The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-10-20
BLOODY CRIME.
The Murder Of Four People on
the Olney Farm
REMAINS A MYSTERY

SeTlCk, WHO was FOunu LO0SCfOifS
With Many Wounds on Her
Person Refuse to Divu1ge
Name of Assailant.
Orange county Is aroused over q
quadruple murder on the Olney farm,
ab ut four miles from the centre Of
Middletown, N. Y. Wednesday the
bodies Of Mills O. and Frederick Il
Olney were found In wood half a
mile above their homs. They had
1een shot to death Friday afternoon
g body Of Alice Ingerick, aged nine
nai been found with her skull crushed
in the cellar Of the Olney farmhouse,
and later her mother, Mrs. Martin
Ingeriok, living, but with her skull
crushed In three places, was found in
horse stall In the barn, two hun
drfd yards from the house.
The absence of the O.neys, who
were brothers and old men, caused
surprise, not unmixsd with suspicion.
No search was made for them until
Saturday morning, when posse Of
farmers organized search, ard a6 8
O'Clock the victims we're found lying
withi 81 iei t Of each other
LI.u Iugerick, 18 years old return
ed to the farm at O'Clock Friday
evening. She had left the house early
in the morning with the Olney broth
ers, for whom her mother was house
keeper. The men rode in a wagon,
carrying c.D 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 mother, sister and the men we're
not TO be found. In terror, Mrs.
Wheat and the girl fled to the Davis
farm, adjoining, whore they asked
Daniel Davis to go back with them.
MIR. Davis complied aud searched the
house from garrett to the first floor.
He became greatly 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 EXTEND
ed above her head. The, skull aepsas
crushed. The alarm was given and
ueighbors hastened to the scene. The
MiddletoWn police wefe notified and
half dozen detectives drove out.
Lanterns were procured and a
thorough search Of the premises
made.
at 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.
'ible. But all attempts to learn from
her the details Of the tragedy we're
unavaillng. 1t was believed she might
know the identity Of her assailant but
that she was determEedly shielding
him. Alexander Merritt, who took
her and 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 halt hours ride
raised her head and groaned.
All night long pol!cs chief Brinker
Htn, With several deputy sheriff.,
searched the roads and lanes near the
Oiney farm, but without result. With
daylight two hundred men many OF
them armed, Joined the searchers
The Olney 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-
kerhoff and Deputy Sheriff Holer
Herman led this party, and Fred
Olney, son Of Wills @. Glney, was
with him.
They had scarcely entered the wood
when Ring, the Olney collie dog, ran
out to meet them. He barked aud
turned back into the glade las If In.
viting them to follow him. The
searchers followed into the Darby
woods, whore the body OF Frederick
r Olney, the younger brother, wa,
discovered. The man lay upon his
back, with his hands over his chest.
A w,und behind the right ear showed
where the bullet had entered.
Less than O. hundred feet away
Willis O. Oiney lay With four bullet
Wounds in his body, one entering the
right side and one passing entirely
through the chest. The wound In
Frederick head bore evidences OF
having been inflicted at close range,
aud 1T appeared as If he might have
been surprised and fell without a
,trupgle.
The elder brother seemed to have
tried to escape and was eyioently
brought down after three bullets had
been fired into his body. One went
through the right arm, another en-
tered the right groin, third the
fight chest cavity, passing through,
and the fourth through the throat.
No evidence that the bodies had
been carried to the spot was found
and 1t is believed the men were sur.
prised by an assassin, who followed
them, and that they fell almost at
| the same moment. Their pockets
were turned inside ouJ and their gold
watches and all valuables were miss
ing. The autopsy eveloped that the
brothers had been TN with revolver
bullets Of heavy CALI Q.
The motive for the crime is believed
to be robbery; FOR the bTothofs arr
known to have had about $700 In casf