Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-23
One Of The Most Famous Murder
Cases IN The History Of The
Stale Of Virginia.
GREAT TRIAL IS ABOUT 70 START
While the Public Has Fairly Ac-
curate Notion of the Essentials
Facts, 1T Is in Doubt as to Exactly
Juet Before the Shooting of Young
Theodore Estes.

Theodore Estes.
HOUSTON, VA. June 22.-Practi
cally every newspaper reader in the
commonwealth will look with burn
ing curiosity towards Houston, the
county seat of Halifax, next Monday,
for on that day will begin there one
OF the most famous murder trials in
the criminal annals of Nirgnia-thG
case of eX-Judge William G.. Low
ing. who stands indicted for the kill
ing Of Theodore Estes. the son OF
Sheriff NJ. *. Estes, of Nelson county.
Interest in the case arises, not alone
from the fact that the accused is Il
scion of an illustrious family and 4
former judge of the county court
Nelson county, but primarily because
the prosecution will once more put
to the test the socalled "unwrittm
law" in the Old Dominion.
Estes, broadly speaking. met his
fancied outrage to Miss Elizabeth
Loving, the nineteen-year-old daugh-
ter of the accused.
The homicide occurred at Oak
Ridge, Nelson county, Monday, April
49, 1907, and was the awful sequel
of buggy ride taken by the couple
the evening before. =.
Estes and Miss Loving. at the re-
quest of Miss Annie Kidd, of Low
ingston, whom the ex-Judge's daugh-
ter was visiting. took short drive
through populous farm section and
returned to the village between seven
and eight o'clock
Brought Back in Strange Condition.
The young woman, whatever hap
pened to her while she was under
the protection of her escort. was so
drunk when she reached the house
OF Miss Sneed that She had to be as
sisted from the vehicle and put to
bed. a physician was sent form
fact Estes himself volunteered to go
for a doctor-but on finding one.
H., iold him that nothing serious was
merely taken too much, booze"
1t does not appear that the physi-
clan made minute examination of
Miss Loving, rs he thought from what
he had heard that the young woman
was only intoxicated and not in n
serious condition.
The friends of the dead man say
that there was absolutely nothing
about the appearance of Miss Low
ing to indicate that she had suffered
any violence or had been subjected
to any indignaties.
Miss I.oving's friends and family
declare that she had been feeling
badly tbefore she started out with Els
ties. and that while on the drive she
took drink from n bottle which
Estes had with him. and that imme-
diately after tina she became stupe-
fled and helpless.
The Father Wild With Rage.
When Judge Loving learned of the
incident next day. he forthwith be-
came enraged and determined to
wreak vengeance on the young man.
lust what was tho nature of the in
formation he acted on remains TO be
definitely developed in evidence.
Suffice it to say. that he hurried to
Lovingston in quest of Estes, and on
being Informed that he was Mt the
railroad station, rode thither in great
haste. One of the first questions he
asked 4 friend whom he met at Oak
Ridge was: did Theodore Estes take
the train here?'
On being answered in the negative
and hearing that Estes was in
car loading fertilizer, he proceeded to
the station. which was but few
feet away and finding his victim in
4 the car as indicated prepared TO do
l his deadly work.
$50 You were out driving with the
4 ladies yesterday were you?" sardon-
4 ically exclaimed the father. and there
dnpcn he proceeded to use his double
j barrelled shot gun at short range.
4 Estes realized that his end was
linear when he heard the words of
dJudge Loving. but he had no oppor-
atunitv for explanations. He was
Astricken down in an instant. and died
a n few minutes later. Before his
4dlssOlution he managed to appeal for
&help, but his words were few and
7his agOnies brief.
q He Shot to Kill
a Two negro men were witnesses of
.athc homicide and others in the ham,
S|let saw more or less of It, After the
sshooting, Judge Loving made no eff
'Sfort to escape or to conceal his ac-
.3tions. In fact. almost his first words,
SNwhei he saw plans afoot to help the
giving man. were: Its no use; he's
shead | shot to kill"
"A Shortly thereafter the ex-Judge sur.
SAtendered himself to a magistrate. He