Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-12-03
Three Unknown Men Attack
Pete Wells Near College Hill
and Endeavor to Murder
Him at Top of Ciay's
Ferry Hill


him apparently i'll cold blood.
Pete Wells, a farmer OF the Col
lcgc Hill section of Madison
county. lies at the Gibson hosp
tai here. with bullet through his
neck and badly beat up" about
the head and body.
Soon after news of the attack
upon him got To Lexington. Mrs.
Simmic McCrcary. of Hos Maple
street. hastcncd to Richmond III
Il taXicab To- see him. She reached
here about 2:30 O'Clock Saturday
morning and waited with local
officers until she could go to the
hospital TO see him. She claims
to be only slight acquaintance
OF Wells. and To- have no knOwl-
edge whatever why anyone
should cndeavur To kill Inn.
The whole affair l. wrapped ~
mystery that officers have n
vet been unable 10 penetrate.
Wells. who escaped death by a
hair when The bullet sent through
his neck barely missed his iugu-
lar vein. is conscious and talks
freely OF the affair.
He is unmarried and lives with
III, cousin. Walter Wells. abou'
Is miles east OF Richmond. About
seven O'Clock Friday night. h.
saws. ne was called from the
house 10y an unknown man. lie
vent out to 4 car on the roadside.
and found il contained three nlcr.
The car was long touring car.
Officers say that the men toll
Wells that Mrs. McCrcary WAS IN
Richmond and wanted to >cc
him: that she had been hurt AMI
wa, waiting for him in this cit.
W ell, refused To- go with the men.
hen they asked him for 4 buck
ct of water for the car. Wells
went to the house and got it iuT
them. and n ne poured water in
to the radiator. one oi the men
hit him in tn" face and over the
head with a PISTOL butt and drag
gcd him into the car.
Walter Wells heard his brother
veil aS he was struck. but before
nc could get outside. the car had
driven off. and by the time lly
could reach town and notify the
officers. ali trace OF the men with
his brother had vanished. No
one could be found who had seen
the mysterious car pass through
town.
The victim says. officers report.
that nc was carried ON through
Richmond by his abduCturS. and
Oh out the Lexington pike. The
men asked him il he had 4 dia-
mond ring with him which he
possessed and with which it ap-
pcarcd they were familiar Mrs.
NcCrcary said while in the shcr
iiiS office early Saturday that
Wells had owned the ring two or
three wears and that ii had Co 9
him $3.50. sss ,tr ecI
Wells denied having the rim.
j hen the three men asked him u
enough money to- MARRY Mr..
NcCrcarv. He said he had onl.
dollar or two. Bv this time
the car had crossed the bridge at
Claws Ferry and was going up
the the hip OH the Fayctte side Of
the river. The three unknown
men then began to discuss what
they would do with him. Wells
aid. When he told them he had
but little money. they planned ,u
get rid OF him SOME way. The
man who was driving the car
told his companions that hc
would ''fx him Wells says he
WAS the one who struck him ovrc
the head while he was pouring
water into the radiator at hi
brothers. home.
They made Wells get ont ol
the car and started walking down
the hill. He had noticed a dou-
Bile barrel shot gun III the ma
chine. 4 rife that he says locke
like an army rifle, and also note,
that each of the men had pistol
After walking n short distanc,
down the hill. the driver toll
Wells 10 60 ON. Fearing thaf
they were going TO shoot and kil
him. Wells begged them not Il
assassinate him in cold blood. but
the car driver brusquely directed
him 10 turn his head away from
them. He turned and as he die
50, the man shot him through til.