The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-12-14
HUGHES FAMILY KILLED IN
TOWN OF TRENTON.
House Burned TO the GrOund Over
Their Dead Bodies.
By James A. Hoyt, Jr.

by OdhlCo u Ivy !
Trenton, Dec. s-This peaceful village was
stunned today by as horrible a tragedy al
human mind can conceive-more horrible
than sane man could perpetrate.
Just as the day was about TO break, the
town was awakened to find that one OF it,
best known q best respected families had
been massacred, and their home burned TO
the ground, with perhaps no human being
left who can tell the tale: In the ruins were
the charred bodies Of father, mother and two
youthful daughters-the women killed In
their placid sleep and the husband and father
shot through the head.
The victims OF this horror are: .
Ben. B. Hughes, merchant and farmer, aged
Mrs. B. B. Hughes, formerly Miss Eve Mil
Ter, about 40 years OF age.
Miss Emily Hughes, aged Is.
Miss Hattie Hughes, Is. .
Trenton was shocked and sorrowed and
Mortified when the residents learned the ter
rible truth. 1t was shortly after 5 O'Clock
the first person TO reach the scene being Mr..
A. II. S. Day, who lives next door. The
house vas then almost consumed, the fire
being too far advanced for any one to enter
reached there was that the Hughes family
had escaped, as nothing was seen of them at
the window s or doors. II was only after the
%neighbors began to inquire OF each other that
they realized the horror. It was then too
late, far too late. even TO make an attempt 10
get out the victims.
Even JQen II WIS SuppO66u LudI bho ldullly
had been simply unable TO escape after the
fire started-perhaps suffocated by the smoke
or burned TO death in their beds. 1t was not
until the neighbors had waited for the anne
had been the house that they knew murder
had been committed-murder In a most
horrible manner.
THE BODIES FOUND.
The house was a small, one story, frame
dwelling. The young women were sleeping
in one bed in q room on the left as one enter
ed, while Mr.. and Mrs. Hughes occupied the
from their daughters. There we're no other
members OF the family and no one else stay.
ing in the house. The body Of Mrs. Hughes
was so badly burned that 1t cannot be said
little or no reason to doubt that she was MUIR
dered before the fire reached her, since Of all
four perEons she was farthest away from the
point where the fire apparently started. The
wind was blowing across the house from the
room occupied by the girls, their bed was In
the far corner, and hence their bodies were
not so badly charred. II could be plainly
seen that their heads had been crushed In
| with something heavy, blunt instrument,
such as q hammer, for the bloody matted
hair told the tale all too certainly. The inno-
cent girls lay side by side, their positions
showing that they had not even made q
struggle for their lives. The strange thing is
that II was possible to kill one after the other
without arousing the second one, who must
have survived ner 5lSJer Only LOT the Llne IL
took TO raise the Weapon tor another blow.
The bodies OF these TWO were still resting on
the springs Of The bed, the infah ma6le part
OF which had burned away. Mrs. Hughes
body was also just where the bed had stood
In her room, and IT seemed that her head
might have been unde The pillow. 1t ls
difficult TO accept the theory that the husband
and lather exterminated his family, but the
facts which lead to this theory are by no
means such as can be lightly disregarded.
He was fully clothed, not hastily dressed as
one sudden, y awakened from SOUND sleep 10
face q peril or as one aroused TO defend that
most dear. He had not net his death In the
flames nor in the manner in which death
came to his wife and daughters. Mr.. Hughes
was shot through the rigut side OF the head,
the bali ranging upward and coming out
through the top of the skull. Either he shot
himself or be was shot by some intruder
against whom he had prepared himself 10
defend his castle, since a pistol was found by
the outstrelched right hand With one cham
Der exploded by conclusion and the others
exploded afterwards by the fire. The alb
scence OF any motive for murder and arson
makes 1t seem unreasonable 10 suppose that
the home was invaded. Mr.. Hughes and his
amily had always been on the best OF terms
with every one IN the community and there
against him. He WAS not a conspicuously
popular man, but not unpopular regarded
az a safe. conservative business man and a
close trader, and never known to be inclined
10 speculalion. There was no reason TO be-
lieye that the robbery OF bis house would
proye profitable especially, and If robbery Is
the clue the robber Is hardly a resident of
this section.