The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-02-25
MURDERED HER HUSBAND
Wife Cut Up His Body and Burned
It in a Stove.
DAUGHTER REVEALED THE CRIME
Young Girl Verified the Details Of Tho
Confession Made BY the Woman. Who
was Haunted by Her Atrocious Deed
~-Sospieion Awakened when She Tried
to Sell ' ictim'r Horse to Her Uncle.

Fallsburg. n. Y. - Mrs. Lafayette
Taylor. q resident Of East Lake neigh
borhood. three miles from here. was
committed to the county jail Mt Monti-
cello. She Is charged with having shot
her husband on the night Of January
"a last and burned his body In the cook
stove after cutting 1t to pieces. The
scene Of the alleged crime Is only ten
miles distant from the home of Lizzie
Holiday. who killed her husband and
committed many other shocking
crimes.
Lafayette Taylor lived with his wife
and her daughter. sixteen years old. In
IN old, isolated house in a barren re.
gion. He disappeared ON January q.
His wife told her neighbors that he
had gone away IN business. A few
days ago the woman went Il her un-
Gle. Peter Yerkins. who lives nea by.
and proposed to sell him her husbands
horse. Yerkins objected to buying 1t
On the ground that Taylor would be
angry when he returned. Mrs. Taylor
insisted on the sale. assuring YerkinS
that she had taken care IF" Lafay-
cite. This phrase aroused Yerkins.s
suspicious, and he closely questioned
her.
She finally told him that she had shot
her husband and burned the body In
the cook stove. Yerkins told this to n
neighbor and he carried the story to
Taylor's brother James. James pro-
cured q warrant and had the woman
arrested. The daughter was taken to
q hotel and was questioned. Finally.
On being promised IS to tell the truth,
she told the full details Of the horrible
night.
The girl said that her father and
mother quarreled and her mother shot
Taylor with a revolver. She fred three
shots, although the first ball from the
weapon had been fatal. as It entered
his forehead. After the killing. the
girl said. her mother dragged the body
to the kitchen. and there. with a dull
axe and an old carving knife. worked
nearly all night hacking It to pieces.
The fragments were put into the cook
stove and burned. The woman piled
in wood to hurry her horrible task. but
It was almost daylight before It was
finished. The girl said some charred
bones had been thrown on the ash
heap. The pile was searched. and n
handful Of bones were picked up. One
Of them seems to be from q mans
hand.
Mrs Taylor when arrested made full
confession. Her story Is that Taylor.
who was n hard drinlier. came home
intoxicated on the night Of January %
and began to abuse her. She got a re-
volver which she had bought n few
days before and tried to brighten him.
He attempted to take 1t from her. and
in the struggle il went of. the bullet
striking him over the eye and killing
him instantly. She was 20 frightened
for fear Of being arrested for murder
that she decided to cut UP the body
md burn 1t. She said her daughter
helped her cut up the body. The bones
she ground fine and fed to the hens.
The blood stains she covered up with
paint.
She says the vision Of her act haunt.
ed her. The daughter has not been
arrested.
Mrs. Taylor Is about forty years Of
age. dark. tall and muscular. Her
maiden name was Kate Boldt. and her
home was at Woodbourne. where her
father. Peter Boldt. now resides.