The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-12-26
THE BIRMINGHAM TRAGEDY.
A CONNECTED ACCOUNT OF THE CIRCUM-
STANCES THATLED TO 1T.

A CONNECTED ACCOUNT OF THE cIRcUM
STANCES THAT LED TO 1T.
The History of the EIawes FamiIy-A
Tife's OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Ors
ton and Finally Demonstrating q
New Britic-An Ingenious Theory Of
the Husbands Of The Murders.
The press, TIE REGISTER included, hat
caught on To the trouble in Birmingham II
the middle. The tragedy which led 10 IL cs
capped attention. II will be interesting, anC
furnish an object lesson on the horrors ol
lynch Law, to gather up the threads OF tht
story as they have appeared in the press. ano
weaving them together, see what sort OF fabric
they make.
Nine years ago Richard II. IaweS was q
handsomeyoung railroad ensineerin In Atlanta
Ga. lie was Il good fellow OF excellent style
Eind-hearlcd and gentle mannered: popular
among u wiGc circle of friends, and of excel
lent social position. Then Col. Pettis from
Illinois, an officer, in the Western and
Atlantic Railroad, lived in Atlanta and NOV
cd in good society. Ilawcs run away with
and married his daughter, Emma, hand
some, dashing girl of eighteen years, ana they
settled down IN Atlanta, i'll HAPPY nome OF
their own. Things went we'll with the young
couple, Hawes earning good income as a
drst-clasS railroad engineer Three children
were born the oldest, May. being eight years
old the next Irene, six; the youngest, Will
liam, four
In the summer Of 1881, ,Hawes began to sus-
pcct his wife. Instead OF going on his regular
trip, lie returned to- his home at midnight, and
verified his suspicious. The intruder, Micha.
el Cain, left the, house .maimed for life, and
tor divorce. The diShonOred wife did not
object and friends persuaded linn TO allow her
TO remain with the children pending the suit
Soon she took to drink, aud Hawes removed
hn IN SnnnOrtp6 them
there over year, and early in !SSS took them
to Birmingham, where lie hired a cottage in
The suburbs for the mother and children, TAX.
ing lodgings for himsclfin the city, support.
ing the family and occasionally visiting his
children. The cottage was not far from a
little sheet OF water. called Lakeview or East
Lake, and near the house of a negro woman,
fanny Bryant who r%dop d once been tried IN IN
was OF very bad reputation. She "washed''
for the wife and children.
Dick and his brother, James II. HaweS, were
both employed as engineers by the same COM
pauy, running between Atlanta, and Birm-
lngham. The unhappy wife. INDUCED in
habitual drunkenness, and often sent little
May around the town for liquor. Hawes de-
termined to discard her. He got his divorce In
Atlanta in October. Mean time, representing
himself as Il widower, he became engaged to
Miss Maisc Story, u lady OF Columbus, Miss,
and Tuesday evening, the 4th instant, was
fixed for the wedding. In contemplation OF
il he informed his discarded wife, giving her
ivo hundred dollars and telling her to 20 to
her aunt in Illinois,; then arranged with a
Catholic priest tthey were CatholicS) TO take
the girls To convent school in Mobile, con.
tracing TO pay Tor their education there at
- per month: and Saturday night at II
o'clock sent the boy, William, by his brothers
train to Atlanta informing his brother that
upon his marriage he would bring his
new wife to Atlanta, and with his boy come
to birmingham to live. His purpose and
movements appear to have been without con-
cealmcnt.
Sunday morning he went to the cottage and
failed TO find the family. They had all gone.
He could learn nothing OF them, and con-
cludcd that the disowned wife, who, in these
dreary two years, had remained as faithful to
the children as drunken woman could be,
had taken the girls with her to Illinois.
To keep his appointment III Columbus he
left Birmingham Monday night, Tuesday
afternoon the dead body OF little May was
found floating in East Lake, brought TO the
city and recognized. Tuesday night Hawes
was married In Columbus; Wednesday even.
ing came 10 Birmingham with his bride, and
was arrested on the train for the murder OF
his daughter He was in full dress as q bride
groom betrayed no knowledge ofthe matter.
left his bride with II friend; aud calmly and
composcdly went TO Jail. The Ayc-Icr0ld re.
porter followed him Of course.
You know, sir, suppose" said the report
er, 1.-The charge on which you were nrrcs ed,"
"Yes, for murder, beive. 1t is stated that
I have killed one of my children"
tits Your daughter, Mamie suggested the
reporter.
man deliberately. 'Shc is the one them"
He then readily and quiutly made to the
reporter the statement we have briefed.
Wednesday Fanny Bryant was also arrested
as an accomplicc and the people in Brming-
ham,. became greatly aroused and took meas :
urc to search for the bodies Of the other
daughter and The divorced wife, under the
firm conviction that II these could be found it
rt,,i, fhnt hty Lao
negro woman, had murdered them ell. The
search continued, excitement growing in in
tcnsity with thrcatenings of lynch law.
Saturday afternoon the body of Emma
HaweS was dragged from the bottom of Lake.
view Lake, death having resulted from trac-
ture of the skull. Upon this the people went
mad, jumped TO the conclusion that Dick
ilaweS had murdered the woman and his lit
tie daughter, and determined to lynch him
that night. The result OF the attempt has al
ready been told.
After the riot reporter visited Hawes in
ja! and found him ''slighly nervous but not
Yes knew what the shooting meant"
he said. "rhat mob wants my life and they
can have it. OF what use is it to meg"
81 did not have time to think. | knew
what it meant, and IL they got me it could
have made little difference. What have
. live for? / have lost all. l am charged
with killing my children and my wife, and !
am innocent. Let them have me. But still,
defending me-"
The next day, he said to an Atlanta friend
sch, God, this is terrible. Hero | am con =
fined in this cell, charged with numbering my
wife and daughters. WhySho kill them
loved those two children and once | loved
their mother. The children could not have
killed, because my heart was too full OF love
for them. The mother would not have kill
ed. because we were apart"
"Gou heard the shots last Light?"
"Oh yes, heard them
"What were you dOing?'
81 was lying down upon this bunk. The
shouting soon became general. realized
that the city patrol had come"
"And what did you d0?"
al got up and put my shoes on. Then put
on my coat and overcoat and made myself
ready"
"FOr what?"
"To 20 with the crowd to the most ignomn-
ious death any man ever endured"
Ibid you think they wonld get you: ."
"NcS, felt sure they would.S
Emma llaweS was last seen Saturday even
ing, in the house of Fanny Bryant. When
the latter was arrested, IL portion of EmnIns
bead cape. worn that evening, was on the
floor, and, besides blood stains, the room pre-.
scented evidences ofa desperate struggle. Two
negro men, Henry Walker and jeff Brown,
living near Fanny, have been arrested, it ap-
pears, near the top of Rcd Mountain, q mile
from the house. in possession of Il trunk COW
cred with blood, containing few papers OF
IlawcS'S, but otherwise empty. 1t Is clear
that more than one person must have been
concerned in these murders. What became
of Irene Is yet Il mystery.
This IS the case, SO far, made up Of the most
probable Of many conflicting statements.