The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1911-08-01
POISONED THE SPRING.
Attempt TO Kill Whole Family
After Having Killed Stock
An Unheard of Crime.
Winston journal.

" llSlon Jouflldl.
4 crime that battles the imagi
nation of the most hcinous, and
for a dastardly intent, has haC
no parallel, perhaps, in this see
ton uf the State for decade
one in which the culprit had fol
his purpose the destruction by
poison of a whole family, togeth'
er with the stock of the farm
was perpetrated near Sloan, on
the Wilkeshoro road Monday
night of last week. AS a result
of the deed a fine horse and a
COW are dead; but for the intu-
ition of a little girl John Ander-
son Whitaker, Il prosperous far
mer, his mother and his little sis
ter would now be in their grave.
4. f. Burgess, a tenant on the
farm of Mr.. Whitaker. is fu-
gitive from justice with a reward
for his apprehension in the hands
of the clerk of court of Surry
county.
When Mr.. Whitaker went to
feed his stock Tuesday morning
he noticed a green substance in
the horse trough and around the
feeding place of the COW. 1t
looked as if nearly a pint had
been poured out, along with
bran for the cow and corn for
the horse. The horse and cow
appeared TO be suffering inn
mensely, and OH examining the
stuff he found that it was Paris
green.
He told the mother and his
| little sister that some one had
poisoned the stock and they
agreed in suspectmg Burgess,
the tenant. because for several
days he had been angry with the
family. Mr.. Jones at once went
TO the home Of Burgess "A short
distance away, but the tenant
was not at home.
While Mr.. Whitaker was gone
Ia the Burgess home, the little
sister was sent to the spring by
her mother. For some reason.
she said, she became alarmed
with the thought that a person
who would poison their COW and
horse would poison them. And
she took pains to examine the
milk box, The milk in the
buckets had Il grcenish east.
When the mother was informed
of this she refused to allow
any water to be drunk from the
spring until il was cleaned out.
When this was done it was no.
need that green water stream
ed from beneath one of the
rocks. Upon II close examination
il was found that some one had
| placed a ball of Paris green as
big as a man s fist under the
rock. The poison had been wrap
ped carefully in cloth with Il
rock in the center to make it
sink.
Mrs. Whitaker at once recog-
nized the cloth in which the
poison was wrapped as being the
identical goods and stripe as
that of dress she had seen the
wife Of Burgess wear. Also an
other rag was used, which the
Nhitakers declared they would
almost swear was piece torn
from the lining of am old coat
which they often had seen Bur
CESS wearing.
Other serious evidence against
he tenant is that on Saturday
before the poisoning occurred he
had had some words with Mr..
Whitaker in a dispute over the
furnishing of some supplies. and
II is said that Burgess remark
ed to Whitaker:
II have been in the pcniten-
jiary once for killing just such
a dog as You. !"
This was the first Mr.. Whit !
dker knew of his tenant s hav-
ing been in the State prison. !
Later it developed that Burgess
came from Virginia and that he
served Il term in prison for homi-
eide
II the poison had gone mde-
tected in the spring many Others
besides the family of Mr.. Whit
aker undoubtedly would have
been poisoned. The spring is
situated alongside the public
road and the rural delivery ear
rier was accustomed to stop
there daily for drink, while the
travelling public generally used
the water freely.