The Washington times., 1925-04-15
DEATHS LAID To
BOILED
VETERAN
Tennessee Man Suspected OF
Long Series of Assaults
On Women

MARY WILLIE, Ienn., April 10.
The Blount county grand jury
began it's investigation here today
into series of crimes extending
over a period of two years and in
which two men were shot to death,
three women wounded, and eight
brutally assaulted by an early
morning marauder.
William D. Sheffey, the latest
arrest in the case, is held incom-
municado at the Loudon county
Jail on a formal charge of murder
and assault, sworn to by Mrs.
Clyde Poe, one of his alleged VIC
Tins, whose husband, after being
MORALLY wounded, was forced to
witness an awful attack upon his
young wife. Poe, upon his death
bed, identified Wright Saffle, a
local high school youth, as his
slayer.
The Saffle youth still stands in
dicted for that crime.
Feeling Runs High.
Sheffey was taken to Loudon
county because of the high feeling
here, and because the local Jail is
considered unsafe.
Sheriff Miller, of Loudon county,
denied all requests for permission
to see Sheffey. ORDERS from the
judge he said, giving this as tho
reason for his refusal. Neither
would counsel for the defense issue
any statement.
Sheriff Miller said that Sheffey
would not talk to anybody. and the
magistrate before whom the pre-
IirninAry hearing was held secretly
last night. said Sheffey didn't
open his mouth while in court"
Mrs. Poe. taken before Sheffey,
positively identified him as this
man who attacked her and muir.
dered her husband.
lizard Boiled In Army.
sheffey. now known as the man
Of mystery. was q former first
lieutenant in the United States
army. He was dubbed hard
boiled" by "buddies'' in France.
and carried the name back into
civilian life. Employees under him
at the Aluminium Company OF
America, characterized their chief
as queer"
At the place where he lived 1t
was learned Sheffey often left the
house at midnight. to return at
dawn, or perhaps not until the
next morning, Whei he would come
In from work. These mysterious
excursions were never explained.
In the six-year period covered by
the present investigation, fourteen
persons have lost their lives, the
direct result Of the marauder's
activities. In addition more than q
score have been wounded in resist
ing attacks. The first of these was
in Knoxville, June 5, 1919, when
Mrs. Della Cunningham was
wounded by a mysterious marauder
in her home. This was followed
on August 30, 1919. by the brutal
murder Of Mrs. Berthe Lindsey.
Maurice Mays, negro, was electro
cuted for this crime.
Riots Followed Crime
The Mays case also prectpitated
the riots in Knoxville in 1919, when
half a dozen person were Nlled'a
score wounded and the Knox county
Jail demolished.
The crimes continued intermit-
tentIy in Knoxville until November
Z, 1921, when Mrs. Lester Dooley
was murdered. John Honeycutt
was sent to the penitentiary for
this outrage.
The scene then shifted to Blount
county, where Sheffey was arrested
Here Miss Mary Campbell was shot
1928. Luther Wells lost his life de-
Tending his home from a like at
tack on December 10, of the same
year, and Clyde Poe was shot 20
death on December !, 1924. This
is the last crime on the list.
These more serious offenses were
interspersed with scores Of less i'm
portant crimes.
Officers working up the case de.
MED today there would likely be
other arrests.
We've got the goods, now" one
Of them declared, who said he
should be known as ED jones'"
adding that he had been working
here secretly for more than a year.
A good part Of this time. he said,
was spent "buddying" with Sheffey,
and through this association, he
said, he was able to uncover the
steel jacket" said to have been
worn by the marauder on his
hazardous excursions.
Jones'" also traced dozen let
tiers haunting the sheriff of Blount
county, and advising that official
to have the women scream so
I'll have an excuse to shoot them"
The officers state the letters are
written in a hand very similar to
that contained in Sheffey's books
at the aluminium plant.
The grand jury investigation is
expected to continue several days
because of the great number of
witnesses and the immense amount
of documentary evidence compiled
by the officers.