Woodruff County news., 1902-11-06
A Most Dastardly Crime Committed Within a Few Miles of
 Little Rock.
VICTIM FOUGHT DESPERATELY FOR LIFE
Two Suspects Arrested, but Escaped After WOunding an Onicer-PeOple Within . Radius of Fifty Miles on Lookout for the Fiend-Murdered Girl Member of Prominent Family.

Miss Florence Shillcutt, aged 19 years, was found dead with her throat cut near the home of her father, five miles from Little Rock. October 29. Her body was terribly mutilated, and the surroundings showed that she had desperate struggle with her fiendish murderer. Miss Shillcutt, whose fam fly is one of the oldest and most high ly respected in Pulaski county, left her home about g o'clock and went to the home of her uncle, MT. Sulli- van, on an errand. She was accom- panied by little sister, who did not return with her when she started home. At a point remote from any house the brute attacked his victim. She fought desperately and the strug- gle seems to have been carried on ill not equal to the brute force of her as sailant, and her body was found about 15O yards from the spot where she was first assaulted. It was lying face downward in a pool of blood, the cloth ing being badly disarranged and scarce ly a spot was not covered with blood. An examination disclosed the fact that there had been no criminal assault. The father and uncle of the dead girl discovered the body few hours after the awful crime was committed. MT. Shillcutt and MT. Sullivan were hunt ing quail and came across the body ac- cidentally in an old field near the road where she was first attacked. There were evidences in the road and sev- eral places in the field that terrible struggle for life had been made by Miss Shillcutt. There were footmarks of girl and man. The latter's track indicated that he wore about number eight shoe, square cut heel, and of somewhat better make than is usually worn by a farmer or negro when at work. From the road the tracks led to point about fifteen steps into the old field. Here had evidently occurred another struggle and few splotches of blood were found on the grass and weeds. About fifty yards further to- ward the place where the body lay, was the evidence of another struggle even fiercer than the other two. 1A considerable pool of blood was found on the ground. Then, some distance away, was a place where the girl seemed to have fallen. From that place to where the body was found by the father and uncle was track which seemed to indicate that the human fiend had dragged his victim by the heels and probably frightened out of his wits by his deed. had made but little effort to conceal the body. The clothing of the young woman was bad ly disarranged, but not torn. Her skirt, waist. back and front, were cov- cred with her life blood. Besides the | two wounds on either side of the neck, about half way between the ear and | shoulder and bruises about the body, was one in the right hand, where a | pocket knife had been thrust entirely | through, probably in one of the several struggles which took place before un- consciousness came. Several suspects were arrested. among them a young man named Earl Knight, who had been keeping company with Miss Shillcutt
 but he had little trouble in proving his | innocence. Several others have been arrested. The news of the awful crime caused the greatest excitement
 Officers Henry Nowlin and Josh Harp arrested two negro suspects al railroad camp near Palarm, and while searching them one of the pris oners shot Nowlin in the foot and bott escaped. It is believed the negro who shot Nowlin is either the murderer o1 Miss Shillcutt or is guilty of some other crime. His clothing was torI
 in certain places, and the officers thinl they detected blood stains on his shirt
 Of this, however. they are not sure as they were prevented from making a close examination. Posses are SCOUT
 ing the woods in every direction, ant
 the two parties who escaped from Now
 lin and Harp can hardly get away
 When the news of the shooting reached
 Little Rock crowds began to gather
 armed with pistols and Winchesters
 with the determination to lynch tht
 pnilty marty Is brought to the city