The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1895-07-17
HANGED FER SWEETHEART.
.unp TERRIBLE CRIME OF A JEAL-
Gus GIRL
Goaded by Der Parents to Commit
,Iurder--Lured Her Victim to
aLOnely spot.

aLonely spot.
roeoETo. TEX, July 12.-On the wit.
80 stand today, after a rigid examina.
-, nv the coroner, Miss Bessie Harris,
tbo nretty daughter of wealthy farmer,
,nfpssed that she hanged her sutton,
,1bsrt Blackman, of whom she was in
saneIy jealous.
BIackman's body was found hanging
~ free in lonely spot short distance
from this town. The general impression
ras that he had committed suicide.
There we're several people who did not
accept this theory. They suggested to
the coroner that he subject Miss Harris
40 severe examination. 1t was known
+ho dead man vas last seen in her com
pany.
Miss Harris was according put upon
the witness stand today and instructed
70 tell all she knew about the case. She
.said that Blackman, who was well to
DO Young farmer, had been counting her
far some time in opposition to the wishes
Of her parents. Her father and mother
did not object to the young man en- ac-
count of his habits. He was Industrious
and sober and was abundantly able to
nroyide comfortable home for her. Bat
the parents maintained that she was too
Young to marry, being scarcely Is years
old. They hoped that she would take
fancy to a relative living in another state,
whose name she refused to divulge.
Her parents, finding they could not
change her affection for Blackman, be,
gan a systematic attack upon her jealous
disposition. They told her that Black
man was simply making her ridiculous,
and that he was engaged to another girl.
The girl believed the stories told her,
and determined to kill Blackman. She
gave him no chance to explain the reports
her parents had given of him, and did
not even mention that she suspected HIM
of infdelity.
At her fathers suggestion, she le-
,quested that Blackman give her test of
his love by letting her hang him, prom
sing to cut him down in time to save his
life. Blackman was so desperately in
love with the girl that he readily sub
mitted to the test.
On the night of the murder she took
walk with him and lured him to a lonely
spot, where her father was in hiding with
rope Excusing herself for a moment,
she procured the rope from him and
placed it about Blackman's neck. She
says that he expressed little fear of the
result as he felt sure that she did not
have strength enough to pull him from
the ground.
After the rope had been placed over
the limb of the tree and drawn taut, her
father appeared. He and the girl pull! ed
\ Blackman from the ground and tied The
fatal knot The poor fellow struggled
ssvribly, and she would have cut him
down, but her father mentioned the
@'0Aer woman and her heart hardened
toward her lover, who was slowly strang-
ding tO death.
Aftg the body had become rigid she
united Nhe rope and lowered the body to
the ground. Even then she felt no pangs
of remorSe, but, with the assistance of
her father arranged the body and the
Fope SO tina, it would appear to be case
of suicide.
The unexpected confession created
sensation. There was talk of lynching
the parents of TIE girl. 1t was averted
only by the propptness of the officials,
who, immediatelyafter the girls confes-
sion, placed her larents under arrest.
The girl was also arrested on a charge of
murder.