The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-18
ENDS HIS SWEETHEART's LIFE.
MACK LEWIS PISTOL SENDS A BALI
THROUGH MISS HURsTs HEART.

The Tragedy Occurs While the Low
ers We're Target Practicing I'm
Mitchell Countryside LifeIess
Form of the Daughter the First
News OF the Tragedy Received BY
Her Parents-The Mother, Craxetr
by Grief, Attempts Suicide-Whis-
Dcrings That the Tragedy May Not
Have Been Accidental Are GeEer-
ally DIscredIted.
Albany. Ca, Oct 17.-Near Faircloth.
Mitchell county, yesterday afternoon. Miss
Hurst, the beautiful 16-year-od daughter
Of Planter J. b. Hurst, was shot and
killed with a pistol by her sweetheart,
Mack Lewis.
The bullet passed exactly through the
young lady's heart, killing her Instantly.
The whole county is in a fever of ex-
citement, and the following are the clear
est details which can be had:
Yesterday afternoon young Lewis called
with his buggy at the Hurst farm, which
adjoins that Of his father and took Miss
Hurst for a drive Miss Hurst, while only
16 years old. was quite a belle In the
community, and received a great deal of
attention, although young Lewis was rec
ognized as her favored suitor.
The couple had driven, according to
young Lewis statement, some ten miles,
when they stopped the buggy and got OUT
to practice pistol shooting at a target,
which he placed against pine tree ten
PAGES away. Several rounds had been
fired alternately when, it being Miss
Hursts turn to shoot, he handed her the
cooked pistol, and in taking it from his
hand, he says, the pistol exploded, and
Miss Hurst fell at his feet and expired
instantly.
He picked the unconscious form up, and,
placing her In his buggy, drove hurrledly
toward the nearest settlement, which was
four miles away Arriving at the De-
Graffenreid home. he took the dead girl
out of the buggy and carried her into the
house telling the story as above.
He was nearly crazed with excitement,
and left in few minutes for his home.
Mr., DeGraffenred then hitched UP a
surrey, and placing a mattress in the bot
tom, laid the corpse thereon and carried
her home, arriving there before any news
of the tragedy had reached Miss Hurst's
parents.
The young lady was a petite and deli
cate figure only Weighing about 100
pounds, and DeGrafenreid, being a strotig
man, took her In his arms and bore her
into the house, and into the presence Of
her mother. The daughter had left home
only few hours before in the bloom OF
health and beauty and the sight of her
bloody and lifeless corpse fell like clap
of thunder from a clear sky.
The mother. almost wild with grief,
went into Mysteries and, partially recov-
ering her distracted senses, the crazed and
screaming parent seized a poisonous drug
and was only prevented by force from
ending her life.
The shocking tragedy has created intense
excitement, Both families are of the best
in Mitchell county.
The coroner's jury went to the shoot
ing and then to the home Of the dead girl
to-day.
There are all sorts of rumors about the
killing, some of which are very unfavor.
able to young Mack Lewis. 1t Is hlnted
that the tragedy may not have been an
accident, and that jealousy or other
causes may have influenced Miss Hursts
sweetheart to kill her although this opin-
ion Is shared by but few, the majority
believing Lewis story that the killing was
purely an accident
The jury will make up their verdict
some time tonight.