The Semi-weekly leader., 1905-11-29
SENSATIONAL MURDER.
DR.. BUTLER KILLED BY MRS. BIRD
SONG AT MONTICELLO.
She Visits His Office and Shoots Him
Without Warning.
Desperate Woman Committed to Jail
Without Benefit Of Bail.

or one or the most sensational and
startling tragedies which has ever
occurred in South Mississippi,
when Mrs. DIR. Jas. r. Birdsong,
of that place, went to the office Of
DR.. Thos. Butler, and, without
warning, shot him to death With
a revolver. Naturally enough,
such an extraordinary incident
threw the quiet old town snugly
nesting on the banks of the Pearl
into fever of the most intense
excitement, all stores and offices
were closed, and the people did
nothing the rest of the day except
to discuss the details of the blood.
y affair and the probable and pos
sible causes leading up to it. 81
DR.. Butler was prominent
physician of Monticello and per-
sonalIy and professionally one of
the most popular men of that
town and Lawrence county. He
was about 40 years of age, hand
some in person, genial and socia-
BILE in disposition and counted his
friends. by the hundreds. He was
a son-in- law of Hon. Samuel
Hickman, of Lawrence county, a
nephew Of ex-Gov. Longino, and
otherwise related to some of the
most prominent families of Law
renee county, and had a wife and
four children.
Mrs. Blrdsong, his murderess.
is likewise member of one of
the oldest and most respected
families of Lawrence county, be-
ing the daughter Of Mr.. Geo, W.
Fox, Of that county. She was
married to her husband, DR.. Jas.
R. Rirdsong, a dentist, formerly
of Hazlehurst, and a member of
one of the leading families of Co
piah, when she was only 13 or 14|
years of age, and is now but 10,
hardly more than q girl, She is
the mother of two small children
the youngest of which is scarcely
yet two vese.iss old.
/ Very soon after the first shock
of surprise and excitement over
the shouting had subsidized, Mrs.
Hirdsong was taken in custody by
Sheriff D. M. Lee and placed in
Jail, and later in the day her hus-
band was arrested and placed in
Jail, charged with being an acces-
sorry before the fact to the mur-
der.
Yesterday was set for the pre-
liminary trial before Justice J.
W. Steen at Monticello, and the
court house was packed to the
doors with an anxious, curious
crowd to witness the proceedings.
Hon. A. G. McNair, of Brookhas
ven, Ex-Gov. Longino, of Jack
son, and l.. E. Grice, of Monti-
cello, appeared for the State, and
Hons. R. N. Miller, of Halle
hurst and &. Wood Magee, of
Monticello, for the defense.
After the examination of only a
few of the many witnesses sum
moned on both sides and no little
sparring and argument by coun-
sci, Justice Steen announced his
| decision remanding Mrs. Bird
song to Jail without the benefit of
bail and diacharging DR.. Birdsong
from custody.
| A representative of The Leader
spent yesterday. in Monticello at
tending the trial, talking with
many of the witnesses in the case
and examining the scene Of the
terrible tragedy, and condensed
summary of what was learned is
given below:
For a coed long time DIR. But
Ter had been the physician of the
Bildsong family. He had lately
built a new Office on the main
{ street Of the town running from
the new railroad depot 10 the
court house, and situated on an
air line about Is or so yards from
1.-THE Birdsong residence, and in
full view of the front of the resi-
dence. The doctors Office was on
1.-THE north side of the street and
| fronted south, and the Birdsong
residence is situated on differ
ent street and fronts west, the
nearest course between them be-
ing dlagonally across the street
and small enclosure. The doc
tors Office is about "a feet long
|by 16 wide, divided into two
rooms, with gallery covering the
front end 6 feet wide, rallied up
except at the corner, where the
steps lead up from the side walk
three feet from the gallery floor.
The front door and steps are 10.
Gated on the east corner, and front
fsouth. Immediately in line with
the front door is partition door
that opens into the rear room. A
back door to the rear room opens
lon a garden lot. The rear room
has two windows, one on the east
and one on the west side. The
front room has tWo windows, one
lin front, opening on the south,
'lIike the front door, the other on
the east side between the front
door and the PARTITION door. All
of the windows are of extra thick
glass and have shutters. At the
sltime OF the shooting all of the
window shutters and all Of the
doors, except the back door, we're
Thrown wide open. Two Of the