Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-28
SUICIDE AND MURDER
MISS MABEL LEE AND n. D. NIT
DHELL Fourp cohD N
DEATH.
FATHER OPPOSED WEDDING.
Refusal to Elope Believed to Have
sab.lancea Man.
had BEEN LOVERS FOR YEARS.
,Green.v111o County Couple Left
Stony Creek Last Tuesday-Badly
Decomposed Bodies Found by Ne
gro Hunter = Believed Mitchell
Killed Girl and Then Ended his
Li1e-Both Were Well Known.
Refusal to Elope Believed to Have
lSnbalanced Man.
bad BEEN LOVERS FOR YEARS.
County Couple Left
fFrom staff Correspondent

(From Staff Correspondent
CARSON. VA. September 1.-THE
bodies of Miss Mabel Lee and Mr.. r B.
Mitchell. both Of Stony Creek. were found
in a ravine near the road, twelve miles
from Jarratts' late yesterday afternoon.
A wealthy but stern father, lovely
girl torn between love for parent and love
for sweetheart; nervous. cratic young
man brooding over his troubles; an elope-
ment; two bodies found in a ravine lying
upon a lap-robe; two funerals at mid
night, one at tho old homestead Of the
dead girls family, near Carson. and one
at the home OF the dead mans family, at
JalTatt's Station
This is a brief epfsome Of the awful
tragedy which was played to the end
down in the neighborhood Of Stony Creek
through this week.
The drama had its beginning years ago
when R. B. Mitchell, then barefoot
boy. came from his home at Jarratt's to
Stony Creek. there to clerk in the store
of Mr.. Lee, a wealthy merchant Of that
place. The boy slept in the store, but
there he met Miss Mabel Lee and fell in
love with her at first sight She was
then a little girl In short dresses. and
she also began to love the boy whom she
saw every day. Mr. Lees home is set In
a lovely spot just outside Of the village:
and several old people tell Of how the
sweethearts, as children, would walk
rs
perfectly happy in each others COM
paEy
The old colored woman who cooks for
Mr.. Lee was in her cabin behind the big
house tonight. There was fire on the
big open hearth and on either side sat the
old woman and her husband, looking sad
ly into the Pickering embers. Every now
and then the old aunty would wipe her
eyes on her apron and sigh.
Old Mnmmy,s Tribute.
Eyes, subj" she said, "dis had been
goin' on long time. member how dey
use to go wifi each other when they wan
10 mo- than babies hardly. Miss Mabel
was just like a chile to me. an she was
des ez good as she could be. Her pa
didn't low her to dance nor nothin', and
she stay at home and do jes like he say
bout everything. I has tucked up her
fingers and has wiped de tears out'n her
pretty blue eyes often. Her ma was daid
and she had stepma, but dey was de
best kind ul friends, 5es like two sisters
mos. Her pa had one son what wuz her
real brother and four other chilluns what
wuz her half-sisters and brothers"
And every one else spoke of Jne sweet
ness and beauty Of the young girl and
of her obedience to her parents and love
for her home.
Attended School Here.
Mr.. Mitchell was Of a nervous tempera-
nent. which bordered on the morbid. He
saw Miss Lee on his first coming to her
fathers uninterruptedly until several
years ago. when the young lady went to
Nashville to boarding school. She
studied there for two sessions and then
studied two more in Richmond. The two
young people continued sweethearts
through all this period. and one year ago
the girl finished her education and re-
turned to her home 70 settle down.
Meantime, Mr.. Mitchell had left Mr..
Lees store and set up in business for
himself little farther up the street But
when Miss Mabel Lee came back to her
fathers house from her school career her
parent forbade her sweetheart's visiting
her The young people continued to see
ach other, however, and would walk to-
gether up to Mr.. Lees front gate, then
Mitchell would tell her goodbye. The
older and younger man seemed still to be
OH good terms and always spoke to each
other politely. But this uncertain kind of
love making seemed to be source of
constant irritation to Mitchell.
OF Nervous Temperament.
He was a thin, quick, nervous man.
His customers say that In waiting on
them that he was always very civil, but
did everything with UNUSUAL haste.
The landlady at the house at which he
boarded looked upon him as rather pecu-
liar. His appetite was abnormal. On some
days he would eat ravenously, and he
would again leave his food untouched,
only calling for cup of coffee. At times
he drank intoxicants, but not to excess
He often implanted Of sleeplessness. and
som etimes remarked jokingly that he
never slept.
One day at his boarding-house he left
the dinner table and went out on the
front porch where there was a young
girl sitting. He asked her to go walk
ing with him. She refused and went into
the house. A few minutes afterwards the
people inside heard the report Of pistol
and running out to the porch found that
Mitchell had in some way dropped pistol
out Of his pocket, which had gone off,
luckily without doing any damage.
Began to Act Strangely.
Within the last few weeks the inmates
of the house where he boarded say that
he showed unmistakably signs Of having
something on his mind. At times he would
not answer when spoken to, and often
talked Of marriage A few days before
his disappearance he spoke in a ha1f-se-
rious way of going to Cuba. His trouble
was that he was experiencing such diff
culties in the way of getting married as
a girls scrup1es against disobeying her
father, and an honest and answering,
but stern, old mans positive prohibition
Of the match.
against his child marrying man who
had once been his. clerk.