The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1908-10-08
CRAZY MAN KILLS
TWOAND COMMITS
SUICIDE SUNDAY
In the Suburbs of John
son City.
USED AXE AS HIS WEAPON
Early in the Morning He Startles
a Peaceful Household with His
Blows That Dealt Death.
USED AXE AS HIS WEAPON

W. n. Beals, guest of Burney Bay
less, attempted to murder the household
last Sunday morning and as result
three persons are dead. Beals and his
wife, who is a sister of Mrs. Bayless,
lived at Embreville and were visiting
Burney Bayless and wife on Maple
street in this city. Beals had not been
considered entirely rational for several
months aud for this reason and because
there had been some ill feeling between
Bayless and Beals about fifteen years
ago, Bayless sat up during the night
and guarded the housphold. Just be-
fore five o'clock in the morning he told
his wife he thought there was no dan
ger and he would lie down. He did 80
and Mrs. Bayless began work in the
kitchen preparing breakfast.
1t was not long until Beals came in
the kitchen and asked for a drink and
wanted some kindling to start a fire.
He went out in the yard and, it is sup
posed, got an axe, for as soon as he re-
turned to the house Mrs. Bayless heard
a commotion in the bed room and run
in to find that he had crushed her hus-
skull with the blade of the axe. AS
soon as he saw her he struck at her and
broke her arm and struck her on the |
body as she ran away.
Mrs. Beals ran out of the house, but
he caught her near side window and
sank the axe to the eye in her head,
crushing her skull and pushing the
brains out, but did not cut the men,
brane containing them.
Bayless died in twenty minutes after
he was struck and was never conscious,
but Mrs. Beals was conscious for awhile
and told those present that she knew
this was going to happen, but was
afraid to tell it. She lived until about
nine O'Clock Monday morning.
Mrs. Bayless made her escape and
the eldest daughter ran away, but Beals
told her he would get her later. He
did not attempt to hurt any of the other
children. He picked up the little Grip
pied boy, who was sleeping with his
father, and told him he was not going
to hurt him.
This all happened in a few minutes
and in 90 minutes the entire neighbor-
hood was aroused and on the scene.
Beals had started for the tannery knobs
to make his escape, but he was soon
overtaken and arrested by Bob Taylor
and Dave Netherly. He had made an
unsuccessful attempt to kill himself
with the axe by striking himself in the
head, inficting two flesh wounds. The
prisoner was tied and turned over to
Sheriff Jones and Officer Fogleman
and placed in the city Jail with his
hauds tied because there were no hand
cuffs available.
About nine O'Clock Sunday morning
Beals closed the chapter of crime by
hanging himself to a beam with the
with the rope with which be had been
tied. The low ceiling made it necessary
for him to hold up his feet until he was
strangled to death, the neck was not
broken.
Sheriff Jones acted in the capacity of
sheriff and undertaken and was kept
busy caring for the dead and the dy-
ing.
The remains of Burney Bayless and
Mrs. Beals were buried at Bethesda
and Mr.. 8eals' body was taken to En-
breville for interment.
Burney Bayless was civil war vet
ersn and was a good citizen and hard
working man, brickmason by trade.
He leaves widow and eight children.
Mr.. and Mrs. Beals had no children.
It is a deplorable affair and can only
be accounted for as the act of maniac,
and there is no noubt that Beals was
insane and had been for some months.