The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-09
ELIZA MARTIN SLAIN.
Laurence Williams Does the (TeTrible)
Work With a Butchers knife.

house at NO. 80 oOuUQ Broad street was
stabbed to death with butcher knife by
Lawrence Williams, last night shortly
before 6 o'clock. Williams is a young
whiteman.
Apparently the killing was entirely IN
provoked and was a plain and brutal
murder. Williams had been at the
woman's house nearly all day. He told
the inmates that he was going to leave
town the next day, and asked to have
some things he had in the house sent alter
him.
MADE THREATS AGAINST HER.
About 4;30 O'Clock in the afternoon he
left the house. Before returning he spent
sometime at another place occupied by
negro women on Hull street. IL was
said there that he made threats against
Eliza Martin, saying that she had done
him mean trick and that he intended 10
pay her for 1t. He returned to No. 30
South Broad street about a quarter to 6
O'Clock. He went through the house to
the back in search for the woman, and
finding her in a back room went forward
with her into the front room facing the
street, which she occupied.
An inmate Of the house, who passed
through the hall few minutes before the
killing, saw the two sitting in the room
talking apparently in a friendly manner
WE'RE ALONE TOGETHER.
Williams and the Martin woman had
only been in the room few minutes when
the women occupants of the house, who
were in the back yard, heard the screams
of the Martin woman, who was crying for
help. Williams had made threats of kill
ing her before and the women seemed to
divine at once that this was what he was
doing. One Of them ran around the back
way through the yard into the street and
commenced screaming at the top of her
voice. The other women entered the
house and found the Martin woman lying
upon her face in the hallway with knife
sticking in her back.
The screams Of the women attracted
large crowd to the scene. Policeman S.
NJ. Davis, who was on duty at the bar
racks sally port. and Detective Bissel,
who was also at the barracks, heard the
screams of the women and ran at once to
the scene of the crime. They were too
late, however, to intercept Williams, who
had already turned the corner at South
Broad and Habersham streets.
THE NURDERER's ESCAPE.
Williams, as soon as he had accom-
plished his work, ran out the front way
and up South Broad street to Haber-
sham, where he turned and ran up York
street lane 1t was said afterwards that
he ran down York street lane to Aber-
corn street, and entered the old post
Office lot, where he hid. This is not known
to be fact, however.
He was seen running from the place by
both the women who had been at the back
OF the house.
The killing caused great excitement,
and large crowd gathered in short
time.
A sIcKENING SCENE.
A horrible sight greeted the crowd
when they entered the house. The Mar
tin woman lay stretched uponher face IN
the hallway with a knife driven to the
hilt in her back and blood pouring from
her wounds. She never uttered word
after she fell and died in about five min
utes after being struck.
Three wounds were found upon the
woman's body, all Of them severe, but
the wound in the back was the one that
caused her death. In her right breast
was a deep stab, itself a dangerous
wound. The right arm was severed
nearly half way across, and the bone was
broken. The last wound in the back was
on the right side just above the hip bone.
The knife was driven to the hilt and De-
tective Bossell, who extracted it, had to
exert considerable strength, showing the
force with which it had been driven. All
of Williams blows must have been given
with the strength and desperation of
mailman.
THE COMMISSION OF THE CRIME.
All the circumstan ces showed the at
tack to have been brief and desperate.
The time occupied could hardly have
been more than a minute.
Judging from the surroundings and the
position in which the woman was found.
together with the statements of the
women in the house, Williams must have
assaulted his victim in her room and dealt
her the first blow in the breast while
standing facing and over her. She prob
ably then broke away from him and ran
into the hall, where he pursued and caught
her, dealing her the second blow on the
arm from the rear and Immediately fol-
lowing this with the death blow in the
back. He then turned and fed without
attempting to carry of the weapon with
which he had committed the deed The
knife is now in possession of the police. 1t
is a common butcher knife with a 5-inch
blade
The women in the house said that the
knife was one which Williams had given
the Martin woman some time ago. few
days ago he took the knife away with
him on some pretence. The fact that he
returned with this knife and almost i'm
mediately committed the assault may be
taken as evidence that his deed was in
territorial.
HARD CHARACTER.
Williams is well known in the city. He
came here about three years ago from
Edgefeld, S. c., but is said to have been
originally from Augusta. His father
is a section boss on the Savan-
nan, Florida and Western railway.
and lives southeast of the city. Williams
was for some time in the employ of the
Electric railway, but was discharged about
three months ago. He is given a hard
character generally by all who know him,
including the police. He is
tall, well-made young fellow,
about 81 years old, with high
cheek bones and thin Jaws high forehead
and has peculiar look about the eyes.
He seems to have been infatuated with
the Martin woman and spent a great deal
of his time at her house. The women il
the house said that he and the Martin
woman were continually quarreling and
that he often threatened to kill her.
ASSAULTED HER ONCE BEFORE.
Hemade an assault upon her with a
knife, itis said, about six months ago and
inflicted several severe cuts. He was re-
turning to the house with the announced
intention of completing his work when
he was arrested by COnstables Nathan
and Dunno. WarreDtS were taken ont