The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-04-15
KILLED HIS SWEETHEART.
A Young Man Shoots and Kills a Young
Lady.

A Young Man Shoots and Kills a Youni
| TALBoTToN. April S.-Miss Salli'
Emma Owen, one of the most beauti
full and accomplished young ladies il
Talbot aud mem Der of wealthy anc
aristocratic family, was assassinatet
in the parlor of Mr.. J. H. McCoy's resi-
dence at $40 o'clock Monday night
DR.. w. L. Ryder, prominent dentist
here, was the assassin and he made
also an attempt to kill Hon. A. P. Per
sons, who was Miss Owens guest q
the time of the tragedy. Miss Owen,
who was just 81 years old. lived with
her parents at their beautiful country
home, 10 miles from this place, and
was social favorite in all the towns
of Georgia. She was a graduate OF
Wesleyan Female college and was
noted for her beauty and excellence OF
character.
DR.. Ryder of Talbotton, had been
paying marked attention to the young
lady for several months. He stood
we'll socially y and his company was
never regarded with disfavor, though
the young lady showed no disposition
to requite tt love that he evidently de-
monstrated. She treated him pleas
antly but as a friend. DR.. Ryder
drove out to the Owen home to visit
Miss o wen and brought her to Talbot
ton to spend the Easter evening with
friends. She stopped at the residence
of Mr.. Mccoy, fPfoininent citizen
and a close friend of the family,
After supper, while DR.. Ryder was
with the young lady in the parlor,
Hon. A. P. Persons called. DR.. Ryder
left the young people in the parlor
aud went to church. He returned af-
ter services and for several minutes
the trio chatted pleasantly, and DR..
Ryder was in apparently good humor.
He soon said goodnight and left the
residence. He went Immediately to
his Office, changed his shses, and went
from there to his room in the Weston
hotel. He was heard to leave the
room in a few minutes. In 10 minutes
from this time, at $40 o'clock, two
gunshots in rapid succession rang out
and the entire town was aroused and
startled. In an instant a man was
seen running from the Mccoy resi-
dence with a doublebarrel shotgun in
his hand, and the news Of the tragedy
was on every ones tongue.
When Ryder left his room in the
Western hotel he carried the gun in
his hand. He passed on the streets
unobserved and stepped softly upon
the porch of the M'Coy residence; en-
tered the hall and made his way to
the parlor door that was partly open at
the time. Miss Owen, who was asnearest
the door. had just arisen from the chair
and was laughing when the gun was
fired; she fell dead in the arms of her
guest. Mr.. Persons saw the man and
the smoke from his gun but before he
could utter an exclamation another
load of shot was fired at him,
several of them hitting him in his face
and chest.
Ryder threw the smoking gun in
McCoy's front yard and ran to his Of
fee; he left quickly and was seen 60
ing alta rapid rate towards Persons
pond. 1t was less than 10 minutes
after the tragedy that the streets were
beginning to fill with people and ex-
citement was intense. A posse of citi-
zens was Immediately organized by
Sheriff Richards. At IL o'clock Ry-
der was found at Persons pond. He
had taken a large quantity of NOR
phine and had gashed his throat from
ear to ear with his pocket knife in a
desperate atempt to kill himself. He
was returned to the city, physicians
summoned and his life saved.
The cause of the tragedy is attribut-
ed to jealousy. 1t is thought that Ry-
der proposed marriage to Miss Owen
yesterday, while driving to the city
and she refused. The presence of Mr..
Persons at The Mccoy residence last
evening as guest of the young lady
is presumed to have infuriated his
rival to madness. 1t is known that
Mr.. Persons stood favorably with the
young lady. Hon. A. P. Persons,
who was Miss Owens guest at the time
of the tragedy and was shot at by Ry-
der, is one of the most prominent men
in Georgia. He is a son of Hon. Hen
ry Persons, an ex-member of congress,
and is himself a candidate for the con-
gressional nomination this year. He
has been a member of the state senate
and has been prominent in Georgia
public life since his majority. His
wounds are painful but not serious.
DR.. w. L. Ryder is conducted with
one OF the most prominent families in
Georgia. He has brother practicing
medicine in Gainesville and another
a professor in the public shoots at
Colum ous.
DR.. Ryder is a young man not over
26 years of age; has a magnificent
practice and until last nights tragedy
was highly esteemed here. He is OF
pleasant address, educated and hand
some and had an entire in the best
homes in Georgia.