Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER DEAD IN A yib ®tr Son Is Strangely Missing; Sheriff Charges Murder EXTRA The Atlanta G eorgian Read for Profit---GEORGIAN WANT ADS---Use for Results VOL. XI. NO. 254. ATLANTA,‘GA., WEDNESDAY, MAY 28. 1912,. Copyright. 1906. 9 PITVTQ PAY NO By The Georgian Co. * VJ3Ji.x J. o MORE VETERANS READY FOR Try Macon Man for Shooting Neighbor VOTE ON COMMANDER Next Reunion Place To Be Se lected Wednesday Afternoon. Alabama Monument Dedicated. CHATTANOOGA, TENX., May 2S.» The decision to vote on the election of commander-in-chief and to select the next meeting place at 3:30 o’clock this afternoon were the important re- suits of this morning’s session of the United Confederate Veterans, in re union here. Some routine business wap transacted, but the two impend ing selections overshadowed all other matters, allowing them but little im port. Upon the very eve of the election it is still generally believed that General Dennett H. Young will be re-elected commander-in-chief. The selection of the next meeting jdace appears to be a dead heat between Jacksonville, Fla., and Richmond, Va. The only aspirant to the office held by General Young appears to be Gen eral K. M. VanZant, of San Antonio, Texas, who has a fairly formidable following. General Irvine Walker, chairman of the committee appointed at the Ma- •con reunion to co-operate with a committee of the Grand Army of the Republic in regard to a joint peace jubilee of the two organizations, sub mitted a report recommending that at !ea?t 10,000 Confederate veterans at tend. The dedicatory exercises of tile Alabama and Florida monuments this morning drew thousands <>;' veDr.ins Wand t ie attendance at the morning Av*ion by the veterans on a lesoiu- MACON, GA.. May 28.—Mallary Bedingfield, a prominent Macon busi- I ness mrfn, is on trial In Superior Court ! to-day. charged with assault with in- j tent to murder, because of the shoot ing last November of his next-door neighbor. Fred Guttenberger. an or chestra leader, whom he mistook for a burglar. Mr. and Mrs. Guttenberger vveif I the principal witnesses for the State. Mr. Bedingfield told the jury that he fired toward the ground and one of the bullets deflected, striking Mr. Gut- j tenberger. Gen. Lomax, Dixie War Veteran, Dead Police Secure Admission From Negro Sweeper During Exain- WASHINGTON, May 28.—General Lindsay Lundsford Lomax, Confed erate officer in the war between the States, died at Providence Hospital to-day. ' He wap 78 years old. Fu neral services will be held to-morrow at his old home in Warrenton, Va. General Lomax was taken to the hospital about two weeks ago with a fractured hip, the result of a tall while visiting his daughter in War renton Wilson Would End Party Conventions WASHINGTON', May 28— The ab olition of political convention? for nominating purposes and the elimi nation of the electoral college were advocated by President Wilson to-day in a talk with Representative Britten, of Illinois. The President told the Congressman fhftT Tie 1 ong'TrSlTTSvored tfie shor^en^ ing of the ballot and he believes the’j 77..7Y" "77* "7* YTYTT7****Y* 77 ■ , .. * that Leo Frank had told him to write abolition of the electoral college would ,, , , . the death notes, changed his narrative accomplish this purpose. , . , , again to-day. Confronted by E. F Holloway, a foreman in the plant, he admitted having been in the factory TUT l (N « a ■ x after having steadily maintained that WGuS blSter-m-LaW he was ,jn Pct e rs Street between 10 ! and 2 o’clock that fatal Saturday and NEW YORK, May 28—Thomas Me- j' at homp aI1 other hour '’ of the da L Millan, Savannah millionaire, member j Says Confession Is Near, of the firm of McMillan Brothers,' Holloway, after leaving the.secret manufacturers of copper turpentine ! at which the admission was ination for Pbagan Clews. James Conley in his new affi davit to the police Wednesday admitted he lied in his first, when he said he wrote the Mary Pha- gan death notes Friday. He said he arose about 9:30 Saturday morning, drank some whisky and at the corner cf Forsyth and Nel son Streets met Frank carrying a bundle. Frank told him to wait for him. He went to the factory with the superintendent, he said, and Frank put the bundle into a trash barrel. Admission that he was In the Na tional Pencil factory on the day of the murder of Mary Phagnn was gained from James Conley, the negro sweeper on whom suspicion has turned, after cross-examination by detectives, at police headquarters. T.h4 negro, who X* came comer of attention with hfs amazing story * Infer?Groiicrf Sjfo/JUvc? Tk SCARLET PLAGUE TRIE MAGAZINE GIVEN WITH NEXT wrnrnm Athletic Preacher Saves Child’s Life TAMPA, FLA.. May 31.—The Rev. J. E. Skinner, athletic pastor of the Palm Avenue Baptist Church, saved the life of 9-year-old Alberta Robin son at a church picnic at Sulphur Springs, when the child, with 30 or 40 others, was In bathing. She slip ped from the shallow part of the pool into water more than twenty feet deep and had gone down twice when Rev. Mr. Skinner reached her. She was resuscitated. Georgia Millionaire stills, was married to-day to Miss Ma mie Bliss, of Savannah, sister of his first wife and for the last seven years, since her sister’s death, in charge of the McMillan household. The bride was visiting her sister, Mrs. Edmund Usina. in this city, when Mr. McMillan met her here. The wed ding came as a surprise. Clyde Ship Calls Help by Wireless CHARLESTON, S. C.. May 28.- The Clyde line freight steamer, Katahdin. is lying disabled off the North Caro lina coast, according to an interrupt ed wireless message received here. An electrical storm put the wire less station out of commission as the message was being received, and the nature and extent of the Katahdin’s injuries could not be ascertained. To Legalize Hotel Register Marriages Miss Ruth Johnson, of Cleveland. Term.. maid of honor for Tennessee Division Sons of Confederate Veterans, and below. Miss Katherine Todhunter. of Lexington. Mo., maid of honor for Missouri Division. United Confederate Veterans. tion asking the Federal Government to purcha. c,, > Johnson’s Island in Lake Erie, near Sandusky. Ohio, will be taken Thursday m .rning. according to a commitiei* report submitted to- Lav Thousands of Confederate vet erans who died in Nvztnern .prisons are buried there and a monument has been erected to them on the island by the wbitten of the South, at a cos: ot $30,000. It is stated that the island will be obliterated as a historic point unless* immediate action is taken to preserve it. j obtained, declared he was sure it was only a matter of hours before Conley would confess. He asserted that If he had been allowed to put question? to Conley he could have gotten impor tant information. The police quest ions were, of course all put with the Idea of gaining in formation against Frank. Chief Lanford had announced that he would go before Judge Roan with a request for an order allowing him to confront Frank with the negro, so that Conley’s statement would be ad missible in court. Lanford, however, failed to carry out his plans, although he would not admit they had been abandoned. Later Chief Beavers said that the plan to confront Frank with Conley would not be carried out to-day and that its wisdom was doubtful, as, of course, Frank could not be compelled to answer any questions. Refuse to Admit Suspicion. The police refused to admit that suspicion was turning or should be turned to Conley, who has told one falsehood after another since his ar rest. They tried resolutely to con strue every one of his statements as TALLAHASSEE, FLA.. May 28.— , against Frank and would not admit Senator Himes’ common marriage • that the continued contradictions of bill, providing that any man and the negro made bis value as a wit- woman who register at a hotel ••sjness next to nothing. The police declared that Conley had been asked to write the contents of the death notes and had spelled night watch” as it was in the note, ‘ night witch,” and “self” with the “I” and “e” transposed as in the notes. What all this shows, in view of the fact that the same officials had an nounced that they had conclusive evidence by “experis” and that Frank wrote the notes, is not plain. Conley was also confronted by General Foreman N. V. Darley In the- presence of Detectives Black, Scott and Lanford and the negro made im portant admissions that will no doubt force him to admit his guilt. Conley admitted that, he sat at the elevator shaft on the first 1 floor it 12:30 on the afternoon of the murder [and saw Darley in company with Miss j Smith descend the stairs. Con ley described Miss Smith as wearing a raincoat and Darley with his coat on with no hat. Darley stated that both descriptions were absolutely cor rect In every particular. Strange to say, neither Darley nor Miss Smith saw the negro, for he was seated in the shadow of the steps and never made a sound. Conley said that after Darley came Continued on Page 2, Column 1. Bride Given $2 in 2 Months Asks Divorce Asserting that since she was mar ried two months ago her husband, L. P. Ellison, had contributed only $2 to her support. Mrs. Flora Ellison has filed suit for divorce and alimony. She obtained a ne exeat bond of $200, requiring Ellison to remain in the State until the hearing, set for June 7. She alleged that he had threatened to leave the State if she sued. Kidnaps Sixth Child; Has 'Parental Mania' NEW YORK, May 28.—The entire police force of Greater New York is searching to-day for Anna. Boyarsky, aged 18, who is suffering from “par ental mania,” and who is at large somewhere with a kidnaped child in her possession—the sixth she has stolen in two years. The victim is Frieda Lieberwitz, aged 4. whose parent? live next door to Anna's mother in Brooklyn. Sheriff Sees Slaying Mystery in Burn ing to Death of Mrs. S. C. Stevens and Her Daughter in Lonely Farm House—Find Evidence of Crime. man and wife are duly married, passed the Senate by an overwhelm ing majority. The measure is expected to pass the House without opposition. Suffrage Bill Near Passage in Illinois SPRINGFIELD, ILL., May 28—The hill diving women in Illinois the ballot to-day needed only thirteen votes In the House in order to pass. Suffrage advocates are busy trying !o line up this number of votes A wonderful magazine given FREE with every copy of the next Sunday American. Two Georgians Get Army Commissions WEST POINT. X. Y. May 28.— Ninety-two new officers will be ad ded to Uncle Sam’s army on Juno 12 b> the graduation of the first class of the corps of cadets at the United States Military Academy. Two Georgians are in the class: David 3. Falk and Allan G. Thur man. Workman on Healy Skyscraper Crushed G. T. Pruitt, an iron worker, 71 Wal thall Street, was crushed by a swinging beam at the Healy Building. Wednes day He was taken to Grady Hospital. His leg was injured badly. Pruitt and a companion were pinned against a wall by a girder swung by a huge crane Pruitt’s companion! es caped injury. That the mother and girl whose charred remains were found in the ruins of their home seven miles southeast of Atlanta early Wednesday morning were murdered and the house set afire by the murderer in an effort to obliterate all evidence of the deed was the astounding declaration made by Sheriff J. A. McCurdy after an in vestigation of the tragedy. Positive identifications of the two women as Mrs. S. C. Stevens, 40 years old, wife of William Stevens, e 70-year-old Confederate veteran now in Chattanooga at the reunion, and their adopted daughter, Nellie Stevens, 13 years old, were made by neighbors Conditions leading up to the theory that the deaths were the result of murder are these: The charred bodies of the wom en were found lying in the center of a bed room in the rear of the cottage. Near at hand were the remains of a shotgun. Mrs. Stevens’ skull had been crushed in. A hoe found in what had been the hallway leading from the room is believed to have been the instrument used to strike the woman as she arose from her bed. with the shotgun, to meet the intruder. That the door of the room was open at. the time of the encounter is believed to add another Imk to prove the affair a murder. The method in which the daughter met her death could not be ascer tained. owing to the charred condition of her body. Son Quarreled With Mother. Inquiry among the neighbors de veloped the fact that Wade Steven?, the 16-year-old son. who disappeared from his home Tuesday afternoon, had quarreled with his mother ana sister. Mrs. L. G. Self, who lives a short distance from the Stevens home, told Sheriff McCurdy that the boy had a tilt with his parent because she would not permit him to come to Atlanta during the absence of his father. Mr? Self stated that Nellis Stevens had appeared at her home with a package of Wade’s clothing, which she asked Mr?. Self to keep that nigh’ to prevent the boy from disobeying his mother and leaving the house. This statement, coupled with others, to the effect that Wade Stevens had I THE WEATHER. Forecast for Atlanta and Georgia—Fair and warmer Wednesday; fair Thursday. V How About This? This little " Want Ad” Tablet brought 16 answers, and the heater was sold the first day it appeared in the Georgian. v. GAS water heater for sale cheap. Good as new. Phone Ivy 2407-J. 6-21-3 Can you beat it? Georgian " Want Ads" get what you want when you want it. on numerous occasions acted in an infractlous manner—at one time snatching $6r> from his mother’s hand and running away—have led Sheriff McCurdy to start a hunt for him in order that he may be questioned in connection with the murder. The house was burned during; the night. Its ruins were first discovered at 8 o’clock Wednesday morning by J A. Nelms, who was passing the scene in a milk wagon. Nelms, after viewing the smoking embers? of the building, summoned J. L. Cowan, a neighbor, and notified the county po lice. Vt hen Sheriff McCurdy arrived or the scene the remains of the twe women already had been found by Nelms and Cowan. Mrs. Stevens was identified by her false teeth. When the bodies had been taken out of the ruins they were exam ined. Mrs. -Stevens' skull was seen to have been crushed in. It was this fact that first led the authorities to suspect foul play. Care ful examination of the surrounding embers in the place where the bodies were found brough to light a shotgun barrel, the stock and woodwork ol which had been burned off. The weapon was seen to have been close to the positions where the bodies were discovered. Slain as They Left Beds. Ti nt the women bad left their be-H before they met their deaths was an other conclusion drawn by Sheriff McCurdy . The bodies lay in the cen ter of the floor while the iron frames of the beds were over in a corner . i the room. The door to the room was open. Its halt demolished frame atill stands in the ruin.?. Just outside the door the hoe was found. Sheriff McCurdy’s theory is that the murderer fled through the door, casting the hoe with which he had slain the women ip the hall. That the plan to set fire to the house and burn the bodies to hide the crime came as a second thought. The house was about 50 yards from the road in a clump of trees. It is in a lonely spot and the nearest neighbor is beyond earshot. That the screams of the women would net have been heard is safe to conclude. Girl's Skull Crushed. Another development that tends to show murder, came with the discov ery that the skull of Nellie Stevens had been fractured, also. A sharp crack across the top of the head showed possibility that a knife-like weapon had been used, striking with such force as to cleave the bone. The positions of the bodies in the ruins tends to beat* this theory out —that the murderer had struck the girl with his hoe after crushing Mrs. Stevens' skull. Mrs. Stevens’ skull, it was shown, was crushed in by a blow directed at her from in front. Her body was found just three feet from the door way. Directly behind this lay the body of Nellie Stevens. Jt is thought that Mrs. Stevens, when she took up the shotgun and started towards the door at the . ouud of the intruder, was followed b} her daughter. When the older woman opened the door, Nellie was directly behind her. The murderer, then, if he stood just without the doorway, with hoe in hand, struck Mrs. Stevens first. With a second blow he felled the girl behind her. Open Knire Under Girl’s Body. The gun barrel was found close to the bodies of the women and the hoe was found out In the hallway. Continued on Paa« 7. Column X