Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-01-31
Alter Shooting a Brother in-LaW
Through the Heart.
DAN. HARDwICK KILLS GEORGE
WARD AND AFTERwARp
TAKES HIS OWN LIFE.
domestic Difficulties Lead to the Awful
tragedy Hardwick's Wife Re-
Gently Granted a Divorce
Which was the Cause
OF the Murder
and Suicide:

a doubie tragedy occurred Sanda,
iour and a half miles southeast of thi
city. Daniel M. Hardwickkiled Geo
Ward, his brother-h-ls@, and the
shot himself. The histsry of the cas-,
is as follows: II
Dan. Hardwick ada Lucy Ward
daughter of Geo. Ward, Sr., a farme,
iivlng four and a half miles southeas
OF THIS city, were married some ifteeI
years ago against the will of the youne
lady's parents, so it is said. The,
moved away from this county ooI
after n lived away from her famii,
surroundings several years. A few
years later they moved back to the ole
neighborhood, near the old folks. The
iather-in-law, with his family, could
never get along with his s~on-in-Iaw
Hardwick and his wife also continual,
quarreled, Finally last summer Hard.
wick appeared in the Probate Court
before Judge s. NJ. Edwards and asked
for a writ of habeds corpus against the
Wards and his wife in order to procure
the children. He and his wife bad
then been separated some months
They had four or five children, three
OF which were boys, ranging from the
age OF our to fourteen years. Upon adj
Visement both sides withdrew the
case from the Probate Court and
agreed to abide by the opinion of the
Circuit Court after the result OF the
divorce suit.
In August Hardwick appeared at
Prosecuting Attorney Trimble's Office
one day and consulted with attorney
Jno. ID. Orear as to the ACCESSIBILITY of
prosecuting the Wards for continually
~bothering him and keeping his child
rem from him. He brought with him
two large rocks, which he said the
Wards tsome of them had battered
his door with. He stated that his
children had been taught t sneer at
and mock him whenever he passed by
the Ward place and that ne could not
stand it longer, and wished to draw
up papers for prosecution. He was
advised to let the matter drop and not
to attempt to prosecute them, which
he did.
On Thursday, Jan. Gath, in the Cir
cult Court his wife was granted a di-
vorce from him on account of general
reasons. She claimed he often beat
and insulted her. Hardwick did not
contest the matter; he was allowed to
see his children n a month by the
court. Ernest CAN'T was attorney
for Hardwick; P. HI. Cullen was the at
torney for his wife. Mrs. Hardwick
che
divorce was granted, but remained in
Mexico, where she has two sisters
living. Mrs. Shaw, of South Calhoun
street, is a sister of Mrs. Hardwick;
also Mrs. Britton, who lives over Ma
sol Creasey's Secondhand store on
Washington street. 1t was at the lat
ter's home that she stopped. Another
sister, Mrs. Sam Woods, lives south of
this city in the Ward neighborhood. 1t
was at this sisters that Mrs. Hardwiek
spent most of her time while living
apart from her husband.
The whole affair was weighing very
heavily upon Hardwick's mind. In
Harrison & Cooper's barber shop Sat
urday afternoon he made the remark
to f. j. Cooper, one of the colored
proprietors, when asked how he was
feeling, that he was all right but there
would be a ''killin' before Monday
morning" He kept his word. Walk
ing out South Jefferson street with
Circuit Clerk B. G. johnson, a few
hours later, he minated the same to
him and told him the circumstances
about his children being kept from him
and that he intended to have matters
changed or kill old man Ward. Mr..
johnson is said to have tried to dis
suade him from any such intentions,
but Hardwick held fast to his resolu-
ton.
A little before three O'Clock Sun
day afternoon Hardwick went to the
Ward place and from the gate yelled
"Helloi" The senior Ward came to
the door and asked him what he want
ed. Hardwick replied that he wished
to see Mrs. Hardwick. The old man
told him that she was in town. Hard
wick said he knew better. Ward then
told him to move on as no trouble was
wanted there. One of Hardwick's little
boys, aged 7 or 8 years, joined his
grandfather on the front porch and
also told Hardwick TO go away. This
made the latter very angry; ne called
for another of his children and
was refused the privilege Of seeing
him. Just then Geo. Ward, Jr., a
grown young man, came up the road
with still another young son of Hard
wick's and passed into the front gate,
past Hardwick and got halfway to the
house, when the latter made some
threat to the old man on the porch
about getting the boy, cursed aim ana
called him all kinds of names. The son
turned and started back toward HARD
wick to stop his talk and compel nm
tn move on. When about twelve feet
from him Hardwick pulled revolver
from his pocket and calling young
Ward a "sneaking little fiste" shot at
him three times, the first ball entering
his left side and penetrating the lower
mart of his heart. The young MAJ
turned, staggered a few steps and fen
TO the ground. His father cam OIL 20
nick him up but Hardwick c1ieckeo
him with his revolver, turr.ed ana
walked Town the road about hity
wards. Old man Ward came out ana as
he leaned over his son's PROSTATE
hodv. he heard another pistol shot ana
raised up to see Hardwick lying IN D
road. He had shot himself nroas
the head, the ball passing clear through
the skull. Young Ward was removed
INTO the house where he lived only
thirty minutes, fully conscious up TO
his death. Hardwick was removed !"
a neiahbor's, where he lived tof an
hopr and o half, shot clear through the
mead and his brains oozing out ooth
bullet holes. ana
Mr.. sam Woods, a neisnDof M
brotEer-in-law OF young Waro' .
t -x.Iz Infn tnl%