The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-26

Neighbors, Attracted by the Fire, Find
the Five Charred Bodies Amid the Ruins
of the Dweiing-The Motive OF the Muir.
der Supposed to be RObbery-The Rob-
bers FoiIed-Remnants of a Roll of Mol
ey Found in the Debris.
Nashville, Tenn, March 24.-Particu
lars of what appears to have been
horrible and brutal murder were re-
ceived here from Paradise Ridge early
this morning. Jacob AIDE, one Of the
eldest and best known farmers Of the
Ridge settlement, his wife, his daught-
er and son, and a little daughter Of
Henry Moirer, were probably murdered
and their bodies cremated in AIDES
house, which was burned to the ground.
The theory of the murder is strength
ened by the fact that all the bodies
were found in the same room, but scat
tered around over the space occupied
by the room. 1t was first thought that
the old man was killed for his money,
as he was known to be well-to and
always kept supply of money on
hand, but whether this be true cannot
be positively stated now, as the old
mans money, or at least the ashes of
what was once a big roll Of money, has
j been discovered in the ruins of the
house.
The dead are: Jacob AIDE, Mrs. j.
AIDE, Lizzie Ade, aged 20 years; Henry
Ade, aged Is years; Rosa Moirer, aged
10 years.
Jacob Ade lived fourteen miles from
this city, near the Cheatham county
line. The house sits back half a mile
from what is known as the Old Clarks-
Vile turnpike. 1t was one-stOry
frame dwelling with five rooms-tWo
rooms In front with hall way be
tween, and three rooms running back,
forming an ell. Old man AIDE and his
wife usually occupied the first room in
the ell, just in the rear of the front
room, or parlor. There was only one
bed in this room. 1t was in this room
that all the bodies were found
The first indication of the tragedy
was discovered at 10 o'clock last night
by Justice Simpson, who lives half a
il mile from the Ade place. There was
Il sick man at Mr.. Simpsons house,
and about 10 O'Clock Mr. Simpson went
out to get some water for the man,
when he saw that AIDES house was on
e fire. He at once rode to the scene and
A found the house in ruins. Finding no
8 one near, Simpsons suspicious were
b aroused, and upon a closer inspection
q the ruins. He went to work at once
q to rescue the bodies and succeeded in
getting four of them out. These
proved to be the bodies of Mr.. and Mrs.
Ade, Miss Lizzie AIDE and Rosa MOirer.
After this Mr.. Simpson rode around
and notified a number Of the neighbOrs,
and in a short while quite a crowd had
collected about the ruins. Henry Ade,
the 13-year-Old son of Mr.. AIDE, was
also missing, but his body could not be
found. 1t was first thought that he
had escaped to the woods, but fur
ther search of the ruins of the house this
morning disclosed his body. The bodies
. of Mr.. and Mrs. AIDE, Miss Lizzie Ade
and Henry AIDE were burned to a crisp.
]. The limbs and heads were burned off,
and in fact only a small mass of flesh
and bones remained. The old man and
Il his wife were more horribly burned
than the others.
The purpose of the murder was at
q first thought to be robbery, but if this
Z be correct, the murderer was ili-paid
4 fer his horrible crime.
81 In searching the ruins of the house
B this morning an oyster can was found
under the place where a closet once
g stood in Mr.. AIDES sleeping room In
q this can the remains of what was eVl
& IDENTIFY a large roll of money was found.
together with four dollars which had
been melted so that they were sticking
together.
Sheriff Clark was notified Of the sup
posed crime early this morning and he
with several deputies went to the scene
and they are now working on the case.
Disposng of the robbery theory, 1t is
very hard to fin2 motive for the hOr-
rble crime, as Mr.. AIDE was a very
popular man and well liked by all his
4 neighbofs.