The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-05-22
mad LOVER DEALS
DEATH AND PERIsHES
An infatuated Operator Creates
Reign of Terror Near Atlanta.
TERRORIzED THREE COUNTIES
James n Clark Runs Amuek--
Armed With a Shotgun Mailman
Roamed at Large, Firing on All
Who Approaches.


Who Approaches.
Chamblee, Ga. Crazed by disap-
pointment in love, James "a. Clark, a
telegraph operator here, killed one man
and left five others close to death be-
fore be shet himself through the heart
10 Dunwoody, a village i've miles from
this place. The mailman terrorized
Tor eighteen hours community Of
awenty-four square miles, embracing
parts Of Fulton, De Kalb and Cobb
counties. After killing one man out
right, wounding six, some Of whom will
die, and firing a residence, Clark fed,
pursued By posse
The posse surrounded him in a grove
near Dunwoody. To summons to
surrender Clark answered BY d shot.
The posse and Clark exchanged shots
for some minutes. when CLARK, realiz-
ing that escape was not possible, put
his revolver, which had only one car
fridge left, to his breast and fred
bullet into his heart. AS Clark fell
dead the posse rushed in and riddled
his corpse by repeated voIleys. His
hat and coat, lying at his side, were
decorated with honeysuckles.
Clark is supposed to have been crazed
by his unrequited love for fourteen
year-old Nellie Gay, the pretty sister
in-laW of James w. Purcell. Recently
this love affair was broken up and
Clark became convinced that Mr.. and
Mrs. Purcell had interfered,
A large part of the day Clark was
in a drunken stupor, but during the
afternoon he reused himself, and about
s p. m. went to the home of q. S. Pur-
cell, next door to the home Of J w.
Purcell, where Mr.. and Mrs. ]. w. Pur-
cell were at the time. and demanded
admission. On being refused he broke
in the door with an axe and was fred
at by J. W. Purcell. The infatuated
operator secured lot of. kerosene oil,
saturated the kitchen of the Purcell
home and set fire to it, When the
flames burst out the Purcells were seen
in the glare, and Clark opened fire upon
them from behind a tree. ]. w. Pur-
cell was shot in the thigh and a serious
wound was inflicted. e. s. Purcell was
shot In the hand. It is believed that in
the return fire Clark was wounded in
the hand and side.
Clark went away. but returned about
midnight, by which time the Pureells
had gathered some Of their neighbors
to help them defend their homes. Clark
made a second attempt to fire the
house. A fusillade followed, shots be-
ing fired by those in the house and by
Clark. The result Of the midnight bat
tie was that w. s. Mask, station agent,
received a slight wound in the back OF
his neck. Clark was repulsed and did
not attack the house again.
The crazed man, heavily armed, went
down the railroad toward Dunwoody,
where he appeared very early in the
morning. Entering the store Of Nash
e Cheek he demanded ammunition, his
supply having been about exhausted.
The news of his acts had been tele-
phoned to Dunwoody.
When Cheek told Nash not to sell
Clark any ammunition, Clark turned
upon him with revolver and fired, the
bullet entering Cheeks heart and kill
ang him instantly. Nash lodged behind
the counter as his partner sank to the
floor and Clark fired two shots at him.
Clark then walked behind the c0un-
ter, supplied himself with cartridges
and left the store. As he walked away
he met a man named Satterfeld, to
whom he handed seventy-five cents,
with the statement that be had taken
some ammunition and supposed that
amount would pay for it.
Clark started back toward Chamblee,
walking along the railroad He had
gone only short distance when he met
Nv. j, Cocker, whom he attacked, wound
ing him slightly. After going little
further he plunged into a thick woods,
where later hewas trailed by the posse.
When Nellie Gay heard Of Clarks
death, she said: II never loved him.
He was hateful to me"