The age-herald., 1898-01-21
MRS. KATE MASSEY
 GAFFORD'S SISTER WhO He Claims Caused Him to Kill
 Barlow Lloyd, SHE Is NOW IN BIRMINGHAM To a Reporter She Declined to Make
 Statement. GAFF0RD'S TRIAL IN FEBRUARY She Will Be Witness, But It Is Said She Has Exonerated Rufus Sanders" From All
 Blame in Connection With the
 Horrible Tragedy.
GAFF0RD'S TRIAL IN FEBRUARY

Mrs. Kate Miller Massey, of Greenyille, Ala, who figured so conspcuously in the Lloyd-Gafford tragedy last August, is in the city visiting friends and relatives.
 An Age-Herald reporter called on Mrs. Massey and asked her if she would not make some statement about the tragedy, and especially about the trial of her brother, Gafford, which is to come off in Greenvile next month.
 Mrs. Massey firmly, but politely, refused to say anything whatever about the mat ter, and seemed very much distressed that the newspapers had learned of her presence in the city. She said that she would have declined to see the reporter had she known his business.
 An injured lok must have overspread the reporters face, for she said: q do not want to appear rude, but I have refused to be interviewed by each and every re- porter that has called on me since that sad event.!
 Mrs. Massey is rather a good looking wo- man, but the strain on her mind for the last four or five months has evidently told upon her. She appears to be of a very retiring disposition and was dressed becomingly in black.
 Resume of the Tragedy.
 The Lloyd-Gafford tragedy created in tense excitement. It will be remembered that John A. Gafford shot and killed Fran cis Bartow Lloyd, better known to the literary world as Rufus Sanders" on Wed nesday afternoon, Aug. 25. He surrendered himself to the sheriff of Butler county on the following Friday night and was placed in jail in Greenville.
 Gafford made a statement substantially as follows:
 "It all grew out of Lloyds attentions to my sister, There are a good many things about their conduct that don't like to talk about, and I want to say as little about them as possible.
 When Lloyd was in Montgomery last winter she went there, too, claiming he had secured d clerkship for her. He was lend- ing her his buggy and hiring buggies for her at the stables in Greenville till the whole neighborhood began to talk about their conduct. Besides this, my brother re- ported to me that he came upon them in the woods together and Lloyd drew his pistol on him and threatened to kill him. That precpitated the tragedy"
 This story of Gafford, it is claimed, is not believed by the people of Butler coun- ty. It is also said that his sister, Mrs. Massey, denied these assertions of her brother and completely exonerated the murdered Lloyd.
 Was His Third Man.
 Lloyd was the third man Gafford has killed One was a convict in the Arkansas state penitentiary, in which Gafford was a guard For this crime he was sentenced to a term of five years imprisonment, but escaped after having served three and half years The other victim was his brother-in-law, R. Golson, of Louisiana, who Gafford claims, mistreated his sister, another and an older one than the one about whom he claims to have killed Lloyd
 As stated above, she entirely acquits Lloyd of any improper relations with her, and will not do anything to protect her brother in the deed he has committed. She will be a witness at his trial, which comes off in Greenville next month but she has made no statement as to what the nature of her testimony would be.