Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-19
MURDERED BYH!SFAMILY
WIFE. DAUGHTER AND NEPHEW
ASSIST IN KILLING DRUsE

the Aches Buried-FrapL c. ~ '.ii''
the story.
The following is fuller account of tho
horrible murder in New York State than
that published in the MORNING News
saturday:
hICHFIELD SPRINGS, Jan. IS.-Tbara
y -IeaL excitement here over the mur-
ueI oI w lillian Druse, a farmer in mod
G 81 circumstances, living in Warren.
~ ny Allief county, four miles from this
s4llase. The man has been MISSING for
!guI weeks. Inquiries were made and
9lIs- Druse said she supposed her hus-
"dh9 was IN New York, where she has a
"Iother who works in a West street GRO
gerry anu produce house. Mrs. Druse has
apparently worried over her husbands
absence, and has telegraphed in various
directions 90 find hum
During the past week uglvmmOrs have
..FtL CIRCULATED. NeIghbors told of see
ing oi3ck smoke pouring from the Druse
'..LiAt- ana smelling q terrible smell as
cd meat burning The excitement crew.
aIu hel3huors told Mrs. Druse OF the
etOIi-9 mat were atioat about her bus-
paLd 3 appearance. Mrs. Drtlse no.
7-ht-a the lmputatiOus and threatened 10
prosecute anyone Who circulated ISLANDERS
about Der. The matter died away some
"uai- OUT suddenly grew again 10 greater
proportions.
Itwas said Mr. Druse had been mur-
Cered, his body boiled in I've and the bones
buried. The neighbOTs called again. and
h9uced new paint on the floor and wood
"pIh OI the room. Search for the remains
was renewed with increased vigOr. The
family consisted Of William Druse. his
WE, Roxy, a daughter, Mary. AGED is. a
oly; george, aged 10, and Frank Gates.
nephew oI Mrs. Druse, aged "a. The
mousse was an old one. 10 rods back from
the road, with large barns ON two sIdes-
OhaIles fett, neighJOr. lives 700 rods
west Jeremiah Ecker about 100 rods
'Ilheast. They are both substantial far
mers and good citizens.
Iell and the Ecker family believed that
there had been foul play. Mr.. PETIT had
noted the black smoke and the fearful
stencn on Dec. Is. Mrs. Ecker and
fetI questioned the boy Gates, stolid
youth He finally weakened. and soon
admitted the crime. The District At
toruey, A. Il. steele. was sent for. and
arrived last evening. As soon as he ar
rived ne questioned the bOy, who then
l'ld OF the burning Of the body. and went
Win ann and found what was left of the
remains, which was simply "a small heap
oi ashes and "a few charred bones.
Inc coroner arrived to-day and i'm
the helghUOrnCOd. After a few of the
residents mad testified Frank Gates was
put ON the stand. and told under oath an
astounding tale that is given here almost
iu his own words
Ny name is Frank Gates. ] live in
W arreu- / have lived for the past five or
SIX weeks with my aunt, Mrs. William
Druse. / did chores for my board and
went 10 school.
IN a. .f.. 81 Al.
lore Christmas. / helped 10 Kill him and
dispose OF the remains. Last summer nv
aunt wanted % hire me 10 shoot Uncle
william. She said she would give me a
good many dollars tord0ing 1t. / told her
would not do 10. There was nothing more
said then. but this winter my aunt and
Uncle Biil had good many words.
ION thursday before Christmas, in the
morning Uncle Bill asked me to get up
and build the fire. did so. Aunt Roxy
and Mary. her daughter, got up. Uncle
Ban went and did the chores. / asked if
/ should nelp him, and he said No He
sand be would rather do them himself.
~ 1eu he came ia 10 his breakfast he sat
down 10 Tie table. ! had nearly finished
mine. My aunt told me to hurry up. l
asked her what she wanted. she then
told me and George To 20 outOf doors. but
not 90 60 far from the house.
''l heard a noise three or four times.
lueh she called Us. She mad "A revolver
She handed it % me and told me to shoot
Uncle 1911 or she would shoot me. She
4ul the revolver up to my nose when She
said this 1 then fired at Uncle William
lie was sitting In chair or on the floor. /
was so excited could not say which. Then
she took the revolver and fired at him
uuui the revolver was empty. Then she
TOOK the AK and pounded HIM on the head.
Uncle Bill said:
Ion, Roxy. dOn'tr
"She then chopped his head of, and
sent ne and George upstairs after straw
TICK, which was hlled. She dragged him
on To the tick, and told me / should heb
drag him INTO the parlOr. She called for
me TO come i'm. / told her [ couldn't, and
then she sent me and George down i'm the
brush lot after the sharp AK. When we
came back with it she took il into the
Other room and shut the door. She told
me and George to 60 upstairs, and then
called us down again, and sent US to the
l"-pen after some shingles. She built
ui q bot ire I'M both stoves, and then had
ua watch at the north window and Mary
watch 20 the south window Then she
tcnk block and board into the parlor
"ua chopped him up, and then put the
Iec- ~ The lire. she told me to crowd
taa sltcheu stove with shingles.
Next day all I saw of aim was a large
bone. Mary lHd that and put il i'm the
other stove. To had flesh on each end.
Next morning she took up the ashes from
the stoves, put some I'm q bag and some in
90 tin box. she told ne 20 hitch up the
horse, as she was going 10 my fathers.
NJ ltu We got into Dir. Wallis swamp we
went TWO rods into the swamp. I took
the ashes and threw them ON the ground.
W then went to fathers. and was taken
70 Il
When l went back Mrs. Druse told me to
get the new ak and saw the handle of
Mary took the handle, which l had sawn
nm two pieces, and put it in the stove
Then we hitched up again. and my aunt
ard drove TO Richheld Springs. When
we were on our way back she threw the
AK into the pond as we passed over the
bridge. There was a newspaper wrapped
around the ak. When we got along a
little further she told me to take the re-
VOlYer and also the knife and throw both
into the pond. She said | must do il or
would be sorry.
Nv hen we got a little further she threw
tle razor blade out against the fence. She
told me she gOt the revolver last fall. 1t
was nice pearl-handle one. She said no
one should know where il came from. |
know the revolver; the one found in the
pond, Is the one that Mrs. Druse and
used to kill Uncle Bill with. l knew it bv
the stamp handle and the cylinder. 1t
was loaded when / threw it into the pond.
Mrs Druse and Mary were in the room
when Uncle Bill was shot. Me and
George were outside. Uncle Bill was
eating breakfast when we went out. His
back was toward the outside door. Mary
was in the kitchen walking to and fro
from the buttery to the parlOr door.
When l came back into the room after
the shot was fired 1 saw blood on Uncle
BilFs neck and on the floor. l saw the
blood before ! fired. His head was lean
ing over on his shoulder. Mary had a
rope around his neck and was holding it,.
When l fired at Uncle Bill he made no
noise"
The District Attorney here said:
''ShOw us now YOU held the revolver"
Tie boy held pencil and aimed it at a
jurors head.
when l fired" he continued. Il don't
know what Mary was doing. My aunt
was behind me. She talked fast, but not
much faster than usual. George was in
the door after l fired. | gave the revolver
to my aunt. When my aunt told me and
George TO 90 out L did not know they were
going 90 kill Uncle Bill"
Mrs. Drusa and Gates are now under
arrest. 1t is said that the woman has ad-
mitted her guilt.
WASHINGTON EXCITED