The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-10-18
BLOODY CRIME.
The Murder of Four People on
the Olney Farm
REMAINSA MYSTERY.

BEN MAINS~A MYSTERY.
The Mystery is Heightened by Mrs. In.
gerick, Who Was Found Conscious
With Many Wounds on Her
Person Refuse to DivuIge
Name of Assailant.
Orange county is aroused over a
Quadruple murder on the Oiney farm,
ab ut four miles from the centre OF
Middletown, N. Y. Wednesday the
bodies of Mills @. and Frederick R
Olney were found in a wood half a
mile above their hcm,. They had
been shot to death Friday afternoon.
The body Of Alice Ingerick, aged nine
had been found with her skull crushed
In the cellar OF the Olney farmhouse,
and later her mother, Mrs. Martin
Ipgsrick, living, but with her skull
crushed In three places, was found In
horse stall in the barn, two hun
dred yards from the house.
The absence Of the 0 neys, who
were brothers and old men, caused
surprise, not unmixsd with suspicion
No search was made for them until
Saturday morning, when a posse OF
farmers organic d a search, and at 9
o'clock the victim, were found lying
within SO feet Of each other.
Lu.u Iagerick, 1s years old return
ed to the farm at o'clock Friday
evening. j, had left the house early
Ia ths morning with the Olney broth
ers, for whom her mother was house
keeper. The men rode In q wagon,
carrying Gin Of milk to Pilgrim Cor
ners. When she arrived home Friday
evening she was accompanied by
Amanda Wheat. her sister in law.
They found the house closed, and
her mot Ter, sister and the men were
not to be found. In terror, Mrs.
Wheat ard the girl fed to the Davis
farm, adjoining, where they asked
Daniel Davis to 60 back with them.
Mr.. Davis compl d ani searched the
house from garrett W t e first Fl )or.
He became gri atty alarmed, for the
household goods were in Confusion, a
trunk and several handbags being
burst open and bureau drawers pulled
out and their contents strewn upon
the floor.
In the cellar, huddled In corner,
was the body of Alice. The little one
lay upon her face, with hands extent
ed above her head. The skull was
crushed. The alarm was given and
neighbors hastened to the scene. The
Middletown police we're notified and
half q dozen detectives drove out.
Lanterns were procured and a
thorough search Of the premises
made.
1T 8 o'clock Mrs. Ingerick was
found with her skull broken, In a
vacant horse stall in the barn. Al
though she had three wounds upon
the head, any one of which might be
expected to have instantly killed her,
she appeared to be only partly insen'
sible. But all attempts to learn from
her the details Cf the tragedy we're
unavailing. 1t was believed she might
know the identity of her 'sailant but
that she was determinedly shielding
him. Alexander Merritt, who took
her ard the body of her daughter into
town, became impressed with this
idea The woman made several at
tempts to arrange her skirts, and
three times In the half hours ride
raised her head and groaned.
AL night long Police Chief Brinker
hcf, with several deputy Shelf ffs,
searched the roads and lanes near the
Olney farm, but without result. With
daylight two hundred men many OF
them armed, joined the searchers
The y .oey farm lies at the base OF a
range Of densely wooded foot hills. 1t
consists of one hundred and seventy
acres, and the brothers had bought
the right to cut cord wood In the up
lands. One of the searching parties
penetrated the woods. Chief Brin-
kerhcff and Deputy Sheriff d Ter
Herman led this party, and Fred
OlneY, son of Willis G. Olney, Was
with him.
They had scarcely entered the wood
when Ring, the O.ney collie deg, ran
out to meet them. He barked and
turned back into the glade as II in
vlting them to follow him. The
searchers followed into the Derby
woods, where the body Of Frederick
R. Olney, the younger brother, was
discovered. The man lay upon his
back, with his hands over bis chest
A W. und behind the right ear showed
where the bullet had entered.
Less than a hundred feet away
Willis @. Olney lay with four bullet
wounds in his body, one entering the
right side and one passing entirely
through the chest. The wound in
Frederick's head b)re evidences OF
having been inflicted at close range,
and it appeared as If he might have
been surprised and fell without a
struggle.
The elder brother seemed to have
tried to escape and was evidently
brought down after three bullets had
been fred into his body. Ole went
through the right arm, another en-