The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-03-11
THE KNIFE,s CRUEL WORK.
A Citizen of Piedmont Kills his Wife and
Cuts his Own Throat.


A Citizen of Piedmont Kills his Wifo ana
Cuts his Own Throat.
James w. King has been living in the
town of Piedmont, twelve miles below
here, for three years. He was small
and rather sparely built man of forty
years, with sandy hair and blue eyes and
wore no hair on his face except a light
colored moustache. He had wife who
war apparently about bis own age, a tall
and slender woman with dark eyes and
hair, not-especially attractive in appear
ance and thin almost to emaciation, her
features having drawn expression as if
she suffered habitually from i'll health.
Mr.. and Mrs. King had seven children,
the oldest, a girl, seventeen and the
youngest, boy, four and half years
old. The lived in Pleasant street behind
the church and did not iu any way
attract attention. The children, except
the youngest, worked in Piedmont facto-
ry. King was a quiet, industrious and
sober man who worked at ditching, wood
chopping and other odd jobs, and was for
several months night watchman at the
factory.
For some time past it has been known
in Piedmont that King and his wife did
not live happily together, although no
reason was known for trouble. He had
been heard to complain that he had lost
the reins of government in his house and
could not regain them, but bis statements
did not excite remark or cause fears of a
serious outbreak.
Mira. King was a Miss Philips of West
ern North Carolina, and her brother,
who is well.to do and respectable cti'
zen of that section, has been visiting her.
Yesterday morning he left for home,
taking the freight train on the G. O. &.
R. R. from Piedmont for Greenville.
Mr.. King went with Mr.. Philips to the
train and saw him off and then returned
home. The children went to their work
in the factory leaving all quiet and peace
full at home and the youngest boy went
to the residence of Mrs. Mccall, across
the street from his own home, leaving his
father and mother together.
At about 6 O'Clock Mrs. Mccall heard
disturbance and sound as of scuf1ing
at the Kings house, after which all
became still. She went over in about
half au hour, the little boy going ahead
of her and pushing the front door open.
Mrs. Mccall stepped in and looked on a
horrible sight.
Mrs. King was in one chair against the
wall with her head hanging over the
back of another chair in front of her.
Her husband lay on his face on the floor
by her side with his right hand in her
lap. The floor around them was soaked
with blood which stood in coagulatipg
pools and they were dead and fast be-
coming cold and stiff.
The alarm was quickly given, and, of
course, a crowd SOM gathered, but it was
seen that nothing could be done, and a
telephone message giving the facts was
sent to this city. Coroner A. McBee
went down to hold an inquest, taking
with him E. A. McBee and DR.. G.. T.
Swandale.
Under Kings clenched hand, in his
wife's lap, there was two bladed iron
knife with the large blade, three and a
half inches long, open. Mrs, Kings
body bore two wounds, apparently caused
by this blade. One in the right breast
was comparatively slight, the point ofthe
blade having been turned by the breast
bone. The other was long and deep
cash in the right side which had pene.
trated the lung and cut the liver. King
had but one wound, stab in the hollow
of the throat just where the collar bones
come together. 1t had gone in and
down and severed large artery, causing
death almost instantly.
Little evidence could be found besides
that given by the bodies themselves and
nothing is known of the causes of the
tragedy or what Immediately preceded it.
The matter is really mystery for there
was nothing known in the circumstances
of the family that could have led to
such terrible desperation in the husband.
The jury gave verdict Of death at
the hands of party or parties unknown.
The bodies will be cared for and decently
inferred to-day, and the mystery of the
murder and suicide will probably be
buried with them.
Mr.. Philips had reached this city when
the telephone message of the tragedy
caught him and he hurried back. He
will take charge of the orphan children.
Mr.. King is said to have been of a
good family in North Carolina, his father
being one of the most prominent men in
that ctiou.-GreenviNc Neaos.
Alleged Cures by Prayer.