Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-17

after I retired, and knew no more un-
III about o'clock this morning. when
1 was awakened by Pearl
When | saw my daughter bending
over me, with a cut on her head and
her face and hands covered with
blood, I thought my dreams had come
true and my family had been muir
dered. I screamed and tried to get
out Of bed, but was so sick could
hardly move After few moments !
detected the odor of chIoroform In the
room. My daughter opened the win
dows, but il was several moments
before l had strength enough to get
up.
After I had regained sufficient
strength to enable me to get up,
Pearl and | started to look for the
other members of the family. We
went into Pearls room first. NV
other daughter. Mrs. Deal, and her
baby. Marguerite, were sleeping in
the same bed. The odor of Chloro-
form was even more pronounced
there than il had been in my room,
and IL seemed to me that Mrs Deal
and Marguerite were hardly breath
ing
Baby Senseless an Hour.
We shook and screamed at Mrs
Deal for almost half and hour before
we could awake her, and we could
not awaken Marguerite until about 6
o'clock, though we shook her and call
ed her, and at length carried her to
the window, where the fresh air blew
on her face.
After we had reused Mrs Deal and
her daughter, we went into the room
where my sons sleep. We could
smell the drug in their room, and at
once opened the windows. Ernest and
Earl were lying side by side Their
faces were gray and ashen, and they
breathed with difficulty. We shook
them and screamed at them, but
could not wake them. We finally
threw a bucket Of cold water in their
face, and they woke up. though they
were very sick"
For more than half an hour after
the last member of the family had
been aroused, neither Mrs. Duncan or
her children had the strength to go to
the telephone and call the police or a
doctor They managed to open all
the windows in the house. and were
finally revived by the fresh air.
Family Recollects Nothing.
None of the members of the family.
with the exception of Miss Hide
brand. has any recollection of what
occurred during the night. The first
thing Mrs. Duncan, Mrs Deal or the
two boys knew was when they were
awakened by Miss Hildebrand. They
were as much unnerved by the shock
of seeing Miss Hildebrand covered
with blood and with a wound in her
nv oh
form. 1t is supposed that Miss Hill
debrand awoke first because Of the
pain of the wound in her forehead.
The case is one of the most mys-
ferrous the police have been called
upon to solve in years. Detectives
who have been investigating have
not yet decided whether il was an at
tempt to murder every member of the
Duncan family. or whether it was the
exploit of a daring burglar. But
whether II was an attempted murder
or a daring burglary the CirCum-
| stances surrounding the affair are
such that it is practically certain that
| only one man entered the house
| though 1t is probable that he had a
! lookout to watch for possible inter
| ference.
Footprints May Be Clews.
Footprints have been found around
| the house, and under Miss Hide
| brands window the ground is dis
/ turbed as though the man had slip
! ped when he leaped from her window
after striking her with his weapon
/ Members of the family think the
| burglar entered the house before they
retired
The front door was left unlocked
while they were reading, and il is
! supposed the burglar entered through
| it, II is also thought that he hid be
| hind a sofa in the parlor, to the left
/ Of the front door. until they had re-
| tired and everything was quiet. Sew
( eral spots OF mud, that appear as
/ though they came from a mans shoe
were found behind the sofa Wednes
| day morning, during the investiga-
4 ton
Miss Hildehrand is a stenographer
/ for the Gable Piano Company on
| North Broad street
| Z. H. Brewster at one time one
Of the attorneys for the heirs in the
Crawford will case. was on the stand
! ell of the forenoon in the hearing now
! in progress before the auditor He
was called To testify to the legality OF
Mrs Crawford's marriage He said
that while he was attorney for the
heirs he made a thorough investiga-
tion Of Mrs Crawford'S matrimonial
career and had found that her mar
ridSe 20 Crawford was entirely legal
and regular.