words, ending, as it is
said, almost in a shrek of the name OF Uar-
ley, indicated to Adams the probable per-
petrator of the outrage. Accordingly the
next morning he armed himself with rife
and knife and went in search Of Harley
lie had not far to go, for about 100 yards
from the house, on the road which passed
through a strip Of woods, he met Harley,
apparently proceeding to complete his de-
etruction 4 farmers boy. who happened
TO be a short distance behind, was the sole
witness Of the dreadful scene that ensued,
aud which froze his blood with terror. A
short but violent conversation commenced
between the two, when Adams discharged
his rifle, only wounding Harley in the arm.
Harley, large, athletic man, then closed
with him, and a desperate conflict followed
Adams at las. received fatal blow from his
antagonists knife, and Harley, though cut
almost TO pieces, raised the dead body, if
possible more bloody than than his own,
with the knife still sticking upright in its
breast, and carried it into the presence of
Mrs Adams. The boy followed mechaui-
cally. to see the denouement too frightened
to Summon assistance too weak to give it
himself Mrs Adams received the murder
or with dreadful shrek, aud fell fainting
npon the corpse. Harley. weak and ex-
hausted, had still strength enough to draw
the bloody knife, and cutting her features
until not a .iincamcnt was recognize able,
plunged it to his own heart and fell back,
his hand grasping the long hair of his vic
tim The affrighted witness ut last saiIi-
eiently recovered himself to ran for aid 4;
when II came. both men were dead, and Mrs.
Adams insensiblc, having almost bled to
death A great excitement prevailed. She
was carefully removed and attended, but can
not recover. Alams had been deccntly n-
tortej bur when | left, proposals had been
uade for mailing Harley's body to tree.
Adams was highly respected, being the edi
tor OF the Ware County Sentinel the only
paper IN that section Il has now collapsed