The Semi-weekly leader., 1922-02-18
Murderer Cuts Out Heart of
Woman Near Hazlehurst
Clues Indicate Victim Was Ada Druer, o.
Texas, Member Of Band Of Magazine
Subscription Solicitors.

| left, not enough to tell who she was
or what she looked like.
In a ditch about five feet deep the
remains of the burned body were found
consisting of a few fragments OF
bones; part of the skull with hair
scorched /; and the feet, with a size S1s
shoe intact. The woman wore good
clothes; her stockings were of silk and
she wore a fine grade of underwear. AL
the parts of the body and the scorched-
wearing apparel were together where
the FIRE had been except the heart of
the young woman, which was lying
few feet from the rest of the remains.
Today the officers found a bunch of
keys near the body the bunch contain
ing seven keys. five of which were
small. evidently belonging to trunks or
suitcases. Two other keys seemed to
belong to safety locks on home doors.
The police now say the woman was
not dressed in army clothes when kill
cd, but that after being killed, an ar
my overcoat was thrown about the body
which was then saturated with oil.
Burned parts of the army khaki were
found with the bones and hair.
Hundreds have visited the scene,
which is Ii miles west of Hazlehurst.
From indications the body had been
there from six to 10 days.
Dr. 2. L. Green. who examined the
fragments of the body says the woman
was about 25 or 80 years of age.
An old negro woman who lives 200
yards from the place said about nine
nights ago she heard woman's screams
but had not heard anything more. The
body was found within 40 feet of a
running spring of water, the scorched
dress near the body even showed that
the wind was blowing southwestward
when the fire burned, as the trees were
scorched to indicate that fact.
The wrist watch found with the body
stopped at exactly 5:45 o'clock. The
watch is a Swiss movement, 20-year
warranted case, manufactured by the
Dueber Watch Case Company of Can
ton, Ohio. The last workman who re-
paired the watch left his number as
follows: 21-Elg. and 6912, the last num-
Der enclosed in an oblong ring. Off
GERS are trying to locate this jeweIer
who left his work number thus engrav-
ed in the watch.
1t has been determined that the slain
woman wore a red sweater. Buttons
were found all around the body. A
pair of spectacles with gold chain and
rims were also found.
Officers want every jeweler to search
his records and see if they can find any
trace of having repaired the watch
mentioned. Only through this source
do the police hope to identify the girl
or the companion who may have killed
her.
The couple who came through Ha-
zlehurst about two weeks ago. were ar
rested in Greenville, Miss. but proved
their identity and thus the Hazlehurst
police are not counting much on the
moving picture wagon traveller as the
guilty man. His girl companion is said
to be still with him at Greenville.
MANY OTHER CLUES.
Other clues are coming in fast One
that seems the best is that a young
woman was here some time ago with
a man trying to sell subscriptions for
some magazines. 1t is said by officers
Massa and Ramsey that the woman was
of the same type as the slain woman,
wore glasses and wore the same sort of
shoes when last seen in Hazlehurst
Jan. 81.
Another clue, being worked on to-
night, is given by a conductor on the
Illinois Central, who says that about
nine days ago a man and woman
fought on the midnight train near Ha-
zlehurst and that people had to separ-
ate them and that the man that night
threatened to kill his girl companion.
He stated he thought they got off here
or some town about this distance from
New Orleans. This conductor will be
questioned closely tonight, as his train
comes through here at midnight.
Other clues are commanding attention
but the officers realize they are going
to need aid from police all over the
country to unravel the mystery.