The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-06-07
MURDER THIS MORNING
Hugh NeGracken Used a Pistol With
Terrible Effect ON His Wife. His
M0ther-in-Law and Himself

Insane WI anger and probably /
causeles~ Jealousy. Hugh NcCracken .
broke into MS wife's room this morn
-ng and saot down her and her mother
and then turned the pistol against him .
| self
| At the present writing. McCracken
| lies conscious in the hospital. hole !
| cut by the bullet clear thru his head /
and another thru his body His wife's /
| bullet-torn body. a pitiful sight. is
Istretched on the operating table in
Keller & Cos Undertaking rooms, and
her mother, badly wounded, but with
IA good chance Of recovery. Is yet a.
the little house on South Orange street
where the tragedy took place.
| All the parties are colored; IL they
were white their story would furnish
romance that would be entitled to top
liners in the big papers.
| The marriage OF Ada Buckner
a smart and good-looking colored girl
to Hugh McCracken, apparently an eff
fcient and prosperous waiter. was one
of the notable events in Ocala colored
lsociety a few years ago. Ada, the
daughter of Louise Lindsey, an indus
trious and we'll behaved woman. was
born in Georgia. but both came TO
grew up she served several white fam
lilies in various capacities. She was
smart and we'll behaved and won gen
eral favor.
Hugh McCracken, born out near
Shady Grove, and brought up there and
in Ocala was a hotel waiter by occu-
patton, and his face was familiar to
many Of our people who didn't know
his name. The marriage took place in
one of the Schwerin cottages in the
fourth ward about three years ago
: lMcCracken at once took his wife to
New York, and from there in pursuit
: OF his work, they travelled around to
various points including many of the
big Florida tourist hotels. McCracken
was a good waiter and his services
were in demand.
: Not long after the marriage. Nc
: Cracker developed a spirit Of unrea-
i sonable jealousy and cruelty that made
i his wife's life a burden. He beat her
repeatedly, and once he locked her in
/ a room for week and almost starved
her. He more than once threatened to
kill her and finally became SO bad that
. she could bear him no longer. She
4 seems to have borne all this with sur
Z prising patience. but something over a
year ago. she was told that he already
/ had a wife when she married him.
> Then she left him and returned to
4 Ocala.
Since then she has lived quietly and
resi- ectably. supporting herself by
0 sewing and other work. McCracken
, tried to induce here to return to him
: but she had had enough of him. He
. tried to see her and failing wrote her
threatening letters. She on her part
i threatened to prosecute him for big
. amy, and this added fuel to his anger
. Yesterday. Ada was Informed that
! her husband was in town. and she no.
titled the city officers and asked for
q their protection. They looked for Nc
II Cracker all day, but he kept out OF
/ sight
lie Ada, with another woman. occupied
a half of the little house tenanted by
q Andrew McDuff1e on South Orange
street. Last night. the other woman
: was away, and Adas mother came te
'e stay with her. Her neighbors had
been notified and were on the look
: out: also. the night police went around
that way several times. but daylight
came and nothing had been seen Of
- McCracken.
- He had bided his time. however ant
% picked out the best hour in the twenty
four to catch people off their guard
~ About AS or 4:20. he slipped thru tn,
oo deserted streets and into the yard, ther
50 around to the back door, which h,
broke in.
10 Ada and her mother were asleep
~ Awakened by the noise at the door
- Ada jumped out of bed and went t.
M the door of her room. which she yer,
% lunwisely opened. At the threshold
= she met the muzzle of an automatic
mis- III hoh xx-bi
r distorted face of McCracken.
OF The unfortunate girl threw up he
H. arm, in a useless effort to shield he
Is face. shut out the view of death a
the deadly weapon began to spout fir
- and lead. One bullet tore thru her arm
near the shoulder then. as the muir
derer obtained better aim. her scream
were stopped by a slug that cut thr,
her throat. and as she fell anothe
crashed into her face just under tn
eye. She couldn't have suffered YER
much, for the bullets almost certain
IS ly brought unconsciousness tina
changed in a few minutes to death.
L As she sank bleeding to the floor. he
m mother ran to her aid only to b
=" knocked down by a bullet from tn
e murderers pistol. This shot wen
thru her body just below the collar
bone on the right side, and the woun
may not be fatal
y NCCracken looked for an instant a
his work. then placed the muzzle Q
Z the pistol in his mouth and pulled tn
49, trigger The bullet went clear thru
> his head, but with yet sense and som
& strength. and determined II die h
showed the gun against his side an
sent another shot into his body befor
he fell to the floor.
rs Awakened by the shots and shrieks
the horror-stricken neighbors rushe
e. to the house. They found the dead an
! the dying soaking in their blood Of
- the floor Doctors and officers wer
called in. II was too late TO do any
thing for Ada except to turn her shot
pierced body over 10 the undertaken
but her mother was cared for and Nc
lCracken was taken to the hospital