The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-05-31
A Lady Assassinated While
Asleep in Her Bed
By UNKNOWN FIENDS
Circumstantial Evidence Against Ne.
gro Under Arrest and Cenfiued 10
Jail for Safe Keeping. The
Woman's Husband Also
Under Suspicion.


The Augusta Chronicle says Mrs.
Eb s. Wilson of Beech Island was shot
at 2 O'Clock Thursday morning and
so fatally wounded that she died some
hours afterward. Bill Lumford,
colored, lies in the Richmond county
Jail, with circumstantial evidence
pointing to him as the murderer.
Tom Williams, another negro, is
locked up under suspicion, as al &C.
compltce in the crime. The case was
worked up by Detective Howard of
the Augusta city police.
At the time of the tragedy Mrs.
Wilson was sleeping in her bed, alone,
in one of the rooms OF the house. Her
husband, Mr.. Wilson, WAS In another
apartment. At about 2 o'clock the
night winds carried far and wide the
echo OF a pistol shot. Mrs. Wilson
lay on her bed in a pool Of blood,
mortally wounded.
Early In the night Mr.. Wilson had
seen q strange negro loitering aronnd
his premises. Having asked the man
his business and received no satisfac-
tory answer, he drove him of the
place. It is believed that this negro
Wis Blu Lnmford, and that he re-
uurDed. Excitement and indlgna-
tion ran rife on Beech Island. Az
soon as the sad story was heard from
MIR. Wilson g lips every effort was
made by friends and neighbors to &C.
complish the capture Of the guilty
party.
The trail was warm, and it led, ap-
parantly, to Bill Lumford. The
tracks OF q man who wore rubber
heeled shoes were followed without
break from the Wilson place to the
Carolina side Of the Hamburg bridge.
Detective Howard, following other
clues, had arrested Lumfurd. The
prisoners shoes were taken from him,
and Detective Howard personally
went across the river to see whether
or not they fit the tracks. So far as
could be ascertained in the road. they
did.
The imprint of the rubber heels
was damaging circumstantial cyl
dence. To make assurance doubly
sure, the shoes were gwen to Mr.. P.
B. Page, friend of Mr.. Wilson's,
who first brought the news Of the
tragedy to Augusta, and Mr., Page
will fit them to the still clearer in-
presslons made in the loose ground on
the Wilson Elace. Up 10 late hour
MI. Page had not reported the result
of this experiment.
Other minor but important points
converge to the sane center. Bill
Lumford and 1om Williams are Spar
tanburg county negroes. After the
arrest it was stated that. they had
spent the night in Augusta at the
house OF a negro woman named Meta.
Meta herself declared that they had
slept at her house from the middle OF
the night until morning. 1aVestiga-
tion developed that Meta herself, &C.
companied by her husband, had been
all night across the river at some
negro family gathering or wake. Her
story was oiscredited.
Furthermore, responsible parties
are reported to have seen two negroes
whose description corresponds to that
of the prisoners, crossing the Ham.
burg bridge In the gray dawn of the
morning, their clothing covered with
dust. IL is said that Mr.. Wilson
would be able to Identify the negro
whom he ordered off his pllce. Up
to late hour THURSDAY night MIR.
Wilson had not come to the city, nor
could it be ascertained at what tim
he would arrive.
The members OF the family gave
the following account OF the tragedy:
When the shot was fred, Mrs. Wal
son jumped from her bed and scream.
ed II have been shot. Somebody has
killed me-" and ran into her hus
bands room, where she fell. She
afterward became conscious, and stat
ed that she had no idea VITO snot her;
that she was asleep at the time.
ter she lspsed into seni.conscious-
ness and fingered until Thursday
night, when she died.
rne fatal snot was fired at 30 close
a range that the flesh showed the
powder marks. The bullet entered
under the right shoulder, and ranged
down uu The left side, penetrating The
diaphragm. Il had evidently been
fired through the oriface caused by o
broken pane OF glass. A board plac
cd against the hole on the outside had
been removed by the assassin.
SENSATION FOLLOWS SENSATION.
A dispatcn from Augusta TO The
State says sensation followed upon
sensation Thursday night aud this
,f0ernoon 10 the Wilson murder trag-
edy. Shoes worn by the negro Lum-
ford were taken to the scene OF the
crime during The forenoon and found
to fit exactly the tracks around the
house and through the ditch near the
house. Lumford is still being held In
jail there, but Mr.. Wilson has not been
10 the city to identify him as the man
seen late In the afternoon before the
murder.
J. L. Brown, a brother -in-laW OF
Wilson's was arrested In Augusta
Thursday evening under the influence