The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-11-27

An Old woman's Throat Cuf-ROhbe1y
F. the Mottvc-Two Arrcsfs. -.

ulc 1xot1Sc-lWO Akkc9k8. -.
Gafney, Nov. e1.-Yesterday be-
tween IL and l O'Clock at her home.
two and a half miles from the city,
Mrs. Hortense Morgan, a widow living
in her little house on the top OF a Hill
overlooking Gaffney. was murdered
and robbed of her savings OF a lifetime.
The murderer. with one slash With
q sharp knife had cut her throat from
a TO ear and. after robbing her per-
son, had ~ransacked her house The
story in all its details Is blood curdling.
The dead body was discovered lying
on the bed between one and two O'Clock
by a neighbor with whom the old lady
spent her nights, Mrs. Callie Webb.
A representative of the News went
to the scene just as soo as he heard
! OF the crime to make an investigation
and learn all the facts possible.
From neighbors ii was learned thai
Mrs. Morgan was seen in the yard
hanging out some clothing she had
washed. and about IL O'Clock she fed
the pigs. Just before u o'clock Mr..
Cicero Price passed the house on his
way TO Gaffney, and saw her on the
porch seemingly sewing. and saw Il
man going in at the gate. Soon after
this a Mr.. Whelchel saw a man sitting
on the porch talking 70 her.
After the murder became known
these gentlemen told of seeing the man
"a the house and pointed him out TO 4
policeman, Officer Coy!e, who with
Deputy Marshal Phillips, arrested him.
He proved to be Tom Harris.
Harris was taken TO the city prison
and searched. On his person was found
two rolls of money, one wrapped in a
long white rag. In this roll was S466.
A further search revealed another roll,
which appeared to have been wrapped
as the other one.
Before the last roll was counted Har-
ris was asked how mucn money he had.
He said that he should nave about $500
A count revealed S726, and on the out
side bill on one of the rolls there were
blood stains.
Harris also had a new and large
knife with a very sharp blade. This
knife vas stained with blood and had
clotted blood in the butts. On his
wrists and hands were other blood
stains.
When asked where he got so much
money he said at first that he labored
for it, n afterward said tina he
la5ored and gambled for it.
Harris is a man of about 80, with
short, sandy whiskers, and will proba.
bly, weigh 160 pounds. He appears tC
belong to the very lowest strata. Ru-
NOR a it that he was ordained to the
ministry by the Baptist church two
years ago, while another rumOr has il
that he was a Holiness preacher. He
has but recently completed a sentence
on the changing in York county, so il
is said. He asked the sheriff to get his
Bible from his grip for him.
Harris was a stranger in the com
munfty, having asked a Mr.. Quinn how
far 1t was to Mrs. Morgan's.
This caused the authorities to lOoE
around for an accomprice. YESTERDAY
afternoon as No. II was about to leave
jim Childress, a laborer in one of the
cotton mills here and a brother-in-laW
OF Harris, was arrested. Childress haC
been away from Gaffney for some time
and returned to GaffEey this mOrnins
with, Harris. He was on his way t
Blacksburg to meet Harris wife, whC
stopped owe there. Childress picked
cotton for Mrs. Morgan this fall an(
knew of the report that the old lad,
was in the habit of carrying none,
about her person.