Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-07-15
MURDERED IN BED
Horrible Tragedy At Home Of
North Carolina Merchant
SHOT DEAD WITH His OWN GUN
Two White Men Enter Home of Mr..
John M. Morris in search of Money
land When he Awakes Shoots Him
With His Own Gun.

Menroe, N. c., Special.-Two un-
known white men, one clad in the
garb of woman, entered the home
of Mr.. John NJ. -Iorris, well-known
falmer-nerchant of the county liy-
ing two miles east of Weddington
Academy, at 3 O'Clock Saturday
morning to -burgularize it; Mr.. Nor
ris was awakened by the intruaers
AMI shot dead in his bed by them,
his own gun being used, and the bur
glars made good their escape after
securing small amount of money
from the home and store of the mur-
dered man.
efhe explosion of the gun awakensd
Mrs. Morris, who was sleeping with n
child in another bed, and she found
the bed or which her husband lay on
fire. This s!he. threw on the floor and
extinguishad and saved the house
from being burned. By the light of
the flames she recognized the two
assassins rs white men, one of them,
wearing dress, supposedly as dis.
gui:e. u Z
Coroner Sykes empaneled a jury.
and held an inquest, examining about
fifty witnesses. The verdict of the
jury was that Mt. Morris came to his
death ct the hands of unknown per-.
sons. Two white men of the nelsh-
borhood, however, are suspected OF
the bloody crime and the officers are
now searching for them. These si's-
poets told parties that they were 70
ing away. saying to some that they
were leaving for a picnic in Stanley
county and to others that they were
coming to Monroe, and it may be
that these are the turglar-assassins:
The home of Mr. Morris is located
in the same building in which he con-
Quoted a store, and robbery was what
led to the brutal murder. When the
burglars entered the sleeping room
they found Mr.. Morris gun in a
rack on the wall and when he awokc
shot him with it before he could
move. The assassin was standing
within few feet of the bed and the
discharge of the gun set the bed
clothes atire. The load entereG the
dead mans side just below the ribs,
tearing a great hole through tho
body. Death was almost instantan-
eous. The gun used with such deadly
effect was carried off by the burglars
when they fled.
Mrs. Morris, bereft of her husband
in a moment and without warning.
and with no protection left her. not
even a pistol, and with two assassins
just leaving the house, was terrified
beyond bounds, but her self-possess-
ion did not leave her, and with the
child clinging to her side in fright,
and not understanding the catastro-
phe, she went outside and gave the
alarm.
1t was weird sight which met the
gaze of the first hurrying men who
came to the rescue. The dead man
lay half way across the bed where he
had been peacefully sleeping only a
few minutes before. The burned bed
clothing told another part of the
story, and an open door in the house
where the two men, who were seen by
Mrs. Morris escaping told the re-
mainder of the story.
Men with lanterns, and armed for
an emergency, sought about the house
and store for traces of the burglars
and assassin, and secured the nearby
sections but without avail. The
burglars had successfully cluded de-
lection and were doubtless making
their hasty retreat from the scene of
the crime when the ,seachers arrived
On the scene.
About $25, which Mr.. Morris was
known to have in his possession at
the time, was missing when, in the
early gray of the day, friends Of
the stricken woman, who had come
to her aid, instituted more system
attic search than could be made in the
darkness of the night. Out in the
back yard of the dwelling which was
store, with rooms built to the side
for the family, was found the pants
of the dead man with the pockets
rifed. Mr.. Morris had about $12 OF
his person when he closed his store.