Evening star., 1901-12-05
1T ENDS IN DEATH
Two Men Killed and Another Des-
perately Wounded.
THE RESULT OF A NIGHT ASSAULT
Young Mems Effort to Punish
Another Terminates Disastrously
THE SLAYER EXONERATED

J. s. Hackett, j. H. Quesenberry, w L.
Reed, T. C. Hungerford, w. P. Thompson
and L. Washington, citizens of Westmore-
land county, Va, were members of jury
of inquest held yesterday few miles from
Colonial Beach to pass upon. the death of
William Taylor Herbert Marx, young
New Yorker, who was living in the county
for his health had killed Taylor. The jury
found he had used his revolver in self
defense and exonerated him.
Marx also killed William Hefiin, son of
the sheriff of King George county, and
probably fatally wounded James Q. Stiff
Hefin and Stiff were brought here last
night on the steamer Wakefield, and taken
to the Emergency Hospital, where Heflin
soon after died. Stiff is paralyzed below
his neck. where the bullet injured his
spine. The tragedy was the result of
visit to the home of Marx on the part of
party which included the three victims
George Thompson and man named X. H.
Douglass. They went there to avenge an al
legged insult to Rose Taylor cousin of
William Taylor the man who was Instant
ly killed by Marx.
Residents of the village of Oak Grove,
where most of the parties to the affair
lived, were startled late Tuesday night
when they heard what had occurred on the
Marx farm, about three miles away. Sur
geons and undertakers were sought and a
number of citizens started In the direction
of the house where the shooting had oc-
Cured
Oak Grove is a small village only a
short distance from Wakefield, the birth
place of Washington, and Marx lived about
two and half miles from Oak Grove He
was in the village Sunday night and at
tended church with Miss Taylor. The next
day the young woman told cousin of the
alleged improper conduct the part OF
her escort, and the girl cousin told her
brother. William Taylor.
Concludes to Ayenge Alleged Wrong.
The latter concluded that he would
avenge the alleged insult. and the four
members of the party mentioned agreed to
inf1ict punishment Marx at o'clock
Tuesday night. They met in the village
and discussed the affair, and about y
o'clock they started in a wagon to the farm
where Marx was alone in the house, his
mother having gone to New York. Marx is
nineteen years old, and until Monday moth
ing had ever been said about him that
would in any way reflect upon his charac-
ter. The young men in the village who
heard of the allegation made against him
said they would not have believed it had
Ii not come from such source. Under the
circumstances they felt 1t incumbent upon
them to take some action of violent
form.
Arriving at the Marx house a dim light
In one room the evidence that Marx
was there. The house surrounded in
order that its occupant might not escape.
Armed with revolyers and a Winchester
rifle the, five men, members of the self
constituted committee, awaited the de-
Velopments which proved to be dis
astrous.
Taylor, who was an oyster packer at
Colonial Beach, was twenty-one years old,
and Hefin was a clerk in the village store
at Oak Grove. This store Is kept by F.
W. Stiff, father of the young man who
fs now in the hospital Douglass is an
oysterman and George Thompson. who
was the only married man in the party,
Is wheelwright and blacksmith. Taylor
had the Winchester rife and Douglass it
Is stated, was the only one in the party
who was unarmed.
Method of Attack.
When the young men reached point
several hundred yards from the place
where they were to make the attack, the
party stopped, and the horse was tied
In thicket where 1t would not attract at
tention After the several members of the
party had taken their places about the
house Hefin approached and started the
trouble by smashing two panes of glass
from side window. Marx, who Is a law
yer, was seated at his desk writing. The
manner in which the caller had announced
his arrival startled the only occupant of
the house, and picking up his revolver he
called: Who is there?''
The only response was the breaking of
the second pane of glass, and Marx, who
could reach but one conclusion, discharged
his weapon. Hef1in uttered cry and fell
to the ground, the bullet Laving passed
through the abdomen Stiff heard the re-
port of the shot, and knowing exactly
what had occurred. he hurried to the
house and forced open the side door A
second bullet was sent from the weapon
held by Marx, and this time the leaden
missile entered the neck of Stiff infcting
so serious an injury that paralysis result
ed. and the victim dropped on the floor be-
fore he could use his weapon. By this
time Marx concluded he had but little
chance for his life, discovering that other
armed men were about He had fired the
shots, he declares. in defense of his home
and his life and while his victims had IN
doubtedly received severe wounds, he was
hopeful that life had not been sacrificed.
What was coming next he could not
imagine, nor could he explain why the men
had come TO murder him, he supposed
they had He presumed the next move
would be to set fire TO the house. In the
event of such a happening he said, he
felt he would have better chance for his
life out of the house Should there be no.
body to attack him outside he would sum-
mon the nearest neighbor Mr. D. II. Grif-
nth, and in this way he could soon get a
physician.
Leaving the house Marx started down
the path leading to the public road and be-
fore he had gone more than two hundred
yards he saw the form of another man
This man proved TO be William p. Taylor
the organizer of the tar-and-feather party
whose fourteen-year-old cousin had told Of
the alleged insult.
Third Man shot
tree armed with his Winchester, and when
Marx saw him he fell to the ground, con-
fdently expecting attack. Marx waited
until Taylor made a move and then he
raised his revolver and fired. When the
third victim had fallen Marx again started
In the direction of the house of Mr.. Griffith.
He had but three bullets In his revolver
but Thompson and Douglass. it is stated,
had disappeared when they heard the shoot
ing. Marx aroused several neighbors and
returned to the house and did what he could
to save the lives OF the two men Stiff and
Hefiin. Physicians were summoned and
the wounded men were cared for until an
early hour yesterday morning. when they
were put aboard the steamer Wakefield and
brought here. Marx told of his experience
In the orchard, and went with a lantern
TO the point from which he had fired the
shot There beneath a pear tree was the
dead body of Taylor, one hand clutching
the Winchester. The bullet from the weap-
on held by Marx had penetrated his heart
and caused instant death.
Dr. w. w Washington did what he could