Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-12
WATCHMAN KILLED
IN DEAD Of NIGHT;
SLAYER NOT KNOWN
William M. Holland, Night
Waterman at Old Peoples
Ice Plant, Murdered From
Ambush With Shotgun.
WAS SHOT AT BEFORE;
MAY ARREST SUSPECT

. William NJ. Holland, aged az years, a
Waterman at the Peoples plant of the
Atlanta Ice and Coal company, inter
section Thurmond street and the w. & A.
railroad, was murdered by an unknown DIT
s o'clock Friday morning. The right
side of his head was blown off with
shotgun. F-'
The body was discovered shortly before
O'Clock by a patrolman of the Amer
lean District Telegraph company,
who was sent out to learn why
Holland had not been pulling his
boxes. He had four on his rounds, the cir
cults terminating in the Western union
office. He had pulled three and was
within 20 feet of the fourth and last when
shot down from ambush.
No clue to the Identity of the muir
derer has been obtained. The police au-
thorities learned of the case shortly af-
ter the body was discovered, and detect
ives were set to work on it at once. The
body was taken to Greenberg, Bond &
Bloomfeld's undertaking establishment.
An inquest will be held by Coroner
Donehoo Friday afternoon.
COWARDLY MURDER.
The coroner states that the murder is
one of the bloodiest and most cowardiy
that has been committed in Atlanta in
several months. Notwithstanding the fact
that acquaintance of Holland were soon
specializing as to why he had been MUIR
dered, the motive is shroGded in mystery,
and the detective department expects
that the search for tile guilty man will
be long and difficult
Holland lived at 147 Simpson street
He leaves wife and two children;
mother, sister and brother in Atlanta;
brother in Toccoa. one in Anderson, S.
c., and another in Houston, Tex.
Holland was in the yard behind the ice
Pant, when he was murdered.
In his right hand he held a key, which
he evidently intended unlocking his last
box for the o'clock pull" He had
already turned in his signal from the
three other boxes, which he was requir-
ed to pull each hour. ...
The murderer was probably secreted
within a few yards of the man, when the
fatal shot was fired as the right side
of Hollands head and face was almost
completely blown off.
NO SIGN OF STRUGGLE.
There was absolutely no sign Of a
struggle of any kind and no tracks, which
could trace the murderer after the deed
was committed.
That the murder was cold blooded and
well-planned is shown from the fact that
the telephone wire running to the plant
had been cut sometime before o'clock.
At o'clock, when Holland failed to
pull his boxes an attempt was made to
reach him by telephone from the city
but this failed. 1t did not become known
that the wires had been severed until the
detectives began Investigating the case.
One of the murdered mans brothers
was at police headquarters early Friday
morning but the brother could give the
city detectives no clue as, to the identity
of the. murderer,- Officers Starnes and
Campbell have been splaced on the case
aEdtthese' two experienced men are maxi
Ing every effort to locate the perpetra-
tor of one of the bloodiest deeds in the
annals of crime i'm Atlanta.
SHOT AT ONCE BEFORE.
Holland has been employed as a night
Waterman by the Atlanta Coal and Ice
company for the past two years. About
oDe year ago the man was mysteriously
fired at by an unknown party early in the
morning, as he was going his rounds. At
that time detectives were placed on the
case but failed to learn who fired the
shot.
A quiet, unassuming man, Holland was
not supposed to have an enemy in the
world, but from all indication the firing
of the fatal shot was actuated purely by
MAY ARREST SUSPECT.
Information may be brought out at the
coroners inquest Friday afternoon that
will lead to the arrest of man who is
under suspicion, but whose name will not
be divulged. He is the man who is thought
to have shot at Holland last April.
Holland was reading in the office of the
now unused ice plant, and his would-be-
murderer fired at him through an incur
tanned window with revolver. The bull
let barely missed Holland, knocked out
the lamp light, and imbedded itself in
the wall behind him. Holland leaped to
his feet, looked through the window, and
saw a man running away across the
adjacent railroad yards. He claimed to
have recognized the man, and gave his
name to j. j. Cason, care-taker of the
ice plant.
When seen Friday morning Mr.. Cason
stated that he remembered the name of
the man, but he would not divulge it. He
said, however, that he would tell all he
knew at the coroner's inquest, if re-
uuested to do so. The man suspected, he
states once tried to get the job of night
Waterman, but was turned down.
The inquest over the body of the muir
dered Waterman will be held Saturday
morning at 10 o'clock at the undertaking
parlors of Greenberg, Bond & Bloomfield,
at the request of the detectives, who hope
to gather convincing evidence against the
guilty party by that time. Coroner Done
hoo swore in his jurymen Friday after
noon and had them review the body.