The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-07
Planned and Deliberately Exc
cuted the Crime.
FIRED ELEVEN SHOTS IN ALL
Ten We're Fired at the Young Wife, SIX
Taking Effect, While the Eleventh
Tore His Own Heart TO Shreds.
Verses Written in Wih's
Testament Which He
Gould Not Read.
Especial TO The Times from a staff Cor

Especial to The Times from a Staff Cor
IeSpondcnt)
ELLERSoN, VA, october 6.-Brutality,
hideous in It's insane ferocity, repellant
in its awful intcnsity, to-day closed a
brief lived story of love and romantic
marriage at Atlee's Station, couple Of
miles from here Mrs. Jennie Basket.
q comey girl wife--sie was only nine
teen--Was murdered by her husband. Eli
Basket, an cnaploye Of the Trigg ship
yards. In Rchmcnd. and then he tore
his heart out with q charge from his
shotgun lie fired ten shots at his
wife, and wounded her six times: one
single charge from the shotgun ended his
own life
JeaiSalsy was the cause of the crime
He was a man who could neither read
nor write. She was a woman who per-
mitted young men to write love verses in
New Testament which had been given
to her for her excellence in Bible studies.
To his dazed mind the crudely written
suggested something he knew not what,
but 1t was something which he could
not understand. therefore they We're 10
be avenged. In the blindness Of his mem
tai despair, the meaningless pencil marks
meant death 10 them both.
Death was the wife's portion to his
mind, and She got it,; death was his
portion, and he took it untlncilingiy. And
he lay Tor f'go hours in the burning sun
with wide gaping eyes looking into etcr-
Mtg. aud a smile was on his face. And
she lay for FIVE hours crouching5 in an
attitude OF fear. and horror was written
on face whence the ruddy bloom OF life
had fled.
TWAS THE END.
Calmly. Deliberately, vindictiTely, he
moved. there should be no more of those
unmeaning pencil marks in the little Tcs-
lament, there should be no glad light in
those eyes. which he could not read.
P1acidly he pursued his way, cheerfully,
lven laughingly he bought the cartridges
Tor his revolver, whistling as he went
along the road He fired one car
fridge at vastly astonished squirrel to
tee If the revolver worked smoothly. and
Tho squirrel. amazed and blinking, fled.
SILENT AS DEATH.
Then straight to the little wife he went.
IND not a word was said. He took
her left hand in his. he placed the re-
yoirer against her white busom. and he
pulled the trigger. She reeled. staggered,
Mrned away from him. fell and crawled
through the little room into the hall.
As she Went, he pulled the trigger again.
A bullet crashed through the soft arm
md buried itself in the white breast
She screamed, and he followed her
laughing. into the hall where she lay in
her death struggle. He Went on through
The hall. stepping over the writhinE form
30 the small porch veranda, where he
bred three shots point blank at her. Two
ST them struck her Glvering body. but
helpless and screaming, with blood
streaming from her banchcd llps. she
lrawled on through the back door to the
little seranda.
The demon in the husband still ragged.
and he followed her in his madness.
loading his revolver as he went. on
the back veranaa the wife lay stretching
her hands pitifullg toward him for lner-
cys; speech was gone. Then the husband
finished loading he reyohrer-he had only |
Tour cartridges thcn-and he fred again. i
The four shots We're fired and ol,iyerins
the wife fell back. cronched into an at
tltude of fear. and with an unspeakable
horror written on her face she died.
sun not content. and blinded by his
Z he /
house. took down his shotgun. which /
he had previously loaded with spaciall,- |
prepared shells. returned TO the back !
eeranda. and fired again at his wife
l5ut his shot Went Wild and the charge !
was buried In a door beyond where the /
dead Wife lay
CALM AND DISPASSICNATE
Calmly and disna ssionateiv the h,ls
band threw the empty shell from .ba /
single barrel OF his gum and, as he went
bacl TO the front verafda slipped in
announcer specially prepared she'll And
he laughed as he did it, He was about
70 blot out once for all those nnmeaninE,
lament
From the veranda he stepped into the
YARD. lie rested the stock OF the shot
gun on The steps, first raising the ham
then he leaned forward resting
the END OF the barrel against his heart,
and. leaning. forward. he touched the
trigger with his finger. His hear, was f
torn into ribbons and he va t,,,n,, t;r.
teen feet away. where he Law win =
smile on his face staring at the sun
His heart s. blood gushed out and stained
the grass where he lay, bur the pencil
marks We're wiped out.
II was the end
AN ELoPEMENT
More than two years arn 81 wac
when Ici Basket. then a youth of nina.
teen. pale. thin, annernic. first met ,retty
Jennie Bigger. then a child Of seventeen ,
jus, blossoming into robust woman :
hood. Peaches We're in her cheeks and II
laughter was on her lips. Her father.
Joseph Bigger. her mother. her family.
voEs3pcd her. This was in Prince Ed
WH1 II
AND 1Acn sssns.an a little love affair. .
which led to an elopement and marriage
With Eli Basket. son Of a Hanover !,
county farmer This marriage was on
Continued on Sixth Page.) IL