The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-12-16
House Burned to the
Ground Over Their
Dead Bodies.
A MYSTERIOUS HORROR.
Father, Mother and Two
Young Girls Killed. and the
Dwelling Set Afire
BY Unknown
Parties.

Parties.
The peaceful village of Trenton,
where resides Senator B. r. Tillman,
was stunned Thursday by as horrible a
tragedy as thu human mind can con-
ceive. Just as the day was about to
break, the town was awakened to find
that one OF It's best known and best
respected families had been massacre d,
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 - :caarTS.
Mrs. B. Hughes, f.rmerly Miss
Eva Miller, about 40 years Of age.
Miss Emily Hughes, aged Is.
Miss Hattie Hughes, aged Is.
TRENTON WAS SHOCKED.
Trenton was she cked aud sorrowed
and Mortified when the residents learn
ed the terrible truth. 1t was shortly
after O'Clock that the house was dis
covered to be on fire, the first person
TO reach the scene being Mr.. A. II. S.
Day, who lives next door. The house
was then almost consumed, the ii re
being too far advanced for any one to
enter the building. The first thought
OF those who reached there was that
the Hughes family had escaped, as
nothing was seen of them at the win
dows or doors. 1t 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 60 get out the vic.
Tins. Even then it was supposed
that the family had been sin ply un-
able to escape after the fire started.
perhaps snffCcated by the smoke or
burned to death In their beds It was
not until the neighbors had waited
for the flames to subside and 1t was
possible to 20 into what had been the
house that they knew murder had
been ommitted-murder In most
horrible manner.
THE BODIES FOUND.
The house was small, one story
frame dwelling. The young women
we're slee ping in one bed in room on
the left as one entered, while Mr.. and
Mrs. Hughes occupied the front room
On the right, across a rarroW hall from
their daughters. There were no other
members CT the family and no one else
staying In the house. The body OF
Mrs. Hughes was so badly burned that
1t cannot be said for certain how she
was killed, but there is little or 10
reason to doubt that she was murder
ed before the fire reached her, since OF
all four persons she was farthest away
from the point where the fire appear
emily started. The " ind was b owing
acresS the house from the room tccu
pied by the girls, their bed was In the
far corner and hence their bodies we're
not so badly charred. 1t could be plain
ly seen that their heads had been
crushed In with some heavy, blunt In
Strument, su ch as hammer for the
bloody matted hair told the tale all
too certainly. The innocent girls lay
side by side, their positions showing
that they had not even made strug-
gle for their lives. Tie strange thing
Is that 1t was poss ible to kill one after
the other, without arouSing the second
one, who must have survived her sis
ter only for the time it took to raise
the weapon for another blow. The
bodies of these two ~ ere still resting
on the springs of the b, d, the lnilam-
mable part OF which had burned away
Mrs. Hughes body was also just whe re
the bed had stood in her room, ard
it seemed that her head might have
been under the1pillow
THE CRIME A MYSTERY.
1t is difficult to accept the theory
that the hus 3and and father cxterni
mated his family, but the facts which
lead to this tht ory are by no means
such as can be lightly disregarded. He
was fully clothed, not hastily dressed
as one suddedly awakened from sound
sleep to face peril or as one reused
to defend that most dear. He had not
met his death In the flames nor In the
manne~ in which death came to his
wife ant. daughters. Mr.. Hughes was
shot through the right side OF the
head, the ball ranging upward and
coming out Though tie top Of the
skull. Eitht he shot himself or he wa,
shot by some intruder against whom
he had prepared himself to defend his
castle, since pistol was found by the
outstretched right hand with one
chamber exploded by conclusion aud
the others exploded afterwards by the
fire. The absence OF any motive for
murder and arson makes 1t seem un-
reasonable to suppose that the home
was invaded. Mr.. Hugh,s and family
ad always been on the best OF terms
with every one IN the community and
there is no one who Is known to have
had o gIudge against him. He was not
conspicuously popular man, but not
unpopular, regarded as safe, conser-
vatlve business man and close trader
and never known to be inclined tC
speculation. There was no reason tC
believe that the robbery OF his house
would prove profitable especially, and
IL robbery is the clue the robber Is
hardly resident OF that section. Ol
the other hand no one who knew Ber
Hughes would suspect him of a ten
dency towards suicide, much less the
more horrible crime involving his fam
ily's determination. He had bis pc