The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-05-19
MURDER IN sPARrANBURG.
/ White Man Kills his Wife and tries to
Kill Himself-The Murderer In jail.
Special Dispatch to the Mews and Courier.
SpARrANBuRa. S. c., May IL.

SpARTANBURG, S. c., May IL.
On Monday night, near the Cowpens,
in this county, Bergman w. Hicks, q
white man about 80 years old. murdered
his wife by shooting her in the abdomen
with shotgu loaded with birdshot and
by cutting her throat With razor. She
died almost instantly. Hicks then tried
to kill himself by cutting his throat from
ear to ear with razor and stabbing him
self to the heart with o pocket knife.
He was arrested by Trial Justice j. T.
Scruggs and sent in charge of Benson
Martin to Jail, where he now lies.
I interviewed Hicks to-day. He is a
fine looking man, with clear blue eyes
and good face. He claims his
WIFE WAS UNFAITHFUL,
and that he killed her because he loved
her. Her maiden name was Mary Glen.
ents. They were married in March, 1880,
and have one child, baby. The wife
was about ten years Older than Hicks.
He says they got along we'll until month
ago, when she got contrary because she
liked somebody else better than me
George Henderson-whoh had lived at her
mothers before we were married. /
thought they were intimate, but did not
know it until a month ago. when Hen.
derson came to our house and made
sign, stretching his eyes at her." On
Monday 1 saw him drop bush in the
road in front of the house. Afterwards
she went out and laid little sticks near
the bush as signal for meeting at night.
Henderson came back early, and l heard
him "hawk." She went out on the piaz-
"a and around the house to meet him.
I didn't see them together, but knew in
reason they did meet. In about fifteen
minutes I went out on the piazza and
and she came from around the house.
OUR BABY
was very sick, dying, aud told her "God
was going to take it away for her SINS"
I had talked to her before and asked her
to pray for me and would pray for her,
but it got worse and worse. I told her
thought it was better for both of US to
be dead than living. got my gun and
aimed to 60 to my mothers, pull of my
shoe, work the trigger with my toe and kill
myself after had cut her throat. She
caught the gun, which discharged the
load which entered her groin. I then
took the razor and
CUT HER THROAT
and then left the house and went to my
mothers, one mile distant. When I got
there tried to cut my throat with razor,
cutting it from ear to ear. The razor
wouldn't cut and pulled out my pocket
knife and tried to stab mYselftc the heart.
The blade struck the rib and glanced of.
Then 1 tried the knife on my throat, cut
ting under the right jaw. No one caught
me or tried to keep me from killing my
self. I went out behind the garden,
and laid down then into the woods
and then tried to cut my throat until
PAINTED FROM LOSS OF BLOOD.
After recovered went back to the house,
leaving the knife and razor in The woods,
and asked them to kill me. I stayed
there until Benson Martin arrested me
and brought me to Jail in a wagon. On
Tuesday night DR.. Romeo Hicks, my
cousin, sewed up my throat before l left
home, and said might live if inhamma-
tion didn't set in. think it has now set
in and that
WILL DIE,
if am not hung before court. / think
they will hang me if 1 live, and 1 am
ready to die. My vile was Baptist,
and professed religion in the Baptist
church about four years ago, but now has
no active membership"
When Hicks was first brought to Jail
be pretended to be crazy, but be is getting
better very fast, and will probably get
we'll, although the wounds in bis throat
and breast are serious. He was first mar
ried to Adelane Feagan, in North Caro-
olina, where he lived for ten or fifteen
years, but be treated her so badly that
she was also unfaithful to him, but others
say the divorce was granted on The ground
of cruelty to her.
To day Hicks has been attempting the
pious dodge, and begging the sheriff for
Bible. He ate hearty breakfast and
talks without pain. }. c. Fl.
DR.. Joseph Billinger, of Barnwell
G. H., committed suicide last Friday by
taking m overdose of morphine.