The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-02-22

An Awful Tragedy IN Chattanooga
Z No Cause is Known for the Kill

An Awful Tragedy IN Chatanoog.s-
No Cause is Known tor the Kill
ing.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Feb. r.
This afternoon, between the hours OF
2 and 3 O'clock, in the Russell House,
Robert 7. Craig, county trustee OF
Hamilton County, shot and killed A.
M. Womble, formerly employed by
Mr.. Craig as one of his deputies, but
more recently engaged in the organi-
zation of q cooperative cotton mill.
In this cold and barefaced statement
Is told the result, but not the story, of
one of the most deplorable tragedies
in the history OF Chattanooga. Early
in December Mr.. Womble was dis
charged from his position as one of Mr..
Craig's deputies, not by Mr.. Craig,
but by his bondsmen. Mr.. Womble
had been employed on the books in the
office. There was no particular OBJ
lection to him, but the bondsmen SEEM
ed to prefer some one else, and Mr.
Womble retired, Mr.. Craig had MOTH
ing. to. do with it, There was no bad
feeling between the men, SO far as is
known. If they ever quarreled before
this afternoon, no one knows it.
Just what occurred in Mr.. Craig's
rooms may never be known. Mr..
Wohuto uou SOuo tuere 10 DISCUSS
some financial matters of an unknown
nature. Shortly after MIR. Womble
bad been admitted Lucinda Clay, a
chamber maid, heard scuffling and
noises in the room. She was cleaning
up a room two doors beyond. The
noises continued and she ran out in
the hall.
Just then Mr.. Womble came OUT of
Mr.. Craig'S room and said
MY God, I'm murdered ~
He ran down the hall towards the
stairs. crying alternately. Murder |"
Help ~ Helpw Murder ~
When half way down the flight of
stairs leading from the third floor
he staggered and fell to the bottom,
evidently badly wounded.
AT that moment DR.. E. K. Kerr ap-
pcared on the scene, coming from his
room on the second floor, and stimuli
taneously Mr.. Craig appeared at the
top of the stairs with pistol in his
hand, wild-eyed and flushed in the
from an ugly wound in the
forehead. Running half way down
the stairS he fired wildly and narrowly
missed DR.. Kerr's baby, which he was
carrying in his arms. DR.. Kerr put
the baby in a place of safety and re-
turned toathe spot. Mr.. Craig had de-
scended the stairs and was standing
two or three steps above Mr.. Womble,
who was lying fiat on his back Just be-
meath him at the foot of the stairs.
Mr. Craig snapped the pistol at him
two or three times. 1t failed to work
He broke the weapon in two and ex-
amined 1t. Then he snapped the bar
rel together and pointing the pistol at
Mr.. Womble heshot twice. One shot
missed the body; the other entered the
abdomen, passed through and was
later extracted from the skin of the
back. Mr.. Womble died thirty min
utes later, making the following ante
mortem statement:
BY invitation went TO Mr.. Craig's
room to look over some figures, when
he, Robert II. Craig, shot me from be-
hind, without warning. | had no fight
at all with Mr.. Craig"
The jury of inquest found that Mr..
Womble came to his death from
wounds inflicted by a pistol fired by
Robert T. Craig.
Robert Craig is one OF the best
known young men in Tennessee. This
is his second term as trustee. He is q
member of the Mountain City Club,
the swellest social organization in the
city, and has been a lion among the la
dies, who will be startled to learn by
unavoidable facts that he has been a
most dissipated young man and had an
Unsuitable appetite or cocaine, habit
for the cure of which he had three
times visited the Keely institute. All
that can be learned of the cause of the
tragedy is that Mr.. Craig accused Mr..
Mr.. Womble of jugglery with the
county warrants. A fight followed in
the room, which smashed everything
breakable, and the pistol was used
there as we'll as in the hall.