The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-12-31
Killer OF
Four Caught
Near Hurley
Hinton Gives Up
To County. Stote
Officers Saturday

A four-day search for the per-
petrator of one of the most brut-
al crimes this section has ever
seen came to a surprisingly mild
climax Christmas morning when
Murdoch Hinton, slayer of four
persons, meekly emerged from
his mothers home near Hurley
and surrendered to officers.
Armed officers alerted in Mis-
sissippi and Alabama had moved
warily through the woods of
North Jackson county expecting
momentarily to meet a blast of
gun fire from an ambushed killer.
Known to be armed with a shot
gun and a pistol and plenty of
ammunition, Hinton was believed
to have gone to north Jackson
county where his mother and
other relatives live, Immediately
after he shot his divorced wife,
his daughter, his two-month-old
granddaughter and the sheriff
of George County Tuesday after
noon at the Hinton home near
Lucedale.
Acting on information he had
received that Hinton was secreted
in his mothers home, Sheriff Guy
krebs summoned officers and a
Gordon of armed men surround
ed the house Saturday morning.
An order to surrender brought
Hinton out on the porch, bare
footed and grinning, and he
spoke to Highway Patrolman w.
G. (Bud) Gray, whom he knew.
Officer Gray and Hinton, whom
the patrolman had arrested pre-
viously for various offenses, ex-
changed amenities about each
others general health and GRAY
then informed Hinton he was
under arrest.
"All right" quietly replied the
man who had pumped buckshot
into three members of his own
family, and Officers Gray put the
handouts on him.
He was brought to Pascagoula
for questioning by Sheriff Krebs
and later taken to jackson for
safe-keeping.
Killed last week were Mrs. Mat
tie Hinton, who was divorced
from Hinton October Is, their
l8-year-old . daughter, Gloria,
their granddaughter, Judy, two
months old, and Sheriff J. E. Mel
son.
Mrs. Hinton and the baby were
shot in the Hinton home and the
sheriff, summoned by Gloria,
was shot as he alighted from
his automobile. Gloria, who had
been picked up Sheriff Nelson
on his way to the scene of the
trouble, was shot as she covered
in the back seat. Hinton then
drove away in the sheriff's car
with the body of his daughter in
the back. The car and Gloria's
riddled body were found after
Hinton had wrecked the automo-
bile several miles away.
Feeds Chickens
Rumors that the hunted man
had been seen several times in
the vicinity of Mobile flew thick
and fast during the days that
followed the Staying and kept
Alabama officers busy trying to
apprehend the man reported as
definitely Hinton" However,
the man was believed to be near
the homes of his relatives in Jack
son county from the time of the
shooting by many and a report
that he had been seen on the
highway near Hurley Wednesday
night brought bloodhounds to
the scene. The young dogs,
however, were unable to pick up
a trail although Hinton said they
passed close enough to him in
the heavy fog for him to pat
them on the head"
Hinton's mother, Mrs. Jennie
Hinton, was not at home when
her son used the modest residence
as a hideout. She had gone to
stay with a daughter and for at
least two days Hinton had taken
of the chickens and done
chores around the place.
Hinton never left his wife or
mother at night so it was reason
able to suppose that with his wife
dead he would go to his mother"
Sheriff Krebs said. 81 found out
for a certainty that he was sleep
ing in the house and Friday af-
ternoon l learned that two men
had brought his mother to the
house where she stayed for awhile
before returning to her daugh-
ter's. Then l knew Hinton was
in the house."
Hinton related the story of
the shooting to Sheriff Krebs af-