The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-15

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Dec. 14-ISpe.
cialJ-The most revolving tragedy that
over occurred in this State was tho
horrible butchery Saturday morning OF
two women and two SMALL children, at
tho homo of Frank j. Packwoods in an
orange grove on the banks of Hillsboro
river, eight miles south of New SMYRNA.
The names of tho persons murdered
are: Miss A. II. Bruce, of Now York
city; Frank Bruce Packwood -four
years old, son of +. j. Packwood); Mrs.
l.. ID. Hatch and her boy six years old.
Details of the tragedy near New
Smyrna are coming in slowly, tcle-
graphic communication not having been
established until this morning. Pack
wood left homo Friday morning for
Maitland to be gone two days. Mrs. l..
~. latch, neighbor and dear friend of
MISS Iruce, came TO spend the day and
night with her during Packwood's alb
Sence.
l.. ID. Hatch is carpenter and Or
ange grower and has lived near New
Smyrna for the past fifteen wears.
Both he and his wife came from Maine.
MISS Angelina Bruce was a daughter of
Hamilton Bruce, of New York city.
irwin Jenkins was the first to dis
cover the crime. He is a negro who
balls at the Packwood house every Sat
urday to do errands and light Jobs AT
O'Clock in the forenoon he knocked at
the door and got no answer. lie saw
tho window mashed in and then called
the neighbors who made an investira-
in mi fn1
oner.
No positive clue rs to tho murderer
has as yet been found. Several foot
prints were found in the sand under tho
window. Some were made by No. : or S
boots with box toe, wear on tho outside
OF the heel being much deeper than on
the inside, which would indicate the
wcarer was bowleggcd
1t was first thought that tho crime
was the work of a tramp, but this sus-
piclon Was subsequently, dispcllcd by
hndlng trail leading around the yard
to the north and then through the ham
mock south to the road in the country.
Pacllwood has suspicious OF somebody.
but refuses to disclose them until the
proper time arrives There arc rumors
of a discarded lover who had sworn
vengeance, and that the robbery was
not the object of the crime, but that il
was rape and murder
The murder of Mrs. Hatch and two
children was undoubtedly to destroy
evidence of assault upon and the kill
ing of Miss Bruce. The revolver and
shot gun were tho property of Pack
wood, and either Miss Bruce or Mrs.
Hatch had undoubtedly used them in
self defcnsc.
Negro Jenkins mas heen arrested,
but nobody believes that he knows any
thing OF the crime. The coroner s
jury has not yet rendered a verdict
Two hundred armed mon on horse back
ana atoot, with blood hounds, are scour-
ing the country.
Ono Of the first men to reach tho
scene after the alarm had been given
thus tells the story oI the crime:
when we reached tho house we all
crowded around the broken window and
peered IN. Before our eyes was an ap.
palling spectacle. On hor back by tho
window in pool of blood Mrs. Hatch
lay, with bullet wound on tho inside
corner of her left eye. Her face was
blackcned with powder. Tho other
ladies lay near her. When the crash
came she had evidently been near tie
window.
When the murderer entered, her
AASS-N SOhs iiCuEIcU Will lFlHnb. UaU
probably fled as child would and had
sought refuge in the bed clothes of the
bed lounge at the other end of tho
room. He was torn from these, shot
over the left eye and his throat cut in
three places. His head was almost sew
cred from his body. The bed clothes
were stained crimson.
While the murderer was entering tho
window, Miss Bruce had apparently Sc
cured an old Smith & Wesson pistol
which was handy and fired at him. The
ball took effect in the window frame.
The murderer, Needless of this on
slaugnt, continued his terrible work.
BY this time Miss Bruce had gone to the
closet and secured double barreled
shotgun. She leveled it at the muir
derer, but unfortunately both hammers
snapped on shells that had been ex-
ploded many days before. lie over.
powered her and accomplished his
devilish purpose, probably after killing
her little nephew.
After this part of tho tragedy the
murderer shot her through the right
cheek, the ball crashing through hor
teeth, striking the wall and falling on
the bed. There must have been another
struggle for possession of the gun. lie
tore it from her grasp and swinging it
around his head with both hands clutch
ing the barrel and drove the stock
against her face with terrible force.
The blow struck her between the
forehead and nose and crushed her
skull. Every bone in her face was
broken. Tneu with keen bread
knife he stabbed her in the neck. cut
out square section of flesh and finishing
with two terrible gashes on her throat
n L.
golden haired child OF five years, was
I'm nd IN tho ~