The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-03
CUT HIS WIFES THROAT.
ALBEIT II. KITCHENS BUrCHsRY
OF HIS YOUNG EELPMATE.

Her on Door Step Cuts Her throat
from Ear to Ear with 8 Razor-Story
of the Terrible Crims.
Yamacraw was the scene some time be-
tween 12 and O'Clock yesterday morning
OF one of the most brutal and cold-blooded
murders that has ever been committed in
| Savannah.
Rhina Kitchen (colored). about % years
old, was slain By her husband, Albert II.
Kitchen, in a little yard back Of a one-story
building on Lumber street, near the Savan>
nah Soap Works A razor was the weapon
used. The victim had three horrible gashes
in her throat, one extending almost from
ear to ear, completely ssvering the jugular
vein
The dead woman was discovered lying in
a pool OF blood in the yard at 4:30 o'clock
by her cousin, Europe Frazier, who, after
| arousing the other people in the house, ran
to the market and notified Officer Bosse1 of
what had occurred. The officer accom-
| panied Frazier back home and made an ex-
animation. In the water closet he found
the razor case, and under the house, about
three feet from the victims head, the in
strument of death, covered with blood and
| sand.
GETTING AT THE CRIME.
Officer Bossell notified Coroner Dixon and
turned over the articles which he found.
| The coroner visited the scene about 8
o'clock and made an Investigation. Kitchen
| left his overcoat aud satchel in the room he
had occupied. In the satchel was a bottle
partly filed with laudanum and several
letters which had passed between the muir
derer and his wife. The bottle Of laudanum
bore the label of Arthur NJ. Cohen, Up
town drug store, GA King street, Charles
| ton, 8. C.n
Coroner Dixon summoned Jury COM
posed OF two white men and ten colored
men, which. after listening TO the evidence
of several witnesses, returned verdict that
Rhlna Kitchen came TO her death from
wound in ~ the throat from
razor in the hands of A. NJ. Kitchen, and
considered 1t willful murder.
| THE MURDERED WOMAN.
| Rhina, kRawn by her friends as "Gallie,n
belonged t0Charleston, and about a year
ago met Kitchen in that city and married
| him. be was employed in one of the phos-
phate mines of Berkley county, and to that
place he took his young wife. Kitchen did
not treat her well, however, and in January
he threatened to kill her with razor during
one of their domestic tits. Rhiua became
frightened at this and came to Savannah to
her cousin, Europe Frazier. At his house
she met her horrible death.
Two weeks ago Kitchen came to Savan-
| nah and endeavored to effect a reconciia-
ton. He stopped one day and was appar-
emily successful. After going back home,
on Feb. 81, he wrote his wife that he felt
| very lonesome and wanted her to 20 back.
In the letter he sent her 81 IS, and promised
TO send her more. Feb. % she answered,
agreeing to go back, provided he would
send her money. She said. however, that
she would much rather he would come to
Savannah, and asked him to let her know
as to his decision. In the same letter she
made anxious inquiries about a pig.
SENT his wIFE's THINGS HERE.
Kitchen then wrote that he would be in
Savannah on Saturday and would send her
trunk and sewing machine by express, and
asked for instructions as to what DISPOSITION
he would make of the pig. Rhina answered
this, telling Kitchen how glad she was to
hear he was coming, and telling him to sell
the pig and bring the money with him.. All
OF Kitchens letters are signed Your Low
ing Husband, A. ID. Kitchen" and the wifes
| in like manner.
Kitchen arrived according to promise
Saturday night, and went Immediately to
Frazier's house. He met his wife in the
hallway and kissed her, and all went we'll
Sunday both seemed 10 have forgotten all
their past troubles.
PLANNING THE MURDER.
But under cover Of his apparent love
Kitchen was planning the devilish and
cowardly deed which be afterward put into
execution.
They kept their room nearly all day, and
Kitchen was trying to persuade Rhina to go
back to South Carolina. This seemed to be
where the hitch came in. She wac
willing enough to make up and hvs
with her husband, but wanted to stay in
Savannah. The room they occupied was
the rear one on the south side of the hall,
with window looking out on the back
piazza. 1t contained two beds, one of which
was occupied by Frazier and his wife. The
four, Kitchen aud the murdered woman,
and Frazier and his wife, retired shortly
before II o'clock. That was the last seen of
Kitchen Or Rhina until the latter was fonnd
dead in the yard
About 4:30 o'clock the Frazier woman got
up to make a fire and prepare breakfast for
her husband, who had to go to work early.
THE CRIME DISCOVERED.
On looking across the room she was sur
prised to see the other bed empty, ana im>
mediately called to her husband that
"Gallie" was not in bed. Frazier got up.
saying he supposed she and her husband
had gone ont on the piazza to talk matters
over. de partly dressed and went outside to
investigate. No one was on the piazza and
everything was perfectly still. He walked
TO tue raining ana looked into the yard,
where he saw his cousin lying on her back
in pool of blood. Frazier screamed at the
top of his voice to his wife: "Heres 'Gallie'
dead out in the yard" Four other persons
live in the house, and all were awakened by
Frazier's yell. All jumped out of bed and
rushed to the piazza, but all were too fright
ened TO go near the body. Frazier hastily
finished dressing and went for an officer
POISON, THEN THE KNIFE.
Kitchen must have used portion of the
laudanum to stupefy his wife before cut
ting her throat, as she made no outcry,
From the appearance of the womans body
the murderer must have held her with her
back on the steps, as the wall of the house
was splattereo with blood, as if it had
gushed out from a hose. He then let her
fall on her back in the yard, and a large
pool of blood formed around her head.
There were no evidences Of a struggle.
AS soon as the news of the murder be-
came circulated negroes gathered from all
quarters, attracted by a morbid curiosity to
see the dead woman and the place where
the murder was committed
CROWDS AROUND THE HOUSE.
All day there was a perfect jam In the
house, and the sidewalk in front was
practically impossible. Men and women
stood around in groups in the yard gaping
at the pool Of blood on the ground, the dark
red splotches on the wall and the bloody
/ IL Al