The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-04-05
GIRL MURDERED
IN A CEMETERY
Discarded Lover Accused of An
Awful Crime.
THE FATE OF AN EASTER BRIDE.
Miss Lille Davis Stops Work on Her
Trousseau to Take a " ak With Her
Former Sweetheart-He Declares He
Loaned Her His Pistol and That She
Committed Suicide.

Bristol, Tenn. Especially. = Ack
Hale, 21 years of age, now languishes
in Bristol (Va.) Jail and must face
the charge of having murdered MS
former sweetheart, Miss Lille Davis,
pretty 18-year-old girl. The TRACE
dy occurred in East Hill Cemetery,
SO feet from the Virginia state line,
in Tennessee. The police give no
credence whatever to Hale's story
that he loaned the girl his revolver,
at her request, so that she might
commit suicide
The girl was to have been married
Sunday, March 81, to j. M. Nc
Roberts, of Georgel, Va. She had
been the sweetheart of Ack Hale Tor
two years until some months before
the killing, when they separated and
she accepted McRoberts. Hale is SAID
to have become very much angered
at the time, but apparently his wrath
cooled, and, presumably on account
of the love affair, he came to the
city Tuesday from his home, at
Johnson City, as he said, on his way
to Colorado. He left Bristol, but at
Pulaski,Va., abandoned his proposed
trip and returned to Bristol.
He went to the home of the girls
mother, Mrs Elizabeth Davis, on
Hadden Street, late Wednesday even
ing, and took Lille for walk. The
Davis home adjoins the cemetery.
They were seen to enter the cemetery
about dusk, but, as the day had been
very hot and the moon was shining
brightly, persons who saw them sus-
pected nothing, presuming that they
were going to sit down on the
benches in the cemetery and rest.
Fifteen minutes later shot rang out
clear and Hale ran out of the Gene
terry. He passed the home of the
girls mother and went 200 yards
further to another home, where he
reported that the girl had committed
suicide with his pistol. Miss Davis
was found lying on the grass in
private square with mortal bullet
wound above her heart, from which
was gushing her life's blood. She
never regained consciousness, but
talked incoherently, and frequently
cried out: "Oh, Ack, how could you?
You are smothering me to death.
Please quit, for Gods sake" She
died an hour and half later, and
Hale was arrested on warrant
charging him with the murder.
Miss Davis had gone driving with
Hale in the afternoon before her
death. She returned to her home to
assist her mother and sister in work
ing on her wedding trousseau. Hale
came and asked her to take a walk.
She did so, telling her mother that
she would return in time to work
an hour to aid in finishing up the
clothes that night. Witnesses testifi-
ed that they saw Hale hold her and
pour whiskey down her throat. Be-
side her after the shooting was re-
ported was found an empty whisky
flask. Ten feet distant was found
the pistol which ended her life.
The examination of the girls body
by physicians resulted in the disclos-
ure that she had been criminally as
saulted. The theory is that Hale as
saulted the girl and while she lay
on the grass half unconscious he
fired the shot that sent her into
eternity.
1t is also recalled that Miss Davis
was the strongest witness against his
(Hale's) brother, Roy Hale, who
killed her brother, Irby Davis, at
Johnson City, Tenn, several months
ago, and for which he is shortly to
be tried.
While the Davises are not wealthy
people, they are highly thought of,
and are closely related to some of
the richest people in this section.
Hale is in Virginia and refuses to
cross the state line. He was locked
up in Virginia after the shooting be-
cause there was doubt about juris-
diction. 1t developed later that the
killing was on Tennessee soil.