The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-02-21
DRAINED WITH AN Ak.
MRS. L. A. HARGROVE MURDERED
AND ROBBED.

On Wednesday afternoon, Febru-
airy 13, Il horrible and dastardly
murder was committed near Smyrna.
in this county. Mrs. Louisa Har-
grove, aged Is years, was the victim.
She lived about three miles from
Smyrna in a nice, oid-fashioned
country house, built by her deceased
husband, Asbury Hargrove. Her
! children all being married, she had
living with her youth named
James Wood, relative.
On the day of the murder Wood
was working at Mr.. Rab Hargrove's
house, assisting him build chin
ney. Rab Hargrove is the son of
the murdered woman. She had
spent the morning with her son,
and betweed II and IL o'clock she
left, alone, tor home, some three
quarters of a mile distant. About
o'clock the boy, Jim Wood, was
sent to Mrs. Hargrove's to get a
load of brick. When he got to the
place he loaded his wagon and went
into the house. The first thing that
met his gaze was bloody ak. His
trunk had been broken open with
this ak, as blood was on the edges of
the trunk where the ak had been
used to pry it open. He then
called for Mrs. Hargrove, but he
received no response. He looked
into each room, but did not see her.
He hurried out of the house in a
badly frightened frame of mind, and
drove rapidly back to Mr.. Rab Har-
groves and related the facts of his
discovery and stated that something
was wrong over there.
DR.. Bell, son-in-law of Mrs. Har-
grove, accompanied the boy back to
the house and he, too, at first did
: not FIN, IRIS. Hargrove, but on en-.
: tering g. ing room, he saw her shoe
protruding from under the table
On going further in, he found hel
PROSTATE on the floor welterihe
i'll blood, with an ugly indentation
across the right temple, the skull
being crushed in and her body life.
less and containing but little per-
ceptible warmth. The belt around
her waist to which two pockets
were attached, containing $500 in
money, were torn loose and missing.
The alarm was given and soon a
crowd gathered in. Sheriff McLain
and Deputy Sheriff Pink Stephens
were telpehoned of the murder and
they were soon on the scene making
investigations. The boy, Wood,
was at first suspicioned, but subse-
quent developments soon dissipated
the idea Of his guilt. A travelling
white preacher named Cherry, who
had been seen to pass the house,
was arrested, but his innocence was
soon established. A negro named
John Hardeman was also arrested,
but there was no circumstance to
connect him with the knowledge of
the murder.
A coroner's inquest was held, but
no light was thrown as to who the
guilty party was.
On Thursday morning, Colonel
Thomas, who bought Judge Pullum's
farm, heard of the murder, and he
Immediately saddled his horse and
rode over to the Hargrove house to
tell what he had seen on the day of
the murder. He said he was on his
way to Mr.. Rab Hargrove's house,
and when he neared Mrs. Har-
groves, between IL and IL o'clock,
he saw negro man come out OF
Mrs. Hargrove's front door, pass out
the gate and start down the road.
Colonel Thomas hollered and asked
him if Mr.. Rab Hargrove was there,
thinking probably that the negro
could give him the information, and
if Mr.. Hargrove was there it would
save him the trouble of riding on
over to his house. The negro look
ed back and gave no answer, but
accelerated his speed. Thomas then
whipped up his horse and when he
got near the negro he again pro-
pounded the same question, when