Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-14
THE ORANGE GROVE TRAGEDY.
Four Persons Murdered and Apparently No
Clue Left Of the Criminals.

Four Persons Murdered and Apparently No
Clue Left Of the Criminals.
A horrible tragedy was committed Friday
last at the house of Frank J. Packwood, stand
ing in the center of an orange grove on the
banks Of Hillsborough river. eight miles south
Of New Smyrna, Fla. Packwood is a native
Of Louisiana, but has lived near New Smyrna
for over fifteen years. The names Of the muir
dered are:
Miss A. H. Bruce Of New York city; Frank
Bruce Packwood, four years old, son Of F. J.
Packwood; Mrs. L. d. Hatch and her boy, SIX
years old.
The house was entered Friday night through
q window, the intruder smashing the sash and
glass in order to gain entrance. A CHASTITY
sight met the eyes Of the first visitors to the
premises Saturday morning. In one corner Of
the main room, on the floor, lay the body of
Mrs. Hatch, shot through the left eye. In the
same room, lying on the bed. was the body of
her son, shot under the left eye, and with his
throat cut from ear to ear. In an adjoining
room, lying on the floor, was the body of Frank
Packwood, shot through the head, and with bis
throat cut also.
In the same room, lying upon the bed, was
the body Of Miss Bruce. Her person had been
outraged and her skull and face had been
crushed with some heavy weapon. Her face
had also been shot through, and her throat had
been cut. At the entrance Of the broken win
dow large revolver was found, two chambers
OF it having been emptied. On the bed by the
side OF the body of Miss Bruce lay double
barreled shotgun with tho stock broken into
splinters. On the bed near the body of the
Hatch boy lay a long-bladed butcher knife.
Some of the occupants of the Paekwood
house had been there only few days, and the
amount Of money and valuables which they
had in their possession is merely matter Of
conjecture So far in the dispatches from New
Smyrna no mention is made of T. J. Packwood
as having been in the house at the time of tho
tragedy or as appearing on the scene then.
There is a rumor that he was killed also and
his body concealed SO as to throw suspicion ON
him as the murderer of the others. He has a
nephew in Jacksonville who gives the following
information:
MIR. Frank J. Packwood. my uncle owns a
large orange grove eight miles south Of New
Smyrna, on the banks of the Hillsborough
river and only about mile from the ocean.
He has lived on the Hilsborough river for at
least fifteen years, should say. He is an all
the-year-round resident and not q tourist All
the lakewood family came originally from New
Orleans. There are several brothers in this
state Franks wife was Miss Bruce of New
York city and she died when their boy frankie
was little baby. Immediately after his
mothers death his aunt Miss A. II. Bruce of
New York city. came to Florida to take care of
him and has since made her homo with the
child and his father at the orange grove ON the
Hillsborongh river. Who Mrs. l.. ID. Hatch is
have notidea. never heard the name before.
PROBABLY relations or friends of Miss Bruce and
visitors in the Packwood homo. The brother
OF Miss Bruce was at one time n prominent
broker in Wall street. New York, and it is said
that not long before the marriage of Mr.. Pack
wood with his other sister he failed, the prop
erty OF his sisters being all lost in the smash
up. Miss A. ii. Bruce, the murdered woman,
was about thirty-tiye years Of age.