Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-11-23
HER DEF ENSE.
A WOMAN KILLS HER BE-
TRAYER in NEW YORK.
THE BODY RIDDLED WITH BULLETS
She Refuses to Say Anything Moro
Than the Murdered Man Had
Ruined Her and Her
Family.

NEW 1ORh, November SS.-SuOrGly
after 10 o'clock this morning Stephen
l.. Pettus, secretary and treasurer Of
the Brooklyn Union Elevated railroad
and member of the firm of Pollard,
Pettus & Co., of No. "a Broad street,
this city, was shot dead in front
No. 10 Fulton street by Miss Hannah
Southworth, who refused to give her
address to the police when arrested.
Just before 10 o'clock, while Fulton
street was crowded with people who
had just landed from Brooklyn ferry
beat, a young woman, wearing seal
skin sacque, trimmed with long
black fur, was seen hurrying along
behind well-dressed man wearing q
derby Kat.
When in front of No 10, she pulled
n large Smith 81 Wesson thirty EIGHT
calibre revolver from beneath her dress
and fired five shots in quick succession
at the man in front OF her, although
he fell at the first shot. In fact, the
woman continued firing until every
chamber of the revolver was emptied
AS the victim writhed and tossed in
agony on the sidewalk the woman
looking calm and self-pos-
sessed actually smiled with APP
parent satisfaction In a short time
a great crowd gathered, attracted
to the spot by the repeated pistol
firing. An officer, also, made a rush
for the place. His first impulse was
to take the smoking pistol from the
woman's hand. When she saw the
officer coming, raising herself to her
full height and assuming a somewhat
dramatic position, she Kissed out be-
tween her teeth, pointing at the now
cold and lifeless body on the sidewalk
all the while, THAT man betrayed me
and have shot him. He has ruined
me and my family" Officer Goodwin
did not stop to parley. The crowd
was becoming greater and greater
every moment. Taking the woman
by the arm the officer led her to side
street. This was accomplished with
some difficulty, MS the throng kept
closing in on the officer and his
prisoner. Finally they reached the
Old Slip station house, where the
woman gave her name as Hannah
Southworth; that she was 80 years of
age, but she persisted in refusing to
give her residence. To the sergeant
ut the desk, Miss Southworth re-
peated the statement that the dead
man had betrayed her and ruined
her and her family.
Then the woman was locked up.
During this trying ordeal Miss
Southworth never WINGED, but on
the contrary, she appeared to become,
if possible, more calm and dignified.
While this was going on the dead
body of the murdered man still lay
where it fell, riddled with bullets.
Willing hands. however, as soon as
they recovered from the first shock,
carried the body into the tea store of
No. 10. An ambulance from Cham
bers Street hospital was summoned,
but before it arrived Mr.. Pettus had
breathed his last. A few minutes
later the officers from the Old Slip
station arrived, and the remains were
placed upon a stretcher and brought
to the station house. When searched
several letters were found in his peck
cts addressed to Stephen l.. Pettus, 81
Broad street.
NEW YORK, November 22.-An ex-
animation of the BODY shows that all
five of the bullets had taken effect.
Three bullets had lodged in his back,
one in his neck and one in his right
side. Either one of the bullets would
have caused death.
Hannah Southworth, who commit
ted the murder,is the woman who at
tackled Pettus in front of the elevated
railway Office at 05 Clinton street,
Brooklyn. about year ago. She was
arrested at the time and taken before
the late Judge Walsh, who placed her
under bonds to keep the peace.