Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1909-12-16
: AWFUL CRIME
NeEs Says Eve Women and Fatally
Wounds Third.
AXE THE WEAPON USED

Assaulted Before Being Killed,
and Mrs. Maggie Hunter, Victims
Of Terrible Tragedy In Savannah.
| Victims OF a revolving crime, Mrs.
Eliza Gribble. aged 70 years. and her
daughter. Mrs. Carrie Ohlander. were
found dead In their home, No. 401
Friday. while q third woman, Mrs.
| Maggie Hunter, aged 80. found Just
inside tho front door of the house,
10 at the Savannah hospital dying.
Physicians state that Mrs. Ohland-
er was the victim Of q criminal as
sault just before she was killed.
One hundred and atty negro men.
caught In the meshes OF the police
drag net through Yamacraw. the
| negro section OF the city, are priso-
ners In the police station. the theory
OF the police being that q negro
man. having planned an assault upon
Mrs. Ohlander. was compelled to
commit the other crimes In order to
escape.
Other arrests will be made until
every negro In the city who In any
way resembles The description of q
negro who during three days had
been frequently about the premises
OF the house OF the murders Is
prisoner.
The police believe that this negro.
using an axe taken from the wood
shed In the reCr OF the Gribble home.
beat Mrs. Gribble to death, struck
Town Mrs. Hunter and after assault
Ing Mrs. Ohlander III the wide. long
hall way, whore the bodies were
found. finished his terrible work by
beating in her skull with the weapon
Mrs. Gri6ble evidently was attack
ed from behind. as she eat In an easy
chair reading. On the floor. beside
bor body. were found the newspaper
she was reading and her spectacles
one. or possibly two. blows were
dealt her. Her grsy hair. blood
matted. shows the imprint OF the
blunt axe.
Then the murder stealthily ap-
proscning aged Mrs. Gribble, killed
her. 1t ID believed that Mrs. Ohland-
er was attacked as she left her room
to enter the hall way. was assault
ed and killed. Mrs. Hunters skull
was crushed In and her death Is
matter Of but a few hours.
The motley hord of prisoners are
quiet and frightened IN the police
station and jail. II Is believed that
II the negro suspected Of the crime
is caught he con be quickly identi-
fed.
Bloodhounds have been ut work
In an effort to take the trail from
the woodshed where the axe was
found by the murderer, but as
the house of mureders is almost
within the heart Of the city and as
the murders were probably commit
ted several hours before the discov-
cry OF the bodies, the dogs will be
OF little use.
Mayor Tiedeman. of Savannah. has
offered q reward OF $1,000 for the
capture with evidence TO convict of
the slayer OF Mrs. Gribble and Mrs.
Ohlander. and the assailant OF Mrs.
Maggie Hunter. who was not idenu-
fed for hours after the discovery
of the murders.
II is now almost certainly known
that q negro. the negro who was st
first suspected Is the guilty man.
Persons have been found who state
that this negro was seen entering
the Grioble house With the fatal
axe In his hand. and was seen clos
ing the shutters to the windows of
the house. and to leave the premis-
es. all at the hour when 1t Is be-
lieved the murders were committed.
This negro's description has been
piinted on handbills and scattered
broadcast over the city and county,
with the reward offered. and all
nearby towns have been notified and
are on the lookout. Police officers
In automobiles have covered all the
roads for miles surrounding the city.
while posses on foot have secured
the places where automobiles could
not go. The house-to-house search
OF negro homes continues. II seems
| hardly possible that the egro can
long remain at large.
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a NV