Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-01
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
THREE PERSONS KILLED IN As
MANY SECONDS.
DEED OF A CRAZY-DRUNK MAN.
lie II Taken Prisoner without Re-
sistancc ON His THS!, and Says
That He Knows Nothing Of
His Crime.

ATLANTA, GA, December sl.-Tom
Flanagan. a carpenter. killed three per-
sons tonight, near Decatur. in three Sc
conds. Flanagan boarded with G. w.
Allen and wife, an old couple. who lived
in DeKalb county just beyond the city
limits. The Aliens were both over 70
years Of age. They kept a boarding.
house. and had FIVE boarders. in all. At
o'clock tonight the Aliens and their
boarders sat down to supper in the din
ingFOom. Flanagan was In an adjoin-
ing room. He had been drinking. but
the family did not know that he was
drunk. lie was called two or three
times. and finally appeared at door
leading from his room into the dining
room, and without a word began firing a
pistol az the people seated az the table.
His first shot struck old Mrs Allen. and
she fell over, fatally wounded. The next
shot hit the aged husband and he drop
ped to the floor The boarders were now
springng from their seats 10 escape Just
as Miss Ruth Slack rose. bullet struck
her IN the head. and she fell dead Tho
others ran out, and were followed by tho
remaining bullets in Flanagan's pistol.
The old man and his wife died on the
floor I'm a few minutes.
The b0arders called for help. and n
posse soon rushed into the house and
took Flanagan prisoner. without resist
ance on his part He was too drunk
TO realize what he had done. When
asked why he had committed the crime.
he cd not know anything about it. He
SCI med 10 be crazy-drunk.
The Marshall of Decatur brought Flana-
gan into the city to get him away from
the scene. as there was talk Of hanging
him before mornig. The Marshal placed
him IN the county jail hero. but he dii
not know any OF the circumstances of tho
triple tragedy. Flanagan was stin too
drunk 10 talk intelligently about IL. and
when he began TO sober up he sent for
Judge Hillyer. The attorney had an In
terview with him. and then asked the
jaller not to allow any one 10 see Flana-
gam Judgs Hillyer refused TO make
any statement.
MURDERER UNKNOWN.
Very little has been learned about
Flanagan The city police DO not know
nim. and his fellow -boarders say that
ne was not intimate with any Of them.
ihey were so demOralized by the sud-
ienness of his onslaught that. II they dh
know him well. they cannot give any OF
Ms past history. So far as known, he
had never shown any evidence OF IN
anity. and he seems TO have been crazed
Dy drink. He was away from the Allen
house nearly all day, and when he re-
turned, late in the afternoon. had a bot
tie of whiskey from which he drank
heavily prior to the supper hour.
One of the boarders says that he was
not aware that Flanagan was entering
The room until he heard the first pistol
hot and saw Mrs. Allen fall Looking
up he saw tho crazed man standing in
the doorway. within arms reach. almost,
Of the table taking deliberate aim at
Mr.. Allen. Then all the others made a
break for outdoors Miss Slack who was
related to the Aliens, sat terror-strickeu
for "a moment and was the last to at
tempt 10 escape Flanagan stepped into
the room. and thrusting the pistol almost
against her head. fired.
The Aliens had lived IN the suburbs
for years. They were well known in their
8eighbOrhoOd.