The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-06-01
WHO SHOT HER?
A Lady Assassinated While
Asleep in Her Bed
By UNKNOWN FIk NDS
Clrcmnstantlal Evidence Against a Ne.
gro. Under Arrest and Conflaed ID
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
80 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
looked up under suspicion, as an ao
complete In the crime. The case was
worked up by Detective Howard CT
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 Oh her bed In a pool of blood,
mortally wounded.
Early In the night Mr.. Wilson had
seen a strange negro lettering around
nis premises. Having asked the man
ais business and received no satisfac
tory answer, he drove him tf the
place. 1t Is believed that this negro
W. q Bin Lumford, and that he re-.
6urDei. Excitement and indigna-
tion ran rife Oh Beech Island. IA
soon as the sad story was heard from
Mr.. Wilson'S lips every effort was
made by friends and neighbors to &C.
compllsh the capture Of the guilty
party.
The trail was warm, and it led. ap-
%parently, to Bill Lumford. The
tracks OF a man who wore rubber
heeled shoes yer followed without a
break from the Wilson place to the
Carolina side Of the Hamburg bridge.
Detective Howard, following other
clues, had arrested Lumford. Tho
prisoners shoes were taken from him,
and Detective Howard personally
went ,ross the river to see whether
"~@ hey6 the tracks. So far as
T. .ttained in the road, bhey.
che, Imprint Of the rubber heels
was damaging circumstantial evil.
deppe. TO make assurance doubly
SURF, the shoes were given to Mr.. p.
b. Page, a friend Of Mr.. Wilson's,
who first brought the news Of the
tragedy to Augusta, and Mr., Page
will it them to the still clearer inn
pressi0ns made In the loose ground on
the Wilson place. Up 10 u late hour
Mr.. Page had not reported the result
OF this experiment.
Other minor but important points
converge to the same center. Bill
LurTford and Tom Williams are Spar.
tahSdrg county negroes. After the
arrest 1T was stated that they had
spent the night in Augusta at the
house OF q negro woman named Meta.
Meta herself declared that they had
slept at her house from the middle Of
the night until morning. Investiga.
Gion developed that Meta herself, &C
companied by her husband, had bsen
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.
ourg bridge IN the gray dawn of the
morning, their clothing covered with
iooU' v ib oib Uldu NIL. WlloOu
would be able to identify the negro
whom he ordered Of his plsce. UP
20 a late hour Thursday night Mr..
Wilson had not come to the ciJy, nor
could 1t be ascertained at what time
he would arrive.
The members Of the family gave
the following account OF the tragedy
When the shot was fired, Mrs. VII
son Jumped from her bed and scream,
ed II have been shot. Somebody ha!
killed me-" and ran into her hus
oand's room, where she fell. She
afterWard became conscious, and stat
ed that she had no Idea wt.o shot her
chat she was asleep at the time
Later she lapsed into semi. conscious
ness and fingered until Thursday
night, when she died.
The fatal shot wa fired at so CLOSE
a range that the flesh showed tn,
powder. mari 8. The bullet entered
under the right shoulder, and ranged
down to the left side, penetrating tn
diaphragm. 1t had evidently beef
fired through the oriface caused by
!, broken pane OF glass. a board plac
ed against the hole on the outside ha,
been removed by the assassin.
SENSATION FOLLOWS SENSATION.
A dispatch from Augusta TO Tn
State says sensation followed upoI
sensation Thursday night and thi
afternoon In the Wilson murder trap
| edy. Shoes worm by the negro Lum
ford were taken to the scene Of til
8 crime during the forenoon and foun
TO fit exactly the tracks around til
house and through the ditch near tn
house. Lumford is still being held 1
jail there, but Mr.. Wilson has not bee
9 TO the city to identify him as the ma
. seen late la the afternoon before th
!, murder.
I" j. L.. Brown, q brother. In. law {
Wilson'S was arrested In August
J. Thursday evening under the iniuent
Of liquor and held In jail for q time
prevent personal injury. The ma
declared he was on his way to b !ec
Island for the purpose of killing w
son, whom me declared had killed Mr.
"a Wilson, saying he intended after di
IT. posing of Wilson to XIII himsel
y After making this statement, al
saying to show that he was In earnes
,e he drew q pocket knife and slash'
r. his OVID throat, innictil G a shallC
flesh wound.
m NmWo tltOM AIKEN.
A dispatch from Aiken to The Sta