The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-20
SIX COLD IN DEATH
WHOLESALE KILLING BY INFATU-
ATED YOUNG MAN.
HASTINGS, FLA THE SCENE.
ONLY AN INFANT LEFT ALIVE OF
ENTIRE FAMILY.

William Austin, infatuated With H.
Near-OId Abitha Mccullough, Or
phan Girl, who Refused to Marry
Him, Kills the Girl and the Mem
hers of the Family with whom She
Was staying, Then Lay Down Be
side the Body of Hts sweetheart
and Blow Out His own Brains.
St. Augustine, Fla, May 1s.-Crazed
by his infatuation for little Abitha
Mccullough, a 13-year-old girl, Will
liam Austin, a young man, killed the
girl and four other persons and then
committed suicide in a lonely farm
house of William wilkinson, near Has
tings. a thriving settlement eighteen
miles from this city at o'clock this
morning. The dead are William Wiki
inson, aged so; Mrs. Wilkinson, his
wife; Miss Abitha Mccullough, aged
10; Miss Wilkinson. sister of William
Wilkinson; a child, name not learned,
and William Austin, the murderer and
suicide, aged 25.
The crime was first discovered by
John Keller, who visited the Wilkinson
house this morning. He found six
NOl poOof ONdlNSl9 SOiQs anu Dul OliC
living witness to the tragedy, a help
less infant. Austin had been madly
infatuated with the Mccullough girl.
who lived with the Wilkinson family,
and it is claimed that he Killed the en-
tire family because his advances were
rejected and his desire to wed the girl
was disapproved.
Was Determined on Marriage.
He went to the wilkinson home Fri
day night and proposed marriage to
Abitha Mccullough. He was rejected,
and vowing he would marry her. hur-
ried to this city, and on Saturday pro-
cured a marriage license. He went to
church on Sunday night and told every
one he met that he was to be married
that night. About o'clock this morn
ing several pistol shots were heard,
but no one went to investigate. Will
kinson failed to appear this morning
at neighbours house where he was
engaged in harvesting a crop of pota-
toes and John Kellar. a farm hand
was sent to learn the cause of his abb
sence. He found the whole family
murdered and Austin with a bullet
hole in his breast and the revolver
clutched in his hand. Word of the
tragedy was brought to this city on
the morning train, and Sheriff Perry
and the coroner went to the scene OF
the IfdkCQJ. lie infant
was found in bed7< beside its dead
mother.
A Scene of Horror.
The position of the bodies in the
cabin presented a scene of horror. The
entrance to the cabin was blocked by
the body of the young girl, Abitha, and
lying on her left close beside her was
the stalwart form of her lover. The
contrast was marked as they lay up
on a pallet or shake down upon the
floor. The girl was partially dressed
having on a white waist, a white I'M
dershirt and black stockings. Austin
had removed his shoes and his coat.
She was short and plump. His feet
3 inches of bone and muscle seemed to
measure twice the length of the girl
beside him. Austin's right arm lay
crooked at his side, part of it rested
upon the girls breast. In his right
hand, with finger on the trigger, was
the pistol.
In the corner of the room Mrs. Will
l1inson and Miss Wilkinson lay dead
in a pool of blood on the bed. The
father lay in a double bed, where the
children had slept with him. There
was not the slightest trace of a strug-
gle to be seen.
IT is thought by some that Abitha
was asleep in the bed with the wo-
man, and that Austin, who lived else
where. but who was evidently spending
the night at McCullough's. occupied
the pallet on the floor. If so, he must
have killed the girl in bed, then re-
moved her to the pallet. Lying down
beside his dead sweetheart, evidently
some time after he had killed the
household. Austin blew out his own
brains. The girl was an orphan
William Austin was born in Tallahas-
see about q years ago. He worked
about Hastings two years ago as a
farm help, and worked at odd jobs,
including carpentering. He was re-
garded as shiftless. He followed his
sweetheart to Hastings from Jackson
Vile.