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TTEAJIRT’S SUNDAY AMERICAN, ATLANTA, OA., SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 1913.
DR. SEWELL'S SLAYING
STAYS MYSTERY AS COX
LOSES MIND AND SPEECH
Young Austell Patient, Who Killed
His Physician, Recovers Health, but
Is Hopelessly Insane and Tongue Is
Silent—In Milledgeville Institution.
W M, COX, young Austell man, who killed his physician,
• now speechless and insane in Milledgeville.
WKh (tail ey»» startn* blankly
ataasi, or rovlnj? aimlessly from point
to point, an old-young: man alts day
after day In the State Asylum for the
Insane at Mflladgevilla, unconscious
of*h* facte that he ta a unique figure.
A slayer. he has never been tried on
the change of murder, although his
crime wm committed three years ago.
Etei'pTO'bably never will be tried.
He 1 a W. M. Cox. who .shot and
MfWfvDr. J. R. Sewell, prominent At
lanta phyaioian, September 20, 1910.
the day of the shooting Cox
hoe not apoken a word. His silence
■hrowis a mvotary• It probably will
ntrmrr be known what moved him to
kill the popular, competent phy 8 ^***
that Dr. Sewell was, nor what was
the-power that ca/uoed him to turn the
fattfl revolver on hlmeehf and send a
>xUlct through hi a own head. The
record of the tragedy is cloned, in
spite of the fiu* that the prime actor
still 1» Itvlnp and apparently healthy
in body.
Cox Was Never Tried.
mown was made to try Cox for
b^<rtroe Thought to be dying from
themself-Inflicted wound, he wo* found
at the aide of his victim, and was
tflkkm ttnmediately to a hospital. Day
after day he lingered, near to death,
untfl the danger passed. But as his
wound healed, it was apparent that
his bunin was crippled. The bullet
evidently had shattered a nerve that
controlled Cox's power of speech, and
had made him harmlessly insane.
Phygfclan* who Waited him and who
investigated his case were never in
doubt that h1s mind was hopelessly
impatn*d.
So, recovered fnom his wound, he
was taken to Milledgr^ville. whore he
has been since. There was not the
formality of a criminal hearing on the
murder charge, and Cox is most likely
one of the few living persons known
to have committed the gravest crime
against a fellow-man and yet never
trlod for that crime.
At the Milledgeville asylum authori
ties say that Cox is in a state of
bodily health of an excellence that
has not been his for many years. But |
his mind Is broken irreparably ami i
his power of speech is gone.
Three years ago Cox, a cadaverous,
weak-minded young man of AusUil,
Oa., was a j*atlent of Dr. Sewell, and
every day he visited the physician’s
office at Whitehall and Mitchell
Street#. He seemed devoted, without
reservation, without question, after
the doting manner of an animal, to
the kindly man who was treating him.
His h+talth had been seriously Im-
pnirprl and he was a physical wreck.
Treatment wos tedious and rosults
wore slow. There wero times whon
fits of despondency came over the
young man and he seemed demented.
Early In the afternoon of Septem
ber 20, 1910, he wont, as was his cus
tom, to the office of his physician. Dr.
He well was there alone.
The mysterious element of the trag
edy had then its beginning. Mon and
women In the building and on the
street heard the report of a revolver.
Startled, those who heard It won -
derqg, and then turned in the direc
tion whence came the sound. Those
first in the office found Dr. Sewell
already dead from the assassin’s bul
let. Cox lay, apparently dying, a bul
let in his head, near him. The blue
st eol revolver lay close to Cox’s head,
still smoking. That is all anybody
ever knew.
W. T. Morris, office clerk of the po
lice department; was one of those who
heard the shot and was in the office
almost before the echoes had died
away. Strangely enough, he had been
an intimate friend of Dr. Sewell, and
the two had been boys together. He
knew Cox, too.
Many persons knew Cox by sight,
for the pale, emaciated young man
had for months before the shooting
shambled day after day through the
streets of Atlanta, a pitiable, striking
figure.
Bullet Robbed His Mind.
The physicians who attended
watched him closely, when, to their
surprise, the bullet wound In his head
did not prove fatal. At first they
thought his silence and attitude a
sham, hut later it dawned on them
that Cox’s mind was gone.
Thus was the end of Dr. Sewell,
and, for all purposes of the world, of
W. M. Cox also. 1a>kh1 papers, tell
ing of his Indictment by the Grand
Jury on the charge of murder, still
are on record, as if awaiting a trial-
that will never be held in this world.
Instead of a trial, there was a quiet,
formal hearing before the Fulton
County Ordinary, and a decree that
sent Cox to the asylum, where he is
to-day. He is no longer a cadaverous
wreck. There is color in his cheeks.
There are many year# of life before
him, evidently, hut he will never be
heard in the courts. And yet he killed
a fellow-man, rpost likely with pre
meditation and with a purpose.
Still living, he keep# alive a mys
tery. What was his motive?
Did Dr, Sewell, smiling encourage
ment to the despondent young man,
witness the impulsive draw of a pis
tol and feel a bullet crash into his
brain?
Did a sudden pain come to the
young nmn in the course of the doc
tor’s treatment,"to anger him?
Was there a fit of hopelessness that
drove him to frehzied bitterness
against the physician who could not
cure him fast enough?
Why? The question must be unan
swered, though the murderer lives.
KEEP I BRIDE
American Puts Half Score of
Australians Who Tackle Him
to Flight.
SAN FRANCISCO. May 31.—Charles
H. La due. American cowboy and wild
west performer, who sailed for Aus
tralia a few months ago alone and
carefree, returned to the domain of
Uncle Sam on the steamship Tahiti
yesterday with a bride, for whom he
fought a gallant battle against great
odds before the Vessel steamed from
Wellington.
Ladue went to Australia to fill a
contract for the Wirth circus, and
before long succumbed to the charms
of Miss Phyllis Wirth, daughter of the
circus owner. She reciprocated and
they agreed to be married. Papa
Wirth and Mama Wirth objected,
but despite this obstacle the girl ac
companied Ladue to the parson after
the bans had been properly published.
Officers on Trail.
Mr. and Mrs. Wirth put the officers
of the law upon the newly-weds’ trail
and attempted to take the bride away
from the cowboy husband.
Four lawyers, four detectives and
two policemen boarded the Tahiti at
Wellington and demanded that Ladue
surrender his bride.
Ladue refused and intimated that
he was prepared to fight for posses
sion of his wife if necessary.
“We are many and you are only
one, even If you are an American
cowboy,’’ blustered one of the detec
tives.
“That may be,’’ retorted the Ameri
can. “but if you want any trouble
you will please remember that the
odds really don’t amount to anything
because I can shpot ten times as fast
as any of you.”
One of the enemy began to per
spire, and he reached into his hip
pocket to procure a bit of linen with
which to wipe h1s glistening brow.
Hostilities Commenoe.
To Ladue this meant that hostilities
were about to commence. So he
also reached toward his hip.
Now each of the brave ten had seen
Ladue shoot little glass balls while
riding a wild bronco.
Four lawyers, four detectives and
the two policemen hastened to the
gangplank which was crowded. In
their haste half of them seized a
rope rind slid down to the dock, hand
over hand.
“Bah!" exclaimed the father of the
bride when he saw his men’s sudden
retreat. “I guess the boy is all right
after all. I like his nerve anyhow,
don’t you, mama?”
Evidently mama did. Just before
the gangplank was pulled ashore the
parents came on board and agreed to
forgive and forget, it being agreed
that after a honeymoon through the
United States, the couple are to re
turn and the son-in-law is to take
an interest in the show.
TUBE GOWNS
Bathing of One and Lacing of
the Other Cause Girls to
Form a Union.
Eskimo Lad Studies
For the Love of a Girl
Native Teacher Refused Him Once
for His Ignorance, so Boy Works
Way Through School,
CHICAGO, May 31—Elsie, you
must give Pom Pom his bath this
afternoon,” said a South Side society
matron to her maid.
The maid, her arms aching from
the fastening of myriad hooks in
milady’s gown, rebelled.
As a result of the order and the
mutiny, the maids in residences along
the boulevards where oet dogs and
complicated gowns abound have or
ganized for offense and defense. They
have formed a union and will apply
to the Household Workers for a char
ter as an affiliated body.
Protest against too much dog clean
ing has been growing in the fashion
able homes. The climax came with
the “defy” of Elise, and the battle cry
of the maid** has resounded from
Jackson Park to Lake Forest. Here
after. if the maids triumph, toy dogs
will go to the dry cleanser or re
main among the small unwashed.
Added to the dog bath woes of the
maids are others against which re
bellion has been declared. One of
these is the hooking of gowns. Many
cases of “lacer’s arm” haa been found
among the maids, corresponding
somewhat to the "house-maid’s knee”
which for many years has afflicted
scrubbers.
They say that the newest disease is
caused by the operation of placing a
250-pound woman inside of the new
“tube” gowns, designated for a 120-
pound filler.
The symptoms are a swelling of the
muscles of the upper part of the arm,
near the shoulder, followed by lame
ness.
In their demands for a union the
maids do not say whether they wish
to regulate the size of the women or
the size of the gowns.
Late hours and the ill humor which
often follows Is another cause of com
plaint. The maids say they are re
quired to stay up late at night to
wait for the return of their mistresses
and are forced to bear the ill humor
which follows an overheard criticism
of a gown or an over-abundance of
lobster.
SEATTLE. May 31.—Paul Patko-
tak. an eighteen-year-old Eskimo,
sailed for Point Barrow, the Arctic
extremity of Alaska, on May 22 on the
schooner Transit to claim the hand of
Miss Alice Ahlook. native teacher in
the Point Barrow Government school,
who refused to marry him three years
ago because of his lack of education.
When he was rejected by Miss Ah
look the youth trapped enough Arctic
foxes to pay for a year’s schooling
and worked his passage to Seattle.
Here he was permitted to enter one
Of the grammar schools bOOSUSS of
the knowledge he had gained at the
Point Barrow school. His summer
vacations were spent with a fishing
fleet. During the last year he has
learned shorthand, typewrtting and
bookkeeping in addition to his other
studies.
Patkotak came south, clad in furs.
He will return smartly dressed in
American clothing.
Octogenarian, but
Writes Poem a Day
Michigan Woman Ha* Written Set
of Verses Every Twenty-Four
Hours for Twenty Years.
BATTLE CREEK. MICH., May 31.
Michigan's oldest woman poet is Mrs.
Boring P. Wilcox. 85, of this city.
Loring P. Wilcox and his wife were
married in Leonidas, St. Joseph
County, March 21, 1852.
Both the silver and golden wed-
wing anniversaries of the pioneers
were celebrated in Sherwood, Mich.,
where they once resided.
For 20 years Mrs. Wilcox, who, be
fore her marriage was a school teach
er, was an active newspaper woman,
and her poetry has been well re^
ceived. For 20 years she has written
a poem each day.
Hungarian Conscripted for Army
Makes His Flight to America
in Bass Violin.
CANTON, O., May 31.—Peter Cocan,
36 yetffs old, was literally carried
away by music. He reached Canton
to-day from Lisza, Hungary, after
crossing the Hungarian border in a
huge bass viol on the back of a huslcy
Roumanian disguised as a gypsy mu
sician.
Cocan brought first-hand stories of
the warlike preparation of Austria-
Hungary for hostilities with Monte
negro. He was himself drafted to
serve in the army. He was just about
to leave for America. He did not
want to serve. Each time he at
tempted to cross the border he was
turned back by Hungarian soldiers
who patrol the frontier.
Determined to come to Canton at
all hazards, he hit «pon the plan of
concealing himself in the bass viol.
A companion concealed himself in a
bass drum. Friends disguised as
itinerant musicians carried them over
the frontier.
At one time they were stopped by
a party of soldiers, who compelled
the musicians to play upon the Instru
ments in which Cocan and his com
panion were concealed. They escaped
detection at this time, and after
crossing the border they walked sev
eral miles to a railroad.
SLOW ROUND TRIP
RATE TO BALTI
MORE VIA SEA
BOARD,
$20.85 from Atlanta, correspond-
! ingly low rates from other points.
on sale June 5, 6, 7. Through
; trains, electric-lighted steel sleep
ing and dining cars, observation
; cars. City Ticket Office, 88 Peach
tree.
LIVER TROUBLES CURED
WITH DR. VERDIER’S LIVER EASE
Dr. Verdier’s Liver Ease, a Purely Vegetable and Perfectly
Harmless Medicine, Has Cured Hundreds of Cases of Liver
Troubles Even Better Than Calomel.
Have you that tired feeling so
common at this season? Or is It
a cold In your head? These and
many other symptoms are due to
a sluggish liver. Why not assist
nature in working off this* excess
of bile acid that may cause severe
sickness if allowed to go unnoticed.
Dr. Verdier’s Liver Ease is the
remedy. Get a bottle at your drug
store for 50 cents, and take a dose
just as you ,go to bed to-night.
You will be so much better by to
morrow' that you will appreciate
taking this advice, and you can
best thank us by telling your
friends about it.
We guarantee Dr. Verdier’s Liver
Ease to do the work even hotter
than calomel, without the irrita
tion and bad after effects you know
so well to accompany that drug.
Fifty cents in stamps sent to Liver
Ease Medicine Co., Atlanta, Ga.,
will bring you a bottle promptly if
you are unable to find it in your
town. Refuse all substitutes. There
is nothing like Liver Ease. Put up
in a pink package.
TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION.
THINK o! the location.
THINK ot the conveniences.
THINK ot the low interest rate.
THINK ot the income they are now earn
ing; also the help this will be to you.
TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION.
6 UP-TO-DATE HOMES AND 19 BEADY-TO-BUILP-ON LOTS
Saturday, June 7, 1913, ST.?..?;”;
These are 5 and 6 room houses, with every city convenience and connection, including furnace in several of the houses, but no
gas as yet. These houses were built of the best material, under the personal direction of Col. I. N. Ragsdale, who could not be in
duced to build a shoddy house.
These houses are real city homes, located in the social center of the Tenth Ward, and only a step from the best car service in
Atlanta.
We urge you to go out and inspect this property. Each house will be plainly placarded, showing cash payment and monthly
payments; also the amount oT the loan to be assumed..
THESE HOUSES ARE NOW RENTED, and bring in from $18.50 to $30.00 per month. Think of what a help that will be
to you, in meeting your payments, should you not be ready to occupy the house.
The houses and lots front on the following streets:
Arlington Avenue, Princess Avenue, and LaRosa Terrace.
Arlington Avenue runs off of Lee Street right at Col. Ragsdale's handsome home. Princess Avenue runs off of Avon (Oak
land) Avenue, between the Baptist church and Capt. E. P. Ryan’s fine home; giving the property two approaches, each of which is
a prominent street.
This Section Has No Objectionable Feature
It is logically the place for the people to live in who are engaged in business, or who are employed among the many indus
trial and manufacturing and railroad enterprises around the Terminal Station, Whitehall Street, Mitchell Street, and the Central
and West Point railroads, and the adjacent territory. The car service and the way the streets run prove these statements to be
true. Think about it, and you’ll see it as we do.
The Lots Are Ready to Build On
These are the lots to buy, either for home sites or for speculation, because they are ready to build on. In addition to this,
every lot is a beauty, with nice young oak shade trees scattered over them. Also, because their location is excellent. They are
only a short distance from the business center of Oakland City. Only 2 blocks from the City School and near the churches, and
the farthest lot is only 2 blocks from the car line, and best of all, they are socially in the swum, and
ALL CITY IMPROVEMENTS DOWN AND PAID FOR
THE TERMS ON THE HOUSES
will range from $150 to $250 cash, and the payments will range from $22.50 per month to $32.50 per month, with 6 per cent simple
interest. Small loans on 5 of the houses, to be assumed by the purchaser.
THE TERMS ON THE LOTS
are right. Every lot will be sold on terms of $50.00 cash, and the balance $15.00 per month, with only 6 per cent simple interest on
the deferred payments.
HCW TO GET THERE:—Take cars at the corner of Forsyth and Alabama Streets, marked “East Point,” “Hapeville” or
“College Park.' Get off at the corner of Avon (Oakland) Avenue. You will then be only a step from this property.
COME AND BE SURE TO BUY—You will never regret it if you do, and you will be sorry if you don’t. Get plans from
TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION.
THINK ot the splendid car service.
THINK of the steady growth of this
section.
THINK of the Easy Terms; then make
up your mind to come out and buy
either a home or a vacant lot, or both.
TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION.
A gents.
11 EDGEWOOD AVENUE
J. W. FERGUSON & SON, Auctioneers