The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-02-09
KILLED HER sIsTER-IN.LAw.
A Kentucky Woman I'm Jail and
Awaiting Trial for Murder-The
Husband Visits Her Every Day.

Husband Visits Her Every Day.
Mrs. Amy Mcintosh, who stands in
dicted for murder. is In Jail at Boone
vile, Ky. She killed her sister-in-
law, Mrs. Polly Ann Fox, wife of the
noted mountain murderer and counter
feiter, James Fox, now serving q term
OF ten years in the penitentiary for
countorfeiting.
The story Of the killing is one of the
most thrilling in Kentucky's annals OF
crime. About q month before the
killing, which took place on the 10Th
day OF last June, Amy Riley was mar
RED to Merideth Mcintosh, brother OF
Mrs. Fox. Polly Ann was opposed to
the match, and circulated a report
damaging to Amy's character. She
could not prevent the marriage in this
way, however, and after her brother
married the girl who WIS Just twenty.
one, Mrs. Fox continued to SANDER her
sister-in-law. A few weeks after the
marriage tho two womer met and
Polly Ann abused Amy in the choicest
mountain billingsgato. At that meet
ing Amy showed disposition to resent
the abuse heaped upon her, but friends
fnterfered and prevented an alterca-
ton. When they parted Polly Ann
told Amy that she would see her again,
and the ncxt time she would beat her
to death.
On the day of the killing Polly Ann
armed herself with o sled standard
about three feet long, and as large
around as a chair post. She went to
the home of her si~ster.in-law but
Amy saw her coming, and desiring to
avoid a difficulty, escaped from the
house by the back way and went to the
home OF her brother James Riley, about
a quarter of o mile distant. When
Polly Ann learned that Amy had
escaped to her brothers she followed.
Whom Amy saw her coming to her
brothers house she arn.e. herself with
q large dirk and started back home,
going across the hill, a uear route, in
order to avoid meeting her angry
sister-in-law But Polly Ann saw her,
and running after her, began to throw
rocks, several Of which struck Amy.
The last rock she threw knocked her
down, and the Infatuated Polly Ann
rushed toward her with sled standard
appraised.
Just as she was about to strike. Amy
sprang up and lodged the blow at the
same time stabbing Polly Ann in the
hilt, and the point of the blade pierced
the lower part o, Polly AIMS heart.
Polly Ann made another feeble effort
to strike her sister-in-law, but she was
too weak from the loss of blood and fell
over, expiring within two minutes.
Amy Immediately surrendered to the
authorities and was acquitted on her
examining trial. But James Fox mad
been acquainted of the killing OF his
wife, anu he wrote letters to several of
his friends in Owsley county, and they
succeeded in having Amy indicted for
murder at the last term OF the Owsley
circuit court. She was unable To give
bail and had to go to jail. As Fox and
his friends have often evadcd Justice
when brought to book Tor their law
lessh.ss &EG COuntrrfeiting, by packing
juries and manufacturing testimony, it
is feared by Amy's friends that she
viii b" convicted. She seems cheer
full and appears to think that she will
be speedily acquitted. She SAYS:
"Yes, there had been q hardness
between us. She called me bad names
and said was a mean woman, but she
was my husbands sister, and | didn't
want to hurt her. | tried to get away
from her on that awful day, but she
wouldn't let me. | believe She would
have killed me then and there II !
hadn't used my knife"
The prisoner was born in Brcnthitt
county, Kentucky, in 1875. Her father
was James 1tilcy, u member OF one of
W." D''Ncp ihuliiltS, lie ancestors t'ml-
grating to Br"athiLt carly in this cen.
fury. The Riieys havo been often
connected with the terrible feudal wars
which ragged in eastern kentucky IN
the early eighties, and it was on ac-
count OF his participancy In q feud that
James Riley removed with his family
to Owsley county.
The prisoner is a rather cookbook
ing mountain woman. She is five feet
four inches high; has light, yellow
hair; large blue eyes, and witbal q
pleasant c~ountenance. She is very
retiring, n when addressed by a
stranger, looks down to the ground
and replies at first in monosyllables.
She Weighs about 1875 pounds, aud is
as strong and muscular as the average
man OF her age. Hcr husband main
tains that she is innocent OF murder.
dc says his sister forced the deed upon
Amy. But he is too poor to bail her
out Of jail, and he has to content HIM
self with visiting her every day.