Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-07-19
REVOLVING CRIME AT ORR MILL
Samuel n. Hyde Kills Wife and Her
Father, WOunding Sister-in.Law.
(Anderson Mail, 1Sth.D

"Sh' thcic loi lhC PURPOSE Ol
killing my wife, and ! am satisfied
with my little deed. I'm ready to
die for it at any time. My only re-
gret Is that l had to shoot the old
man, and that I shot the little girl.
The old man should not have caught
hold Of me. | had to shoot him in
the tussle. AS to the little girl,
didn't know she was in the bed with
my wife until the officers told me this
morning that she was, and that
had shot her In the arm and leg. ]
am sorrOy about that"
Ihis statement, made by Samuel
n. Hyde, young white man, q
years of age, in the county jail this
morning, tells the story Of two Of the
most revolving murders that has ever
occurred in Anderson county.
The place was in the Orr Mills vii
lage at the home OF NJ. V. Beasley.
The persons killed were Mrs. Emma
Beasley Hyde, wife Of Samuel N.
Hyde, and w. V. Beasley, father of
Mrs. Hyde. The little girl wounded
is the 15-year-old sister of Mrs.
Hyde, who was asleep in the bed
with Mrs. Hyde at the time of the
shooting.
Immediately after the shooting
Hyde surrendered himself to Sheriff
King, meeting him in the road and
mailing him as he was driving to the
spot Hyde climbed in the buggy,
and asked that he be taken to the
jail.
The killing occurred at the home
Of the Beasleys about 215 o'clock
this morning, and, according to
Hyde's own statement, was premedi-
tated insofar as the killing of his
wife was concerned. They had been
separated for a little more than two
weeks, the parents having declined
to allow Mrs. Hyde to remain with
her husband, or to permit his visit
ing her at their home, and he says
he decided to end 1t all.
Where the Tragedy Occurred.
Hyde had for short time been
working as engineer at the Gluck
Mills. Last night he went to the
park, taking in the show, and about
10 O'Clock went to the Orr Mills vii
lage. He kept a watch on the house
In which the Beasleys lived, and
shortly after IL o'clock, when the
lights had been turned low, and he
was convinced that the members of
the family had retired, he secured a
| chair, and entered by the kitchen
window, first having removed his
coat and shoes.
knowing the location Of the room
in which his wife slept with her sis
ter, Miss Willie Beasley, he proceed
ed there, and opened fire on her as
she lay on the bed. Just as he fired
Hyde says his wife attempted to rise,
| and asked: Sam, what in the world
do YOU mean?"
81 replied" he said, 81 have come
to kill YOU" and he began firing.
Five shots were fired by Hyde at
the form of his wife on the bed.
Three Of these struck her, all enter
ing the heart; two from the front
and one from the side, any one of
| which would have caused death, ac-
cording to the statement of physi-
clans, who were called to make an
examination.
The other two of the five shots
fired inside the room struck Miss
Rcas!ey, one in the leg, the other in
the arm. She Is painfully, but not
seriously wounded.
Beaslcy Shot I'm Scuffic.
After emptying his revolver while
inside the room in which his wife
and her sister slept, Hyde ran into
the hall of the house, and here at
tempted to reload. Mr.. Beasley,
had time to get more than one cart
ridge in the weapon, pinioning
Hyde's arms from behind. In the
scuffie the pistol was discharged, and
Beasley was instantly killed, the ball
entering the heart.
This shot was fred at such close
quarters that the undershirt worn
by Hyde was burned by the powder
on the left breast, showing that the
pistol was discharged while held
close against his body. The ball
passed directly through Beasley's
heart, from the front side, and death
was instantaneous.
When the crowd began to gather,
attracted by the shots, Hyde dropped
his weapon and the remaining cart
ridges. and leaving his coat, shoes
and nat, ran away from the house in
the direction of the city. Close by
he met J. w. Bradberry. who was
sitting up at the home Of sick
friend, and told him what had oc-
Cured, asking that he phone the
shcrif to come for him.
Inquest Held at 10 O'Clock.
Early this morning Coroner ]. e.
Bcasley empaneled a jury and viewed
the bodies Of Mrs. Hyde and Mr..
Bcasley There were several wit
nesses examined, and Hyde himself
declared that the tragedy came as a
result Of the separation Of the cou-
pie. verdict was returned by the
jury to the effect that the deceased,
Mrs. Hyde and Mr.. Beasley, came to
their deaths from gun-shot wounds
inflicted at the hands Of Samuel N.
Hyde.
The Hydes were married on the
27th Of August, 1908. Since that
time they have been twice separated
After the first separation Hyde went