Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-04-09
NEGRO KILLS THREE PEOPLE.
MRS. FURBUSH AND TWO DAUGHTERS
MURDERED BY NEGRO BUTLER.
HE ROBBED THE HOUSE and FLED.
Kills Mother and Oldest Daughter Instantly
and MORALLY Wounds Youngest Child.

Philadelphia, April l.-Fearlng
that he would be arrested for theft,
William II. Lane, colored butler,
shot and killed his employer, Mrs
Ella j. Furbush, her twelve-year- old
daughter, Madeline, and probably
mortally wounded another daughter,
Eloise, aged 7 years, at their home,
No. 652 North Fifteenth street,
shortly before noon to-day. Lane,
who is 25 years of age, escaped from
the house and four hours later was
captured by Philadelphia detectives
while waiting in Camden, N. j., to
board train for Bridgeton, N. J.
He was Immediately brought to this
city, was identified by little Eloise,
and confessed his crime.
Mrs. Furbush lived with her two
daughters in fine four-story house,
which was furnished with all the
comfort that an ample purse could
provide. Lane had been her butler
since Christmas, and besides him she
had another colored servant, a
woman named Agnes. Recently
Mrs. Furbush had been missing small
amounts of money and finally she
Informed the police, who began an
investigation, which was still in pro-
gress when today's tragedy was en-
acted. Suspicion fell on Lane and a
warrant was sworn out for his arrest.
According to Lanes confession, he
saw Mrs. Furbush on Monday night
counting large roll of bills. Know
ing where she kept tho money, he
bided his time and at an opportune
moment late in the evening he stole
$40. This morning Mrs. Furbush
missed the money and questioned
the colored man, but he denied
all knowledge of having it. Ex-
pecting that the theft would be
placed on him and that Mrs. Furbush
would have him arrested, Lane
planned to murder the mother and
her children, rob the house and dis
appear.
At II o'clock he went to the third
floor and found Mrs. Furbush in one
of the middle rooms. He shot her
twice, once in the breast and then
through the heart. She died in
stantly. Eloise, who was in another
room, hearing the noise, ran in to see
what was the matter and as she
entered Lane shot her in the abdo-
men. She fell and he thought he
had also killed her. Without even
attracting the attention of the other
servant, who was ironing in the
kitchen, Lane went to the front door
and called in Madeline, who was
skating OH roller skates on the side
walk. He told her that her mother
wanted her on the third floor and
without the slightest suspicion of the
tragedy that was being enacted and
that she was going to her death,
Madeline climbed the stairs without
removing her skates. She went into
a room adjoining that in which her
mother lay dead. Lane followed her
and as she cheerily called her mother,
the negro shot her through the heart,
killing her instantly.
Lane, in his confession, says he
then proceeded to rob the house
He only found $3.50, two watches
and pocketbook, and while he was
searching for the jewelry he was
interrupted by the arrival of two
special policemen, who had a warrant
for his arrest on the charge of lar
ceny. They asked to see Mrs. Fur.
bush, and Lane showed them to the
receiving room on the second floor
and said he would call his mistress
Recognizing one of the men as an
officer, Lane hastily donned his over.
coat and escaped by the rear of the
house. Al was quiet in tho house
and the policemen hearing a moan
started an investigation, and on the
third floor hallway found little
Eloise. To the policemen she said
"William shot my mother and my
sister and tried to kill me-"