The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-17
TIE FLORIDA TRAGEDY.
who the Victims of That Terrible
affair Were.
From the Neto York sun

affair Were.
From the Nei1 York sun.
There are no Bruces now left living Of tht
family to which the murdered people al
New Smyrna, Fla. belonged. Hamilton
Bruce the father Of Adeline Hamilton Bruce
was for number OF years connected
with the New York custom house, where he
hecame after a time deputy COLLECTOR
subsequently he became vice president al
the International Insurance Company. In
the later years Of his life ne organized an
insurance company Of his own, OF which be
was president at the time of his death. He
died about thirteen years ago, leaving his
wife and children handsomely provided for.
He had one son, Langley Bruce, and four
daughters, Sophia. Marie Elgien, Kate De
Clay and Adeline Hamilton Sophia. tho
eldest, died before her father. Kate was
the wife of Paul Borner of this city at the
time Of her death. Marie Eigien, also now
dead, married Frank j. Pack wood. and the
little boy that was murdered was her son.
Mr.. Packwood and his family lived in
New York many years ago and we're neigh
bors Of Hamilton Bruce and his family on
ST. Marks place, when the daughters were
young girls. backward afterward SETTLED
10 the south. After Hamilton Bruce died
his family lived for time in the house in
Fifty-fourth street, which he left to them
The son, Langley, who was a young man of
social pretensions, WAS extravagant. Mrs.
Bruce survived her husband only a few
years. Then Langley Bruce. who had gone
into business as a real estate broker. got
into financial difficulties, and ended bv
going to Philadelphia hotel
and shooting himself That was about
seven years ago. About that time Frank
J. Packwood returned TO New York. after
an interval of many years. 10 look up the
young girl he had known in his childhood.
Hiss Mary Elgien Bruce. He was to have
married her about the time the brother com.
mitted suicide. and the sister, Mrs. Paul
Borner, died OF typhoid fever. Under the
circumstances the wedding could not then
take place in New York. Mr.. Packwood
was unable later to leave his affairs in the
south, so his hancee and her sister, Adeline
Hamilton Bruce, who were the only suryiv.
ing members of the family, went together
10 tbs south, and the wedding took place in
Jacksonville six years ago this month.
Neither OF the sisters ever returned to New
York. the unmarried sister living with Mrs.
lakewood on the orange plantation.
About two years afterward a little boy
was born to Mrs. Packwood. The mother
died. On her deathbed she entrusted her
boy to the care of her sister, who promised
to be o mother to 1t. Miss Bruce remained
with the child and her brother-in-law on
the plantation and never returned to New
York, even for visit. She had number
OF relatives in this city, and she wrote to
them frequently. Her uncle, the Rev. Van
dervoort Bruce, lives at AIS West Twenty
third street. and Rear Admiral d. L. Braine
and his wife, Mrs. Braine, were both cou-
SINS of hers. There are also one or two
other relatives of hers in this city besides
her brother-in-law. Paul Borner She cor
responded constantly with all of them, aud
it was only last Saturday, the day Of the
murder, that two letters from her arrived
here. Mrs. Braine has one of them and the
other was to Mr.. Borner
In these letters Miss Bruce told how Mr.
Packwood had been out hunting day or
two before and brought home a nice lot of
game Her brother-in-law, she said, was
very busy overseeing the packing of the
oranges. She and little Frank enjoyed
walking about the grove watching the
work. Then she told-numberless little sto-
ries about the boy-how handsome and
strong he was and how wonderfully bright,
He was the pet of the whole plantation, she
said. and he loved her so. And the poor
little fellow had grown up Knowing no
mother but her. II was so sad Ia these
Christmas times to think of those that
ought TO be gathered together, but were
gone.
ut was on Saturday that read the let
ter, +" said ono of Miss Bruce's relatives yes
terday, referring to one Of the letters, "and
the next morning i opened the paper and
read the horrible news. Two women and
two little boys Little frankie was such a
beautiful, harmless little boy, with his
golden curls, that it doesn'u seem possible
aRy one could possibly have had the heart
to do it."
None of the relatives could think Of the
slightest explanation for the murder. There
was no large sum of money in the house
that any one knew of. the only possible
thing. it seems, was that the murderers had
attempted to carry off the little boy with
the hope of getting q ransom, aud that Miss
Bruce had resisted them unto death. Who
Mrs. Hatch was the relatives here did not
know. No word had come to them from
Florida, and they knew nothing except
what they had read IN the newspapers.