The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-09-18


city on the south side of the river, Mr..
James n. Whitley, his wife and three
children, the eldest about six years OLE,
have their home.
Mr.. Whitley is we'll known in the city
where he has scores of friends whom for
years he supplied with milk from his dairy.
He is an Industrious sober man, and
during all these years. by dint of hard labor
and rigid economy, he had of late succeeded
in buying small farm upon which he was
gradually building neat and comfortable
home for his patient, industrious and af-
fectionate wife and children.
Aided and cheered by his wife,
Mr.. Whitley was tireless, and to him
and to those whom he cherished the future
was bright.
THE MURDER.
Mr.. Whitley is road overseer for his dis
trict, and yesterday morning came to town
after lumber to repair bridge on the road
not far from Fairview park.
He completed his work and went home,
reaching there about o'clock.
He found his three children in the house
with the door fastened on the outside
The mother had left them there they
said TO go and pick cotton.
Mr.. Whitley left her washing clothes,
and the wash was hanging out in the yard.
He sent the oldest child after her mother
and after some time she returned, saying
she could not find her mother.
The cotton patch is about 500 yards from
the house and 100 or 800 from the county
road, and Mr.. Whitley alarmed for his wife
hurried down to see if he could find her
He could see nothing of her, nor did she
answer to calls.
He entered the cotton field and goinl
down a row u short distance he found hi,
wife ly ing between the rows dead.
| TERRIFIC STRUGGLE.
All about were evidences of terrible
| struggle. The cotton plants were broker
and crushed and the ground torn up TO
many feet.
Mrs. Whitley was terribly disfgurej b,
cruel blows on the head made with thu
savageness of Comanche Indian.
A flint stone weighing about five pounds
was used, and with it the left side of he
head near the temple was crushed in.
| A blow on the back part of the heaC
crushed the skull, and her throat and necl
bore evidences of having been clutched il
the vice like gip of n powerful man.
Other portions of her body bore marks o
brutality and all told of a fearful struggle.
The struggle occurred about three fee
| from q DaTDeu WIG
the cotton patch from pasture.
Between this fence and the dead body o
the murdered woman the bloody stone wa
found, and nowhere for hundreds of yard
IN any direction was stone to be found.
Evidently the man seeking with british
ness knew the husband was away fror
home and seeing the wife among the cotto
far removed from the house and neighboi
and public road armed himself with tn
stone before approaching and assnultin
his victim.
The eldest child told her father tina
shortly after her mother left the house sh
heard some one halioo but thoughC it wa
somebody driving cattle.
From the distance picked on the row G
cotton, and from the quantity about 2
pounds, Mrs Whitley had in the sack, sh
must have been picking cotton about wv
hours, anu il IS probable she was mur
dered about IL o'clock.
She was married to Mr.. Whitley abou
eight years ago and leaves three childre en-
the youngest about year and half old.
THE TRAIL.
Officers went out from the city about
o'clock and wee soon on the ground.
i The murderer, after leaving his victim
passed through the wire fence alread
alluded to and fled through the pasture
which is matted with thick and TALL gras
which prevented his leaving trail.
A few tracks in the cotton patch indicat
large man, and it is certain from tn
desperate struggle he had with Mrs Whit
ley, that he bears marks of it about his fac
and hands
Sheriff White came in last night from
hard ride TO Fredericksburg, but as soon q
he beard of the murder he mounted hi
horse and went out to hunt up the muI
derer, and up TO 2 o'clock this morning b
had not returned.