The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-05-14
KEEP UP THEIR WICKED WORK
ANOTHER WOMAN CRUELTY
MURDERED,
A Dead of Night by Some Un-
known Assassin Bent
on Plumber.
Another Deed of DevilJFy IN
the Crimson Catalogue
of Crime.

O'CLOCK, his usual time, ne mad no
idea of terrible tragedy that had
been enacted on his own premises
The doctor lives in neat cottage on
the corner of San Jacinto and Cypress
streets, in the southern part of the city,
the Central railway track being i'm
mediately in front of the house. Some
forty or fifty steps in the rear stood a
small cabin with one room, with an
alley behind, and facing towards the
residence of DR.. johnson, from which
1t was separated by high fence, with
gate between. This cabin was on
the Doctors premises, and occupied
by colored woman named Eliza
Shelly. and her three small children
The woman was employed by him as
cook, and had been in the service of
the family long time.
On returning home he observed
AN UNUSUAL CONNECTION,
and before entering the house heard
his wife exclaim: 81 believe Eliza has
been murdered" 1t was so. While
the gentleman was absent
his lady's attention was directed to
shr1ll screams coming from the cooks
room, and sent her little niece out to
enquire the cause. The little girl
came back, pale and excited. she had
only taken brief look at the room,
but that glance revealed such an aw
full sight that the messenger dared not
enter, but ran quickly back. Her
aunt had the same experience. They
told 1.-The doctor what they had seen,
and hurriedly going out, he pushed
open the door to view most CHASTITY
sight. Stretched on the floor lay the
poor woman, quite dead with a gaping
wound over her right eye fully two
inches long and nearly that wide. 1t
was done with some sharp instru-
ment, probably Ratchet, which
cleft through the skull to the brain.
1t was necessarily fatal, and must
have produced almost instant
death. There were several
minor wounds, that must
have been done with some other wea-
pom. There was deep round EoIe
just over the ear. and another between
the eyes-boGh produced with some
sharp Instrument.
NO CLUE.
The pillows and sheets were satura-
ted with blood, and the room was in |
great disorder. Two trunks had been
broken open and their contents scat |
tered on the floor. After the killing |
the murderer dragged his victim from |
: bed and placing her on lot of patch |
work taken out of the trunk, took the |
while counterpaine off the bed, and |
del -fately wrapped it around the |
body. 1t was the GOODNESS of tiend |
There was nothing found in the |
apartment that might serve as
means of discovering the perpetrator
no Ratchet, file, bar or any piece of
iron or steel that could have done the
bloody work.
Only one thing was discovered by
DR.. johnson, and that was the track |
of bare-footed man, leading up the
alley to her room and returning. The
soil is sandy, and the footprints were
plainly marked. The impress on the
sand revealed the fact that the foot
was short and broad.
HER CHILD's STORY.
Eliza had three little boys, all of
whom occupied the same bed with
her. The eldest Is some eight years
old. but did not appear to STATES
MAN reporter, who questioned him,
to be larger than an average boy ofsiX.
The poor little fellow had a rather
dazed look which was but natural
in view of the sad surroundings. He
was also excited over the great crowds
Of people (mostly colored who had
from early In the morning been visit
ing the spot; and he also had to ans
wer the same set of questions to a
jury of inquest. SO it required some
little time to- get him to talk. He
however replied intelligently to such |
questions .sas were put to him, and |
his account was in substance as fol-
lows:
"a man came in the room and asked |
me where my mother kept her money.
1 told him didn't know. He told me |
to cover up my head; if 1 didn't he |
would kill me. The man said he was |
going to st. Louis the next morning."
The boy at times seemed bewildered |
slightly, and had nc clear idea |
as to whether the man was white or |
black. He told Mrs. johnson that he |
(meaning the murderer) said he was |
white. He said also that he wore a |
white rag over his face. BE replied, |
in answer TO QISS.iln put by the |
reporter, that he didn't know that |
anything had happened to his mother |
in the night, and that after the man |
left he went to sleep again.
Picture the idea of those three little |
unfortunates, quietly sleeping while |
their murdered mother lay stretched |
out on the floor beside them dead. 1t |
was terrible revelation that the day
light brought to them.
The other children were too small !
to tell anything about the matter, If,
indeed, they knew.
DR.. johnson was found, and said he
was willing to do everything in his
power to aid in unraveling the mys-
terry of the murder. He knew OF no
motive for the killing
EXCEPT ROBBERY,
though the woman had no money
unless a few paltry cents, that she
might have saved from her wages.
Eliza had formerly lived in the
country, where she also was in his
service, and was an excellent woman.
She had husband in the penitentiary,
to whom she was greatly attached.
She never had company in her cabin,
that he or any of the family knew of.
The Doctors wife also testified to
the good character of the deceased,
The murdered woman was about
thirty years old, of medium size, and
ofunmixed African blood.
Early In the day Justice Purnell
summoned jury of inquest. The
verdict was in effect that Eliza
Shelly came to her death by
wounds from some sharp in
: strument, and that there was no
clue TO the perpetrator. 1t was curl
Gus to note the different opinions as
to the kind of instrument employed.
Some thought the wounds were in
flicted by sharp edged tool like a
Ratchet or ak; Others that they were,
too Jagged and uneven for that, and
that it was done by some blunter
weapon. But whatever was used,
not a piece was left to tell the tale.
ARRESTED.
CLate in the afternoon Deputy Sheriff
John Holmes arrested one Andrew
Williams, said to be a<half-witted col