The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1908-12-16
IA HORRIBLE CRIME.
Little Mamie WOrmack, a Russell
County School Girl, As.
SauIted And Muir.
dered.
ELMER HILL CHARGED WITH CRIME.

A crime, the like of which, never be-
fore was committed in this part of the
State, was perpetrated near Mt. Olive
school house, about three miles from
Russell Springs, in Russell county, late
Tuesday afternoon last week.
Mamie Wormack, daughter of Mr..
Logan Wormack, eleven years old, was
a pupil in school that is being taught
about one mile from the home of her
parents, and when school was dismiss
ed on the afternoon above mentioned.
she started home in company with
other pupils, small girls, and they were
all together until they got within three
hundred yards of where Mamie Wor-
mack lived. Here the girls turned into
another road which led to their respec-
tive homes, Mamie starting alone to her
house. She had not gone more than
fifty yards when she was seized and
dragged into the woods, assaulted and
murdered, her head being beaten into
pulp. The above facts were developed
when Mamie failed to reach her parents
home, and when she was found dead in
the woods by parties who had gone in
search of her.
The whole country was immediately
aroused, bloodhounds ordered from
Lincoln county and placed on the trail
of the murderer, the man suspected
being Elmer Hill. cousin of the little
girl, and who lived in the same neigh
borhood.
The dogs followed the trail through
Russell county and into Adair and final
ly lost the scent at Long View, two
miles from Columbia.
A large crowd of determined men was
with the dogs from the start, and while
the trail was lost about II o'clock
Thursday m, the hunt for the incarnate
devil was by no means abandoned and
every effort will be continued until the
scoundrel is caught.
Perhaps no crime was ever committed
in this part of Kentucky which aroused
the Indignation of more people. Hun
dreds of men have been searching the
woods since the awful deed was perpe-
trated, and their procedure and ex-
pressions plainly tell that Judge Lynch
would sit in judgment should the guilty
party be apprehended.
Elmer Hill, who is accused, is about
% or Is years old, light Completed and
will weigh about $50 or 16O pounds. and
has an impediment in his speech. He
is a man of bad reputation. Twenty or
thirty men from Russell county, a
searching party, were here Thursday,
and one of the leaders informed the
News that there was not doubt as to
Hills guilt.
The parents of the little victim are
distressed almost to death, and the
good people of Russell county are cry
ing for vengeance.
1t is hoped by every body that the
brute, in human form, will be caught.
and if he should be there is scarcely
doubt as to the punishment which will
follow quickly after his apprehension.
LATER.-The accused was caught
Sunday morning in an out-building,
asleep, near Sano, Adair county. His
captors were Wolford Wilson and a
young man named Shepherd. AS above
stated, bloodhounds were on the trail of
the murderer for several days, losing
the scent at the Long View in this
county. From this point it is believed
that Hill made his way back to Russell
county and from Russell county he
went into Adair where he was caught
and landed in the Jamestown Jail Sun
day morning before daylight.
About O'Clock Sunday morning an
examining trial was called by II. H.
Dunbar, County Judge of Russell. An
examination was waived and the accus-
ed remanded to Jail until o'clock
Monday morning when he was to again
be presented to the Court.
Ali day Sunday jamestown was full
of men and mob talk was freely indulg-
ed in.
Between 9 and 10 -o'locck Sunday
night mob, numbering between sixty
and seventy-fve men, entered James
town, went to the Jail for the purpose
of taking Hill out and hanging him,
but the accused had been spirited
away by officers. When the mob failed
to find the prisoner in the Jail, the next
move was to search several dwellings
in the town. Failing to find the man
the mob quitely rode out of town.
1t is almost certain that the officers
carried Hill to the Monticello Jail for
safe keeping, as it is known that they
crossed Greasy creek, going in that
direction at o'clock Monday morn
ing.
We learn from reliable source had
the mob secured Hill at the Jail, all