The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-25
WITH DYING WORDS
ACCUSED HUSBAND
KNEW SHE WAS GOING TO DIE.
MRS. DICKERsON TOLD DAUGHTER
THAT HUSBAND KILLED HER.

inquest VIII BE Held This After
noon Mt 4 O'clock at Police Head
quartcrs-Deputy Sheriff Sweeny
and Deputies FOgarty and Mel
drim Went TO Black Ankle District
Yesterday TO Complete InVestiga-
tiOn-OnIy Eye Witness to the Last
Assault Was the 9-Yeur-old SON
of Mrs, DickeTsOn.
Il know I am going to die. and when
am gone I want you to remember
that your father is the cause of my
death"
This is a statement alleged to have
been made by Mrs. Elizabeth DECKER
son to one of her daughters just be-
fore she died. and will be the most
damaging evidence against Benjamin
Dickerson. who is now being held at
ahe county Jail.
Chief Deputy Sweeny, Deputy Mel
drim and Deputy Fogarty went TO the
Black Ankle district yesterday to make
thorough investigation of the case
and summon witnesses to appear be-
fore the coroner in his investigation.
Nine witnesses were summoned, and
the officers believe that they have
case pointing to the guilt of the hus-
band of the dead woman.
According to statements made to the
officers by several witnesses Dicker-
son had been in the habit of striking
his wife for some time, beating her
severely shortly after Christmas. 1t
he to
kick her while she was lying help
less on the ground. and from the
wounds which were found on her body
it is believed by the officers that he
used the heel of his foot on her a
week ago. inhicting injuries which
were the direct cause of her death,
according to the coroner.
Only One Eye witness.
The officers only found one eye wit
ness to the assault on Monday
last. when it is believed the injuries
which caused death We're received
This was Willie Dickerson. the 8
year-old son of the dead woman.
The child related the details of the
last assault on his mother in man
ner which indicated that he had be-
lie is ignorant to a degree. He stat
ed that he saw his father whip his
mother and when she fell down he
kicked her in the stomach, and when
she turned over he kicked her in
the back She was crying all the
while and begging for mercy, accord
ing to the childs story to the officers.
According to the child's statement
Dickerson became enraged at his wife
for going to the house of her sister
in-law. Mrs. loci Dickerson, to get
some greens. she falling to return in
time to get his dinner ready at the
usual hour.
Five children of the dead woman
will appear at the trial to testify as to
The treatment the father accorded the
mother The most important witness
will be Miss Molina Dickerson, the
grown daughter of Mrs. Dickerson.
1t was to her that Mrs. DickersOn
made the statement just before she
died that her husband was responsible
for her death. Miss Dickerson will
also testify as to a request that her
mother made before dying. asking that
Coroner Keller be notified and a re-
quest made that he hold an inquest
over her body.
Death Direct Result of Injuries.
Coroner Keller states that the death
of the woman was the direct result of
injuries received WlI0lU ten Gays ne
fore her death. DIR. Keller has made
the following statement:
Il was notified late Tuesday night of
the death of Mrs. Dickerson and l at
once made arrangements to go to her
home and make an investiga ton.
When / arrived there l found several
relatives, and | at once went into the
room to make an examination of the
body, as / had been told that she claim
ed that her death would be due to in
juries her husband had inflicted.
asked Mrs. Joel Dickerson the sister,
in-law TO the dead woman, to go into
the room with me and witness the eX-
animation.
Il made as thorough an examination
as possible, which convinced me be-
yond a doubt that death had been
caused by injuries received within ten
days before her death. One of the left
ribs had been fractured, giving evil
dence of a violent blow on that part of
the body. There We're stripes all up
and down her back which appeared to
have been caused by a heavy switch.
or cane, in the hands of a muscular
person. There were also bruises. evil
IDENTIFY inflicted by a solid substance
Mrs. DicISerson Had HemOrrhnEe.
ION the left side of the neck 1 found
confusion about the size of a shoe
heel, also several of the same nature
In the breast. and in the pit of the
stomach. There was a hemorrhage
from the stomach just before death,
which, in my professional opinion. was
the direct result of blows received in
fhe stomach
The coroner's investigation will be
conducted this afternoon at 4 O'Clock
at police headquarters, and all of the
witnesses will be present.
Dickerson. the husband. still claims
that the ticks he gave his wife could
not possibly have caused her death.
He does not talk as freely as he did
when he was first placed in Jail, say