The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-01
MlTCHElL-WARD MURDER.
Was Man at the Bottom of the Deplor
able Tragedy.

able Tragedy.
MEMPHIS, Feb. 1.-"Whv did she do
itE' That is the question that everybody
is asking his neighbor in regard to the
MitchelWard murder Having par
TALLY exhausted the horrors of the
bloody deed itself, all Memphis is on
still hunt for the cause. So far there has
been no satisfactory answer given,
though the air is full of theories. The
Encouragement, it is understood, will
proceed i'll the prosecution ON the as
sumption that there was motive more
human than that believed in by the
public generally; that Alice Mitchell
was not inspired by an infatuation for
Freda Ward, but by desire to avenge
herself upon the Wards for reflections
which they had cast upon her, and in
consequence of which the intimacy be
tween herself and Freda was broken off.
1t is claimed that the states attorneys
have proof to this effect and that they
will also unearth the man in the case.
They have III their possession a large
number of letters which passed between
the two girls and between members of
their respective families in which appear
reasons why Alice should have conceived
the murder as a measure of revenge and
not as result of mental unbalance. The
attorney has the name of a well known
young citizen who alleges that a man
followed Alice Mitchell in a buggy Mon
day afternoon, and when he saw her re
turning from her trip down the hill, he
put whip to his horse and drove rapidly
away.
All efforts to interview Miss Mitchell
have failed, but this morning your cor
respondent learned from good authority
what passed between her and her coun-
sell On other subjects she seemed to be
perfectly rational, and did not realize
the enormity of the deed.
Il killed Freda," said she, because
/ loved her and she refused TO marry me
| asked her to marry me three times, and
at last she consented. We we've going
to marry here and go to st. Louis"
what did you intend to do in st.
Louis?" asked one of her attorneys.
"Oh, do not know, but when Freda
promised to marry me | was so happy.
| sent her an engagement ring and she
wore it time but when it was returned
| was miserable. / could not bear to be
separated from her and resolved to kill
her. | would rather she were dead than
away from me-"
The girl then asked one of the lawyers
where Freda was. She was told that
the body was at Stanley & Hintons.
"Oh, mamma" said she if l could
only see her. Please let me go to see her.
If could only lie down by her side l
would be so happy" When the per-
mission was refused she broke into a
torrent of tears, not for having killed
Freda, but for the separation. The let
tiers that she wrote to Freda are full of
the most endearing terms and go to show
that the girl eagerly looked forward to
the time when she could make Freda
her wife.
Strange to say, from what can be
learned Freda herself seemed to be in
fatuated with Alice and willingly as
scented to the proposed marriage. The
time was fixed and the affair was TO have
been in the nature OF an elopement. One
thing is certain, Alice Mitchell still
thinks she has done the proper thing in
killing Freda Ward and has never real
lied how shocking and how horrible her
act was. She does not feel the cOnfine-
ment in Jail, but regards it as would a
schoolgirl, slight punishment On
other subjects she talks nationally, as
she does on the killing, but for the pecu
liar views she entertains of the proposed
marriage Her case and that of Miss
johnson will be considered by the grand
jury tomorrow,
1t is learned that Miss Mitchell and
Miss Johnson have for some time past
taken letters out of the postofice ad
dressed to Jesse James" and Fired
Ward" Miss Mitchell representing the
notorious bandit. The reason for this
caper takes its place among the other
mysteries of the murder. A fact which
Miss Mitchell's counsel will urge in sup