Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1905-09-23
HORRIBLE CRIME
IN JACKSONVILLE
v..,sr and Four Children Are
Murdered and Cremated.
.0e,eRLY OF THIS COUNTY

FnDAE M
w,ss. Husband and Father, Sus'
,.,,.d Of crime-FesrfuI Deed Was
committed Near Lincoln Psrk+-"iss
u,arbrsa,ened to Kill Entire Family
r.s Jacksonville Metropolis OF Fri
l., Contains the particulars OF one oil
- most horrible crimes in the the an
.othistory, which wac committed
-s., O, Lincoln Park and near Highway
,,spue. Jacksonville, about l:SC
o,.lock Friday morning, the victims
hahn Lula Wise. q respectable color, d
romsn. and her four children.
The woman had been working for w.
ToWle and occupying a house about
iooD yards from the residence of her
,mployer for the past two years. The
cottage she occupied was situated in
he center Of big field, TO which she
vepded h-r way about dark Thursday,
after winch she was never seen alive.
Fir. was observed in the direction Of
the cottage about 80, but no one paid
any attention to il until Mr.. Towle OBJ
served the smoke Friday morning and
visited the scene, finding that the
house had been burned TO the ground,
and a horrible sight met his eyes, in
the ashes being the badly charred re-
mains Of the woman and her four chill
dren.
Indications Of Murder.
The body Of the woman was found
beneath the mattress and her skull
was broken. Her position clearly
showed that to escape the blows or
shots Of the murderer she had sought
protection under the bed. Both of her
legs were entirely missing and only
that portion OF the arms below the
shoulder remained on the trunk. There
was not a sign OF flesh or bones below
the hips to be found for an hour after
ward, when the bones OF the legs were
discovered in the ashes badly broken.
The womsn's skull was thrown back,
and there was not q particle Of flesh on
it yet the neck and trunk were OF
iheir normal sire, but badly charred.
Her friends said she had excellent
teeth, yet not tooth remained in the
skull
The bodies OF the four children pre-
'rn'ed sight equally gruesome. and
IN every case the skull was broken.
The cSsrred body Of Mary, the l8.year-
Old girl, was minus arms and legs,
While the body Of the boy, aged five
years, showed only half OF one arm.
ihr other arm and HE two legs. or any
PORTION Of them. had not been found
" TO O'Clock Friday afternoon.
The clearest evidence OF brutal MUIR
Ger VAS shown in the body OF Lucy
We year.old daughter. Her body
Ha' not 90 badly consumed by the
hme'' and 1t could be easily seen that
NE top OF the skull had been split into,
evidently by an axe. The brains were
a.' burned, and one hand was thrown
~ above the head. showing that the
~. "" endeavoring to protect her
vi n her cAse the limbs below the |
'"-- were missing. Another wound
nelI"tely took on 4 portion OF the |
XVI. and the absence OF the ragged |
''sr' convinced the authorities that
Nr one had murdered the entire
''n'y aud then Get fire to the house in
'lr' 10 hide the crime.
.se youngest ~ the family was a
'i'''o.d girl. She was found near
mother under the mattress. All
a. remained Of the child was the
- and trunk.
every case except that OF the
''"'''d g'rl there was not q sign Of
.' Tie skull and on the inside OF
- %. "s' no sign OF animal mat
.." eyes even being completely
GO. out.
''nan, who had lived alone for
''''' With her children. kept a
.''ded. which hung on q nail
val 5ehisd the front door
'''-l Of this gun wAs found near
%" D-d stood, on the opposite
p zoe loom
Possibls Clue.
Metropolis reporter NJ. rouIe