Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-17
THE ATKINSON MURDER.
Two Suspected Parties Arrested-One O
Them Makes an Important Statement,

I Two Suspected Parties Arrested-One of
Them Makes an Important Statement.
a couple OF weeks ago the country was
| horrified by the announcement ofthe mur-
der of Ada Atkinson. the beautiful Young
daughter of wealthy stock raiser near
Lafayette, Indiana. At the time the
murder was surrounded by the deepest
mystery. 1t seems, however, that clue
has been obtained. A Lafayette, Indi-
ana, special of October 14th, says:
About / o'clock this morning Nelling,
the man who worked on the Atkinson
farm, and Jacob Ladd, young man who
worked for Mr.. johnson, of Oxford, were
arrested by Detective Harris on the
charge of numbering Ada Atkinson and
taken to Fowler ard lodged in jail. The
arrest was quietly made and the men
taken away before the people in the
neighborhOOd knew of it. NeIlling was
taken from the farm and Ladd from Ok
ford. The finding of Nelling's bloody
overalls precipitated the arrest.
Nelling has made a written statement
that on the afternoon Of the murder .Ladd
came to him in the orchard and suggested
to him that Ada was now alone in the
house and they had better 90 up and as
sault her. When Lucy came home and
began to scream he knew that Ada had
been killed. This is the substance of his
statement, to which he adds that he took
no active part in the crime. The prelimi-
nary hearing will commence at Fowler on
Monday, and Melting will be the first wit
ness.
Nelling does not know that Ladd has
been arrested, and is expected to tell
straightforward story. Mr.. Atkinson has
employed two of the best lawyers in the
vicinity to prosecute the case. Ladd is
the young man heretofore referred to who
was near the house on the afternoon of
the murder. He had gone there for the
purpose of cutting wood, taking a wagon
along to haul it intO town, but he brought
only three or four sticks and gave an ex-
cuse for being unable to cut more. He
has no bloody clothes, but there are wit
nesses who will swear that they smelled
the OdOr OF burning cloth on passing his
house that night.
The body of the murdered girl was eX-
humed to-day for further examination.
but found to be very badly decOmpOsed.
1t is generally known that the principal
object of the examination was to dis
cover, if possible if the deed was COM
mitted with a knife which was found in
Nelling's possession, it being bloody and
having the point of the large blade broken
off. The suppOsition is that the blade was
broken in striking a bone during the COM
initial of the crime, and must necessarily
still be lodged in the body. It's currently
reported that Melting has confessed to
having committed the deed, but this re-
port has not gained much credence. Those
who credit him with the crime think Ladd
was arrested to act as shield to Melting
in case mob law should be resorted to,
as both being under suspicion, they would
not know which was the guilty man.
The general opinion is that Ladd knows
who the murderer is, although he had no
hand in the tragedy, and also that
woman was the instigator and that if
structiOns.
Nelling's bloody clothes were found
hidden under the floor of his house, and
the direct cause of his arrest was his at
tempt to leave the farm.