Evening journal., 1892-01-26
MURDER IN COLD BLOOD
Memphis Startled by a Most
Sickening Tragedy.
A SOCIETY GIRL WIELDs A RAZOR.

She Deliberately, on the street, Cuts the
Throat Of Another Young Lady Whom
She Loved, she said. So wen She
Couldn't Part from Her.
MEMPHIS, Jan 26 This city had a sensa-
tion which will be the talk 81 the town for
many a day 1t was Of the totally unex-
pected order and flied the people with sur
prise and horror Miss Alice Mitchell
daughter Of one Of the oldest and highly re-
spected citizens Of Memphis, attacked her
former friend and companion, Miss Freda
Ward, Of Gold Dust Tenn, on the streets
Of the city with a razor and murdered her
IN cold blood The cause and facts Of the
tragedy are as follows:
Miss Mitchell and Miss Freda Ward had
been fast friends and whenever the latter
visited Memphis she stopped with the
Mitohells Freda and Josie Ward came to
the city, but did not 90 to the Mitchell
house as usual Inquiry on Miss Mitchells
part developed the fact that Miss Josie
Ward had forbidden Freda to visit her on
the ground that her conduct was, as she
termed IL, fast
Murdered In the street.
Today the Ward sisters, with a friend,
Miss Christine Parnen, started afoot for the
river to take the steamboat for Gold Dust
They noticed Miss Mitchell and friend,
Miss Lillian Johnston, in a buggy appar-
emily following them. On reaching the Gus
tom house Miss Mitchell left the buggy in
charge Of Miss Johnston and ran after the
three girls, who were half "A block away. On
reaching them Miss Mitchell ran at Freda
Ward and threw her to the ground, at the
same time slashing her across the cheek
/ With z razor The wounded girl screamed
| aud struggled to her feet, when Miss Mitch
ell cut her throat, severing the wmdpipe
and cutting into the jugular
Josie Ward at this point attempted to in
terfere and Miss Mitchell slashed her across
the neck with the razor, inhicting, however,
only a slight wound The murderess then
darted to whore her buggy was in waiting
and drove rapidly away Physicians were
summoned to aid the wounded girls. but
they could do nothing for Freda, aud she
daed shortly afterward
The police were quickly notified Of the
crime, and the chief himself went to the
Mitchell house % arrest the murderess He
found her there perfectly cool and coll
ieeted, and she admitted that she had mur-
A1ttH ltE lileHu. ono was taken to the
county Jail, where she refused for a long
while to make any statement regarding the
atrocions crime, but at length, after CONSUL
tation with her father and a lawyer, she
made the following remarkable statement,
which indicates insanity, unnatural love, OF
both.
Remarkable Statement.
She said; II was in love with Freda. I
could not live without her Long aro we
made compact that IL we were ever sepa-
rated we should kill each other When /
found that Josie had forbidden Freda 10
have nothing more to do with me- / saw
nothing else 70 do but Co kill her Itook
fathers razor but told no one what was
going to do"
Miss johnson was seen and said she knew
Of the infatuation Of Miss Mitchell for
freda and had heard her say If she could
not marry Freda she would marry no man.
Miss johnson did not know Of Miss Mitch
ellis purpose, she says
The murderess and her victim were each
about nineteen years old and were both
very prominent in society. In talking Of
Miss Mitchell the Ward girls did not charge
her with anything but fast conduct and she
has always borne a good character Miss
Mitchells father has been the fashionable
furniture dealer Of the city and is a nephew
OF Robert Mitchell, the millionaire furni-
ture manufacturer Of Cincinnati He has
amassed a fortune aud recently retired from
/ business.