The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-06-09
TERRIBLE DOUBLE crime!
Lawyer c. K. HiIlyard, Rich but Des-
pondent, Kills His Son and Himself
DEED WAS CO0LLY PLANNED.

A Brooklyn Barrister, Who Had Weslth
But No Clients, Committed Suicide
Because Life Had Been q Failure
Sacrificed His Boy to Save Him Pain 1
Called the Lad From Play to Death.
NEW YORK CRY daD.-Charles
Kemble Hillyard, Brooklyn lawyer, who
began life as an actor and was relative
of Charles and Anna Kemble, Mrs. Scott
Siddons and Agernon sartoris, took the
life of himself and of his thirteen-year-old
boy either on Monday night or early Tues
day morning. His own failure in life, his
inability to obtain clients, or In the social
world to gather friends to himself through
the bonds Of sympathy, had been brooded
over 30 much that 1t had become a mono.
mania with him. When there was added
to this the melancholy into which the death
of his wife threw him, his unbalanced mind
turned to suicide as relief. Unwilling to
have his boy face the world that had
proved 80 bitter to him, Hillyard took the
lad with him into the great unknown.
The double tragedy occurred in the
sleeping room Of the father and son, on the
Greene avenue, Brooklyn. A. revolver, with
two empty chambers, which was found neal
the body Of the father, and bullet holes In
the heads Of the father and son, just above
the right ear in each case, tell how the deed
was done, though 1t Is not known that any
one heard the shots.
Among the letters, schedules and state-
ments written by Hillysrd in explanation
Of his contemplated deed, there Is re-
II, 40 hrfn ant "a "a
tragedy which he was planning. Additions
and interlineations In some of these state
ments make 1t probable that the killing Of
his boy was an afterthought.
Hillyard was ffty-four years old, and. al.
though q graduate OF the Columbia Law
School and with twenty years Of attempted
practice Of law behind him, desk room In
an Office of the Arbuckle Building was all
he needed for conducting the legal Affairs
Of his handful Of clients. On Monday even
ing he returned home In particularly
fretful, uneasy frame Of mind. Through
out supper his manner was exceedingly
nervous, and when he arosel from the table
he told his son to come upstairs with him.
But the lad, happy, talented youngster,
was repairing his bicycle for ride which
he intended taking, and said:
"Wait, papa; I want to clean my bicycle"
The father consented, but went upstairs
himself. At o'clock the boys usual bed
time, Hillyard called down for the boy, and
the latter went up. After the boy had re-
tired Miss Catherine Mein, Hillyard's sister,
in-law, entered the room with basket OF
apples, and found Hillyard writing. Then
she went to her room on the third floor,
where also slept the servant, the only other
person in the house.
Miss Mein, at O'Clock next morning,
knocked at the door Of the room, and, hear
ing no answer, entered just far enough to
see the body Of the boy. She thought she
the wind blowing the covers. Fearing to
arouse the irritable nature of her brother.
ln-law, she withdrew.
It was after the luncheon hour when sus-
picions were aroused by the non-appear-
ance Of the two. Miss Mein again went to
the room and this time went in far enough
to see that the heads of the man and the
boy were covered with blood.
The body Of the boy was lying in his little
brass bed In the alcove Of the sleeping
room. It was lying on the left side,: and
the placid countenance indicated that there
was no return Of consciousness when the
father leaned over and fred the shot that
changed the sleep Of life to the sleep OF
death.
The fathers bed stood beside the boys.
Hillyards body lay across this, and the re-
volver was on the floor. NHe had evidently
sat on, the edge Of the bed to shoot himself.
Over his nightgown was dressing-gown,
and his slippers were on his feet.
On the centre-table were found the state
ments and letters which he left, and some
unpaid bills. On a stand at one side rested
8 large Bible, open at the twenty-thtrd
Psalm. In the closet was Eillyards hat,
with mourning band on 1t, and dress