The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-07-28
USED AXE ON
Her SPOUSE
Woman Charged With Killing
Her Husband.
----
THREW CLOTHES IN WELL
These and Pieces Of the Bed Ticking
Covered With Blood, Help to, Fix
the Unusual Crime on
THREW CLOTHES IN WELL
Especial to Tho Times Dlspatch.)

GREENSBORO, N, G, July 27.-De-
velopments before coroners jury here
yesterday and to-day show the commits
sion Of foul murder In the outskirts Of
the city one night last week. and all the
circumstances point to the wife Of the
victim as the perpetrator. Mary Latte
las been placed in jail without ball,
charged with the murder Of her husband,
Charles LATHE, negro man Of good
reputation, who has worked for several
years for the Brooks Lumber Company.
The circumstances leading UP to the
discovery first OF the body and after
wards to the fact OF the commission OF
a dastardly crime. as elected at the In
quest. are interesting and unusual
The body of man In an advanced
stage Of decomposition was found by
Henry Jeffrys late Saturday evening, ~
ing In a dump Of bushes, some distance
from tho main street Of q negro settle
rnent in tho outskirts to the city.
The body was identified after some
difficulty as that of Charles Latte, whose
house, where, he lived with his wife and
child, was not moro than seventy-fHe
yards distant, His wife was summoned
and was reluctant to go to the
scene When there she declared
that she could not identity the body as
that Of her husband. She stated that he
had left home Wednesday morning with
his Sunday clothes on and told her II
would be several days before he came
back. On Friday a well used by the
negroes in the vicinity was found to
have feathers In 1t. This was examined,
and out Of 1t was drawn suit OF bloody
clothes. feathers clotted with blood. and
| some bed ticking with blood stains on 1t.
| Co of <ka fdenfiffad than
the clothes of Charles Latte. but Mary
declared they were not The man found
| dead had been butchered with an axe,
his head being nearly severed from his
body and fatal stroke out across the
top OF 1t. He had been apparently strlck-
en- while lying face downward The
feathers. the ticking and the bloody
clothes indicated that he had been killed
while lying asleep In his bed. other
I clothes substituted for the ones he had
on, and those thrown into the we'll. along
with the saturated ticking and feathers
Of the bed. The jury found that new
piece of cloth had been sewed on to the
old bed ticking, thu piece found In the
we'll fitting the patch and being of the
floor, which had been scrubbed. were
found blood stains, and an overlooked
| clot OF blood was found on the head
board of the bed. An axe was also found
with distinct evidence OF blood stains,
although it had been rubbed with a brick.
1 No motive for the crime could be dis
covered until this morning. when there
was testimony that Mary was extremely
| Jealous OF another woman. to whom her
husband was attached. and the theory
now Is that she dealt the murdcrous
blows and carried out the CHASTITY plan
of secreting the body and hiding the
evidence Of the crime. The coroner's
1 jury declare that he came to his death
at the hands OF his wife, and she Is in
jail awaiting trial at the next term OF
the Superior Court.
The last murder here was committed
by Green McAdoo (coloreO. who, out OF
! jealousy, caught his wife by her hair
in the presence Of three visitors in the
home. pulled her head back and nearly
severed 1t from her body with razor.
Green escaped and has never been heard
OF since. This was about year ago.
/ Tho similarity In the cold bloodedness
of the two crimes, one by husband. the
other by a wife. are subjects of COM
ment,