The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-11-30
FOUL MURDER.
An Aged Widow Who Lived Near
Gaffney Robbed
MD HER THROAT CUT


About Midday Tom Harris. a
Wondering Character Ar.
rested On Suspicion.
A disps'o oh from Gafrney to The
News and C)ur'er says that section
was again the 'ene of . most shook
ln& oT,mo. On Tuesday of last week
oetV an IL and O'Clock, at her home
on JLa cres6 Of y hill, two and half
miles from Gafi ICY, and overlooking
the town, Mrs Hortense Morgan, an
aged widow, llvirg all alone, was mur
dered and robbed Her throat was
cut from ear to car sn1 several hun
'rod dollars stolen frem her person.
AS the citizsnS wero returning from
their dinber the news spread that Mrs
Morgan had beer murdered aud the
sheriff and the ohief OF pei co with the
| blood hounds won't to tho scsne, bus
they had bten gone long before
ons Ton Harris WAY poinhed out at
the dep>b rs /. m tn ssan a6 MrA Nor
gan's ,at before the crime was COM
'nittcd Several good aud substantial
men identified him 81 iaving been
seen on the porch ., ths house as they
"a sed coming TO town.
Hafris aAa &rressad y Oflosr O1yle
sno Deputy Marshal PHI % On scr
HOLMAN came up and they took Har.
f'a tn tho city prison where he was
searched. Ga hia person was found @
large knife, very sharp and bloody, and
Ia two rolls was found 9728 10. One
roll of bills WAS wrapped IN white
rag very much as o woman would
wrap IL. The other roll had been
wrapped IN the same way, but the
wrappiDgs we're gone. The rag which
eeemed to have beon wrapped around
this last roll was found between the
house an1 G&ffney.
Harris, when asked how much mon.
ey he had, said that no had abou,
5000. 8l26 Less than he really had. Iu
edition TO tho money and knife there
were found on his person stains of
olood, about his hands, and on his
breast there was bruiae.
Your correspondent visi6ed the
scene Of the crime and found Mrs
Morgan. on her he'd La; q neol os, her
Iosgiat blood ag tiaEaab was ouS from.
ear to ear and her clothing had been
turned up sn1 bwo cloth bags contain.
ing the money, which was attached
10 her waist, had been cut off and
thrown to the floor. The room had
been ransacked, the clothing thrown
about the floor. From inquiry OF the
neighbors the following facts were Oh
contained:
Mrs. Morgan lived alone In her
house Oh tho top OF tho hill, but spent
her nights With tenSnt on her place,
because she was afraid of being mur.
oered. Between II and IL O'Clock
Mrs. Webb saw her about tho place.
hanging out clothes and feeding the
pigs. At l O'Clock M 49, Webb had az
engagement to go with hor to see o
neighbor. After waiting some time
ever the appointed hour she went to
the house to geS what had become OF
her. She looked In the window and
saw her Oh the bed With her throat
Out. She gave the alarm and soon
crowd had gathered.
Harris was seen going to Mrs Nor.
gan's near to IL O'Clock. Ha asked
some people along the road how far Ii
was to her house. He was seen In the
porch talking to her while she Was
aeWing. Whom he came to town after
the murder the fl rst thing he did was
to buy suit Of clothes and an over
coat.
Later Tuesday afternoon his broth
er'in.law, Jim Ohildress, who works
at one OF the mills here, but who had
been away for some time, returning
to Gaffney Tuesday morning With
Harris, was arrested as knowing
something OF the crime. Ohilaress
worked with Mrs. Morgan this fall,
picking cotton, and knew OF the report
that she carried money on her person.
When arrested he was on hia wav no
BIaoksburg, whore he was to Join Mira
Harris, who WAS Taiting there for her
husband to return. 1t is thought that
Ohildfess knows q great deal about the
affair, as Harris WAS stranger In the
community.
Harris Is a man OF medium size, Of
low order OF intelligence, with sandy
whiskerB over his face. AS o boy he
was c0nBidered wild. Rlmor has A.
that he was at Forest Oity, N. O..
about three weeks ago working In
n1ll, but ho says that he came here
from Groves, N. @. Three years ago
he lived st Hickory Grove, where he
was known as preacher, having been
ordained by the Baptist Church.
Another rumor has 1t that he was q
Holiness preacher. Anyway, he asked
the Officers to look In his suit case and
get him his Bible. When asked where
he got 80 much money he said that he
labored and made 1t. but afterwards
said that ne made IL by labor and
gambling
1t 10 thought bv many that il Har.
ris killed Mrs Morgan he WAS hired
to murder herp There are thosc who
believe that che killing of Mira. Nor.
gan waB the execution OF deep laid
plot to put the aged lady out OF the
way. and that Harris was the tool
secured to do the bloody work. The