The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-13
She SHOT HIM DEAD
RIGSBY KILLED AT MACON BY MRS.
CARSON.
SURRENDERED TO SHERIFF
AND WAS RELEASED UNDER BOND
OF $1,000.

Tragedy in a Lawyers omce-RiGsby |
Had Made DerOgatOry Remarks
About Her, Mrs. Carson Charges.
She Wanted Him to Sign a Denial. |
He Asked for an Interview with
Her-WhiIe They Were Alone To-
Rether She Shot Him - Rigsby IA
Student and Mrs. Carson a Teacher.
Macon, Jan. 12.-Mrs. Effie l..
Carson, wife of a railroad machinist,
formerly the wife of Ernest Thompson,
printer, shot and instantly killed
Robert A. Rigsby, student in bust
ness college, here to-day.
The tragedy took place in the law
office of Marmaduke G. Bayne, an at
torney, to whom she had gone for adj
vice. She shot the man twice in the
head and once through the heart. She
emptied her revolver, the other shots
| going wild. She at once delivered her
self to the sheriff, going across the
street with the smoking weapon in her
| hand.
She was promptly placed in Jail, but
was subsequently released on bond
| of $1,000.
The coroner's jury found a verdict of
voluntary manslaughter.
Wanted Him to Retract.
Mrs. Carson was a teacher of teleg-
raphy in another business college. She
charged that Rigsby had circulated
| stories damaging to her character. She
had gone to the lawyer with a paper
for Rigsby to sign, generating her.
| The lawyer took the paper to the col
lege and submitted it to Rigsby, who
declined to sign, but asked a personal
interview.
He went to the lawyers office and
Immediately asked the lawyer and his
stenographer to step into the hall. The
door was at once closed and locked. In
few moments the shots rang out and
Mrs. Carson appeared, announcing that
she had killed the man.
Rigsby was found on the floor dead,
with his own revolver near his right
hand. What occurred between them is
not known, except an admission by
Mrs. Carson that he applied an oppro-
brious epithet to her.
Rigsby was originally from Bowling
Green, KY, or a village near by and
is said to have been a member of
family prominent there. He had con-
Quoted business college in Tampa,
Fla, but had come to Macon to COM
plete his education, intending to open
another college in June. He was about
rs years of age. He had previous to
the killing been threatened by mem
bers of Mrs. Carson's family. Her
maiden name was Fletcher, and she
was born near Macon.
Four Shots Took Effect.
Another dispatch from Macon says:
Four of the five shots fired took eff
feet, through the heart, back of the
head, through the cheek and back of
tie left ear. The young man fell face
| downward in the middle of the floor,
two pools of blood and brains nearby
presenting a CHASTITY spectacle. After
the shooting, Mrs Carson ran out, the
smoking revolver in her hand, and
asked where to find the sheriff. She
ran across the street to the sheriff's
office, but when in the middle of the
street met Deputy Sheriff Dave Riley,
to whom she repeated her inquiry for
Sheriff Wescott. Mr.. Riley, seeing
her pale face, glaring eyes and the
pistol, thought she wanted to kill Mr..
| Wescott, and seized the weapon,
which she gave up readily. Mrs. Car
son then told Mr.. Wescott, II have
killed a man in Col. Bayne's office. 1
have come to give up"
How the Trouble Started.
On Wednesday night a student nam
ed Bates spent the night with Rigby
and repeated at the Georgia-Alabama
College that he had heard Rigsby say
that Mrs. Carson was a bad woman.
The matter was taken up by the heads
of the institution, Prof. E. L. Martin
and DR.. ]. D. Lanier.
On Saturday there was joint meet
ing at Bayne's office, at which Rigbys
life was threatened by Rich McCowen,
cousin of Mrs. Carson. Rigsby said
that he would not retract until asked
at some proper time and place, Moth
| ing was then heard of the matter I'M
til this morning. Mrs. Carson went
to Mr. Bayne's office to get him to
draw up paper of retraction. He
then went to see Rigsby and told him
that Mrs. Carson was willing to pass
the matter over if he would. sign it.
Rigsby replied that he would not sign
it, but that he would go over to have
an interview with Mrs. Carson.
When he arrived at the office he told
Bayne that he wanted an interview
with Mrs. Carson alone. The two went
inside and locked the door. In a few
minutes. while Bayne and his stenog-
rapher were standing in the hall, the
shots were fired and Mrs. Carson ran
out of the room. Mrs. Carson, the only
person in the room, beside the slain
man, said to Mr.. Wescott: HE re-
fused to sign the retraction, and told
me to my face that 1 was a bad wo-
man. 1 then shot him and hit him five
times"