The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-15
DAILY, YEAR 4
( GENTS A COPY.
tWEEKLY, 81 q AYEAR
NEW SMYRNA'S HORROR.
a SUSPICION THAT REJECTED
LOVER DID TaE WORK.

AON LII LII Inn WOAh.
Mr.. Packwood at Maitland When the
Crime Was Committed-He Has a
Suspicion, But Refuses TO Make it
Public - A Graphic Story OF the
Rloody Carnival
HNEw SMYRNA, FLA, Dec. 14-It was
unfortunate that Sheriff Kurtz Of Volusia
county was not present here when 6atur-
days terrible murder was committed. The
sheriff has a magniflcenrly trained blood-
hound, which has demonstrated several
times before. without failure, that be can
unravel q mystery. Mr.. Kurtz did not ar
rive on thescene until to-day, but IL was then
useless TO put the bloodhound to service. as
heavy rain had washed out the trail. Ib
Is now generally accepted theory that the
murderer had no dog with him, because a
dog would have followed bis master into
the house, would have stepped into
the blood and have left the
bloody tracks on the place. - The dog
tracks discovered beside those Of the man
are accounted for by the fact that some
breeds OF the canine species will follow blood
as they VIII man with game. 1t is also
probable that only Miss Bruce was
In the kitchen, and was there
tor the pupoee OF preparing break
fast for her guests when the
murderer came. She probably ran and tho
assailant grasping bread knife from q
table followed. She barred the door and
had no time to tell Mrs. Hatch before the
window was snlAshed In. With curiosity to
learn the cause of this unusual commotion.
Mrs. Hatch bent down, peered out at the
window and received q bullet in her
eye. The murderer probably expected to
find only Miss Bruce and was surprised TO i
find T.. Al. a
slay them all 10 prevent detection, and so
carried out the bloody programme. The
NEWS correspondent suspects that the mur-
derer is either feigutng to hunt for himself
with the posse or is dead In the woods.
though the people cannot place a missing
man as yet. This man, whoever be Is,
could not have gone away unschthed, as
Miss Bruce's finger nails were dark with
blood, whore she had probably drawn them
across his face In the frantic struggle for
life.
DETAILS OF THE TRAGEDY.
JACKSONVILLE. FLA, Dec. 14-Details
OF the tragedy near New Smyrna are COM
ing in slowly.
Not cent nor an article Of value was
stolen. At 10 O'Clock Saturday morning
Mrs l.. D. Hatch, her 7-year>old son Benz
1amin, Miss Adelaid Hamilton Bruce.
daughter of Hamilton Bruce of New York
city, and Frank Packwood, the 5-yenr-old
son of +. J. Packwood, were found shot
here, and all had their throats cut except
Mrs Hatch. Miss Bruce was horribly
Inengled and had been ravished.
On Friday +. j. Packwcod left his sister
in-lnw, Miss Bruce, and his little son in
charge Of the house. aud proceeded to Matt
hand. Miss Bruce sent up q mile or two
for Mrs. Hatch, a dear friend, who camo
over with her little son to spend the night
and keep them company.
irwin Jenkins. negro living q mile
south, had been In the habit Of calling at
the house on Saturdays on his way TO New
smyrna TO zee II the people wanted an err
rand done or goods purchased. At o o'clock
Saturday morning he went to the house,
knocked at the door, got no reply, and then
observed that the front window, opening
on the piazza aud facing the east, bad been
smashed In. The cattle were In the yard,
the gates were open and heavy piece Of
scantlinR lay near. Knowing that some--
thing was wrong, he hastened to the house OK
h. j. Hewitt, the nearest neiRhbor, living o
mile away. j. s. Crouch, another neigh
bor, and his man, john Pell, were next told
that something was wrong at the Packwood
house. These four proceeded to the house
and looked through the window.
THE STRUGGLE.
Before their eyes was an appalling spec
tace On her back by the window in a
u
ball wound on the inside corner of her left
eye; her face was blackened with powder.
The other bodies lay near her. When tho
crash came she had evidently been near the
window. When the murderer entered, her
little son, frenzied With fright. had probably
fed as d child would and had sought refuge
in the bed clothes Of bed lounge at the
other end Of the room. He was torn from
these, shot over the left eye and mis- throab
cut IN three places. His head was almost
severed from the body. The bed clothes
were stained crimson.
While the murderer was entering the
window Miss Bruce had apparently secured
handy and fired at him. The bali took
effect In the window frame The murderer,
needless of this onslaught, continued his
terrible work and finished it.
BY this time Miss Bruce had gone to the
closet and secured q double -barreied shot,
gun. She leveled IL at the demon as he ap-
preached, but unfortunately the hammers
snapped on the shells that had been exploded
many days before. He overpowered her.
threw her upon the bed and accomplished
his devilish purpose--probably after killing
her little nephew. She was found lying on,
hor back In the bed; her feet hung to the
floor, and her form was bare down to above
the knees. After this part OF the tragedy
the murderer shot her through the right
check, the ball crashing through her teeth.
striking the wall and falling on the bed.
Then another struggle began for the pos
session of the gun. He tore 1t from her
grasp, and swinging 1t around his head with
both hands clutching the barrel, drove this
stock against her face with herculean force.
The blow struck her between the forehead
and nose and caved In the skull. Every bona
in the Jaw aud face was broken. Then, with
keen bread knife, he stabbed her in the neck.
cutting out square section of flesh, and
finishing the job with two terrible gashes in
the throat.
frankie Packwood, beautiful little gol-
deu-haired child of years, was found on
| the floor at the foot of the bed with his
| throat cut. His features had been marred
| 1t was first thought that the crime was tho
work of tramps, but this deiusion was sub
sequently dispelled by finding a trail Lead
| ing around the yard to the north, and then
| through the hammock south to the road--a
path that none could travel unless he was
| familiar with the country.
Near the house the neighbors found the
track of left foot No. 7 or g. with com-
mon shoe box toe. The indentation of the
heel on the outside was deeper than the in
side. showing that the man wearing 1t was
bow-legged.
Before leaving the house they sent Jenlr-
ins out TO look for tracks Jenkins found
none in the leaf-carpeted hummock, but on
the msin road. half mile south, he found
the same tracks as that near the house, ac-
al 49, el< 1.nfo drrr