The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-11-09
LOVE OF MONEY
LEADS TO CRIME
AGED MERCHANT DONE TO DEATH NEAR
NEWBERRY SATURDAY NIGHT
WAS A COLD BLOODED CRIME

Will >. Ruff, Alone in Little Store
On Outskirts of Town, Killed
With an Axe. Robbery the Mo-
/ tive.
! Newberry, Nov. Especial: A
horrible murder committed some
time during the night, was revealed
about daybreak this morning when
the dead body Of Will S. Ruff, a
white man about 60 years of age,
was found on the floor in the lit
tie store room, which is a part of
the house in which he lived, on
the extreme Eastern outskirts
of the city. A blow on the left side
of the head with a blunt instru-
ment had torn open the skull, and
the head was lying in a pool of
blood and brains. An old axe
standing against the fire place, with
blood and hair on it was evidently
the instrument with which the das-
tardly deed was done, the injury
being inflicted by the point of the
axe.
Position of Body.
From the position in which the
body was lying, it is supposed that
Ruff was standing behind the coun-
ter at the time the blow was struck,
and that he fell to his left, which
threw his head beyond the end of
the counter towards the fireplace.
There was a sack OF candy on the
counter, and in the hands of the
dead man candy was found, the the
ory being that he was filling a sack
OF candy from the show case for
sale to a customer, when he was
struck in the head with an axe.
In Ruff's bedroom, in the same
building, was found a small trunk,
which had evidently been priced
open and ransacked. A cigar box
with a ten-cent piece in it was ly-
ing on the bed by the little trunk.
1t is said that Ruff kept his money
in this little trunk. and the finding
or the little trunk in this condition
leads to the supposition that rob-
berry was the motive of the murder.
Scene OF killing.
The little building in which the
murder was committed is about a
! mile east from the court house, out
Main street. This section of the
city is somewhat sparsely settled.
though there is a little store across
the street kept by Mrs. Spehl, and
the dwelling of Mrs. Spehl is stu
ated there, and about twenty-five
yards north of the building, where
Ruff was killed is larger store,
Kept by RuffS nephew. The build
ing III which Ruff was killed, con-
tdrned three rooms. The west room
was used by him as a store room,
in which he kept soda waters, can
dies. fruits md different kinds of
confectioneries and canned goods.
He carried a very small stock. In
the east end of the house are two
small rooms, which were used by
Ruff as living rooms, and it was in
one of these little rooms fronting
Main street. that he slept, and
where he kept the little rtunk which
had been priced open and ransack-
ed
Only Occupant OF Building.
Ruff lived in the building alone.
1t is said that at about IL O'Clock
last night some one passing motto
ed a light in the store room and
that there were some negroes there
at that time.
The counter, behind which Ruff
was evidently standing when he was
murdered, runs across the rear end
OF the store room, and the body was
found at the east end OF the coun-
ter, near the fire place.
1t is hardly probable that Ruff
had very much money in the build
ing, though, it is said, he some
times took in a neat little sum on
Saturdays. A larger trunk, in
which he kept his clothes was not
touched, and this had led to the
supposition that the deed was COM
mitted by some one who was famil-
lar with Ruff's manner of living
and the place where he kept his
money.
Ruff leaves no family. He was a
brother of Col. David A. Ruff, who
lives in the st. Phillips community,
about eight miles east of Newberry.
Coroner Begins Inquest
Coroner John Henry Chappell is
this morning empanneling a jury of
inquest.
After the jury had viewed the
body the inquest was adjourned un-
til $50 O'Clock tomorrow after
noon. There is as yet no clue to
the murderer. The officers are US
ing every endeavor to get upon some
line Of inquiry which will lead to
the guilty person or persons. ]. II.
Summer is foreman of the coroner's
jury.
Just across the street from where
Ruff was murdered Mrs. Spiel, wild
ow of the late Theo Spiel, was
struck in the head last night by
some one in her little store room.
1t is not thought that her injuries
will prove very serious 1t is said
that several men stopped at Mrs.
SpehIs store, and in difficulty
which ensued, one of them struck
her on the head and pushed her out
the door.