The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1903-06-25
A BLOODY CRIME IN ASHE
Two Ten and a Woman Chopped to
Pieces With an Axe.

Jefferson. Special-The most hor.
rible tragedy that has ever been en-
acted In the memory Of the oldest
Inhabitants Of the county took place
Sunday, at the foot OF the Allegheny
mountain range. just inside Of this
county. Crick Davis. with an axe. cut
20 pieces two men and his own wife
The story Of the crime runs thus:
Davis. who lived at the foot OF the
mountain. was visited by two former
friends and acquaintances, Alfred
Barker and son, Levi, who lived near
Chilhowie, Va. They had stopped at
his house on their way to see their
relatives in this section Davis seem
ed very clever and Insisted on their
spending the night with him. They
consented and when bedtimes came
every one in the house retired. The
two visitors occupied the same bed
Davis and his wife occupied another
bed close by, possibly in the same
room. Hardly had they retired when
Mrs. Davis heard noise, and on
looking toward where the Barkers
were sleeping, saw her husband with
the axe, cutting the Barkers to pieces
She sprang out of the bed and tried
to keep her husband from killing the
old man, Alfred, and Immediately
Davis gave her two blows that sent
her to the floor. Levi had been
killed by the first blow, that had split
his head half open as clean as one
splits a hogs head in slaughtering
Alfred had been saved apparently by
Mrs. Davis, as he had time to crawl
out OF the bed and into a field of rye
close by. Nevertheless, he was bleed
ing like a hog and will die, having re-
celVed the axe up to the hilt in his
stomach and having his right arm
cut off. Alfred says that as he lay in
the field he heard the awful blows
that followed on the body of Mrs.
Davis, and heard her groans grow
fainter and fainter. But the woman
was not yet killed. ad after the ex-
citement had subsided Davis took his
wife in the house, washed her wounds
and washed himself. Davis little girl,
with the baby in her arms, was the
one who gave the alarm, she escap-
Ing for her life at the outset.
When people came in they found
Davis sitting by his wife administer
ing to her wants, but the woman
seemed to be in such agony she paid
little attention to what was going on.
Davis said: Il guess | have killed
them, but l didn't know it." A sur
geon summoned from Mountain City,
Ten, gave it out that all would GER
tally die and the rumor is current on
the streets that the woman is dead.
Parties just from the scene of the
tragedy say that there is blood ev-
erywhere, that ten beaves would not
have left as much blood scattered
around slaughter pen. No motive
can be found for the hellish deed.
though many theories have been ad-
vanced. One Is that Davis was in
sane. that he had been out of his
head only six months before. Another
is that Levi Barker was once a sweet
heart of his wife and that this visit
stirred up jealousy. 1t is said that it
is true the man has been wrong with
his mind several times, but that he
was really a very mean man and had
once before tried to kill man with
| an axe. The theory Of jealousy Ia not
believed owing to the fact that Mrs.
Davis was a woman Of fine Christian
character and had never given the
slightest attention to Barker since her
marriage.
Davis is in Jail here, having been
bound over to court.