The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1906-02-26
BILLY AUGUSTUS
FOULLY MURDERED
Body of Well Known Bricklayer Found
Near a Culvert in |. e. Yard.
Had Seven Wounds On His Head...His Eight.Year-
Old Son the Only Eyewitness


better known among his associates
as "Billy" Augustus. a well known
bricklaycr, was found by Frank An
drecht, a brOther-in-law of Augustus
former wife, IN a four-foot pool Of
water west of a small culvert under
the |. G. road just south of the yard
Office in the south I. c. yards, Sunday
morning shortly after o'clock. The
position of the body, the facts sur
rounding the disappearance OF the
unfortunate man the night before all
point to one theory-that of murder
but IL has not been definitely es-
tablished yet.
Augustus worked all last week on
the Elks' home. on North Fifth
street and was paid off just before
noon Saturday. In the afternoon he
stated to friends that he was going
out to his former wife's home to get
his boy and buy him clothes. He
secured the boy and while returning
home with him was attacked by two
men.
Augustus married daughter of
John Mcclure, the |. c. engineer.
who resides on the Pool road several
miles out. Before the holidays she
was granted divorce from him and
one provision was that he could have
their boy, Louis. who is nlck-named
Ted" occasionally. He would
often go out and get his son for
few hours and Saturday afternoon
brought him TO town. Augustus
bought himself and son pair of
shoes and other small articles. and
went to the I. c. depot. whore they
caught train and rode as far as the
coal chute, where the train stopped
for coal. They started to walk the
remaining distance to the boys home
walking down the railroad track.
This was about 1870 o'clock p. m.
Augustus was drinking heavily
and had quart OF whlskey. He
was staggering and in the immediate
danger of being struck by an engine
which was being broken in" This
caused the attention of several rail
road men to be directed towards him.
Augustus had a pistol in his pocket
and the son asked to carry It. The
father gratifed the sons desire and
they trudged along the track, stop
ping once at camp fire around
which several negroes had gathered.
They next passed the south yard
Office and a short distance south of
the Office Augustus sat down on the
end of the cross ties. Two white
men. young fellows who seemed to
be drinking, were following about
half a mile behind. They stopped at
the Office and inquired about south
bound train. and Operator J. j.
Painter. thinking they were with
Augustus. or were friends OF his be-
cause they, too. seemed drinking,
asked them to get Augustus, who was
a stranger to Painter, OFF the track.
The evidence shows that the two,
one wearing a yellow jacket or can
vas coat approached Augustus and
seeing the weapon in the sons hand,
took II away from him. The
stranger went into the woods empty
ing the pistol by firing 1t as he went,
hid the weapon and returned. A few
words we're passed and the stranger
attacked the father.
The son being thoroughly fright
ened, ran away leaving his father
with two stones in his hand trying to
defend himself against the man.
This was the last seen of him until
the fathers body was found Sunday
morning where It had evidently been
thrown. There we're seven wounds
on his head. indicating that he was
killed with a railroad spike. all the
wounds being alike. one on the fore
head. one on the cheek and five on
the back of the head.
There were many different stories
current about the killing, but the
evidence goes to show that Augustus
was drinking and so were the two
strangers When they hid his pistol
and attempted to get Augustus OF
the tracks he demonstrated and the
fight resulted. Robbery was evil
IDENTIFY not the object, as Augustus
had a So bill on his person when his
body was found.
The coroner's inquest was begun
this morning and continued over UNI
I'll this afternoon. Several import
ant witnesses were heard this morn
ing.