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TJUcJ A'lLAJN'J A (iHAJnU J AJN A.\L> MKWS,
POLICIES HELD BY PAINTER
Continued From P»9» 1-
ber of his immediate family—his wife or daughter—or his firm. The
total amount was divided about equally between them.
Some two or three months ago, it has been reported to the life
insurance companies concerned, Painter began taking chloral, per
haps for nervousness. It is charged that shortly before his death,
he became a very heavy user of the drug.
When his body was recovered from the St. Johns River, and the
suspicion that all was not right became fixed in the minds of the
insurance companies, it was determined to set on foot a rigid probe
of his death, and its cause, also all the circumstances bearing upon
it.
Paid No Heed to Rescuers.
Although Painter was an expert
iwimmer, when he fell from the ferry
boat, he Is said to have sunk like a
log. A rope was thrown to him. but
he paid no attention to it.
He had been coughing violently Jm*t
before he fell into the water, and It
was to relieve this cough that he in
supposed to have taken chloral. Ap
parently, so those on the boat say,
the man was dead before he struck
the water.
It is theorized that his system had
been overwhelmed with chloral, and
that his death was directly due to
that drug, rather than to drowning.
These initial circumstances were
suspicious enough in the eyes of the
Insurance companies, and they pro
ceeded to a calm and deliberate in
vestigation, before authorizing the
payment of the policies.
Their decision to have the dead
man’s vital organs analyzed for the
purpose of determining Just how
much chloral there likely was In his
system at the time of his death was
In line with the advice of their medi
cal and legal advisers. Now that the
dead man’s organs stem to have dsi-
appeared, however, it appears more
than ever to the companies that there
was something queer about Painter’s
end.
Insurance Inspectors Active.
The medical report is not expected
here for another two days and the
Coroner nor others Interested will
take any further action until it Is re
ceived.
A certified copy of this report will
be placed In a'safety deposit box at
the Barnett National Bank, so that
those who have valid reasons to ex
amine it may do so when proper au
thority is secured from the Coroner.
No sooner had the sudden and
mysterious death of Painter become
known than Inspectors and special
agents of the insurance companies
carrying policies on his life began to
arrive in Jacksonville. There were a
dozen or more here and they made in
dividual and collective investigations.
But they, like the Coroner, are await
ing the Baltimore report before tak
ing any action to contest or pay the
policies.
The general impres.^on in Insur
ance circles is that the Mutual Life
will make the firm move. Painter hav
ing secured $502,000 insurance in that
company. Those with smaller poli
cies will look to the Mutual to deter
mine their course of action.
Indications are, however, that the
insurance companies will contest un
der the first-year suicide clause In
corporated in most policies. If this is
done it promises to be the biggest
piece of insurance litigation ever
fought out in the South and one of
the biggest in the whole country.
Dead Man Was 52 Years of Age.
Painter was 52 years and 6 months
of age when he died. He was a na
tive of New York State, but had been
In business in Jacksonville about fif-
tven years. As editor of a farm jour
nal he became interested in the ferti
lizer business and established the E.
INSURANCE POLICIES
TOTAL $1,134,000
Of Painter’s total insurance, *1,-
134.000 of it was distributed as
follows:
LIFE POLICIES.
Mutual Life $
Equitable
Penn Mutual
New York Life
Fidelity Mutual
Union Central
Prudential
Fraternal and miscellane
ous
502,000
190,000
100,000
100.000
70.000
50,000
12,000
50,000
Total life $1,074,000
ACCIDENT POLICIES.
Travelers $ 20,000
Employers' Liability ... 15,000
U. S. Fidelity and Guar
anty ... . . • 10,000
Preferred Accident . 5,000
Illinois Commercial Men’s
Association . 5,000
Travelers’ Protective As
sociation 5,000
Total accident $ 60,000
Total insurance $1,134,000
The Georgian-Araerican Pony Contest
VOTE COUPON
Hearst s Sunday American and Ailanta Georgian
PONY CONIESI VOTE COUPON, TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 1913
5 VOTES
NOT GOOD AFTER JUNE 18, 1913.
Vote for
Address
CARRIERS’ AND AGENTS’ BALLOT.
Hearst’s Sunday American and Atlanta Georgian
Pony Contest Vote Coupon, Tuesday, June 3, 1913.
5 %/fWK*"C N0T good after
JUNE 18, 1913.
Vote for
Address .
SCHOOL BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ BALLOT.
TECH’S GROWTH
(MAZES OLD
D R. HERBERT 8. BIGE
LOW, of Cincinnati (at
top), Dr. Thomas E. Green,
Chicago, and Dr. P. P. Clax-
ton, U. S Commissioner of Ed
ucation, who will speak dur
ing Tech’s commencement
celebration.
O. Painter Fertilizer Company, be
coming its» president. This company
is capitalized at about $800,000, though
its actual value la said to be about
$100,000.
With Painter’s stock in the com
pany, his handsome Riverside Drive
home and other Interests, his estate is
valued at about $150,000 and his In
come at $25,000 a year. In striking
contrast to this* Income Is the fact
that the combined annual premiums on
the insurance he carried at the time,
of death amount to about $60,000.
The first year’s premiums on the
million dollars new Insurance were
paid almost altogether In notes not
yet matured and in stock in his fer
tilizer company. The policies were
made payable to his wife, daughter
estate and the fertilizer company.
Much of the stock has been resold j
by the Insurance agents and the notes
discounted by Jacksonville hanks,
practically every financial institution
here holding some of the paper. The
effect of his death In business circles
can therefore he readily seen.
Real Conditions Kept Secret.
The Jacksonville papers have given
but scant publicity to the case, for
fear of creating a panic and Injuring
business conditions.
Painter was considered a perfect or
nearly perfect physical speclm/fn. He
was a pillar in the most fashionable
Baptist Church, a leader In the Y. M.
C. A., and active in Board of Trade
circles. He was considered a meyt ex
emplary citizen and was look err upoi*
with the utmost confidence in busi
ness circles. Winn Painter met his
death # he was aboard a ferryboat
crossing the river to his fertilizer
plant. He stepped the edge of the
boat and went over in midstream. A
lifeline was thrown to him, but he
apparently made no effort to grasp it.
sinking, with the rope grazing his
arms. The first theory was accident.
Suicide suspicions were aroused when
the insurance men became active.
1913; payable to Okie Painter, daugh
ter Premiums paid on this policy
with stock in the E. O. Painter Fer
tilizer Company.
$75,000. Mutual Life; date, April 23.
1913; payable to Okie Painter, daugh
ter. Premium on thli policy paid
with stock In the E. O. Painter Fer
tilizer Company.
$50,000, Mutual Life; date. April 2.7,
1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife. Premium on this policy itaid
with stock In the E. O. Painter Fer
tilizer Company.
$126,000 Mutual Life; date, May 2,
1913; payable to Martha 1*4 Painter,
wife, and Okie Painter, daughter.
Premium on this policy paid with
stock In the E. O. Painter Fertilizer
.Company.
$50,000, Equitable; date, April 23,
1912; payable to the E. O. Painter
Fertilizer Company. Second premium
on this policy wav due April 23, 1913,
and was on the 31 days’ grace period,
which had only two days more to run
op the day of Mr. Painter’s death.
Another $50,000.
$50,000. Equitable; date. April 23,
1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife, and Okie Painter. daughter,
each, $1,250 per year for twenty years
Premium on this policy was paid with
stock in the E. O. Painter Fertilizer
Company.
$10,000, Equitable: date, April 28.
1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife, and Okie Painter, daughter. Pre
mium on tills policy paid with stock
in the E. O. Painter Fertilizer Com
pany. i
$50,000, Equitable; date, April 7,
1913; payable to executors, adminis
trators or assigns. Premium on this
policy was paid with stock in the E.
O. Painter Fertilizer Company.
$15,000, Equitable; date. April 7,
1913; payable to executors, adminis
trators or assigns. Premium on thin
policy was paid with stocks in the E.
I (*. Painter Fertilizer Company.
$15,000, Equitabdle; date, April 7,
J 191"; payable to executors, adminis
trators or assigns. Premium on this
policy was paid with stock in the E.
O. Painter Fertilizer Company.
$50,000, Fraternal organizations and
j in small policies generally distributed.
Accident Insurance.
$5,000, Travelers; date, June 2, 1905;
payable to Martha S. Painter, wife.
Thi policy has fujly accumulated,
bringing it up to $7,500, the doubling
clause* rendering the maximum bene
fits thereunder of $15,000.
$15,000, Travelers; date, April 28,
1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife. Note f«*r premium was given
broker. Note due June 15, 1913. The
doubling clause renders the maximum
benefits under this policy $30,000.
$10,000, IJ. S. Fidelity and Guar
antee Company; date, April 21, 1913;
payable to Okie Painter, daughter.
Premium not paid to company. Pre*
sume that insured gave the broker a
note. The doubling clause on this
policy places the maximum benefits
thereunder at $20,000.
$5,000, Preferred Accident; date,
October 26. 1905. The doubling clause
on this policy renders the maximum
benefits thereunder $10,000, or more.
$ 15,000, Employees’ Liability; date,
April 23, 1913; payable to Martha S.
Painter, wife. The doubling clause on
this policy raises the maximum ben
efits to $30,000. The insured applied
for $30,000, doubling to $60,000. The
company declined half of the amount
applied for. The premium has not
been paid, the broker requesting
credit until early in June. (General
rigynt granted). Broker stating that
the insured asked him for credit until
then.
$5,000, Illinois Commercial Men’s
Association.
$5,000, Travelers’ Protective Asso
ciation.
Painter Policies All
Taken Out Recently
At a meettng of insurance men in
Jacksonville to consider the policies
held by Painter in the sum of $1,178,-
000, the following sc hedule of risks
•was submitted, showing that nearly
all the policies were taken out within
the past five months:
$50,000. Union Central; ordinary
lif?, dated April 5. 1913, payable to es
tate. Policy delivered May 14, 1913.
£ome delay in issue. Mr. Painter ap
plied for $92,000, which is the com
pany's limit at his age. 53. Only $50,-
000 was issued. He gave a note due
April, 1914, in payment of the pre
mium
$3,000. Penn Mutual; ordinary life,
issued November 17, 1911; payable to
Martha S. Painter, wife.
$50,000, Penn Mutual; fifteen-year
term, issued February 24, 1913, pay
able to Martha S. Painter wife. A
note was given for part of premium,
and an amount supposedly equal to
the agent’s commission in stock of the
E O. Painter Fertilizer Company for
the balance.
$47,000, Penn Mutual; ordinary life,
issued April 18, 1913; payable to es-
White City Park Now Open
LOW ROUND TRIP
‘RATE TO BALTI
MORE VIA SEA
BOARD.
$20.8? from Atlanta, correspond- j
ingly low rates from other point*, c
on sale June 5, 6, 7. Through j
trains electric-lighted steel sleep- <
log and dining cars, observation j
cars City Ticket Office, 88 Peach- <
tree
tate. Note due August 23, 1913, given
for the premium.
$12,000, Prudential; continuous In
stallment, date May 3. 1910; payable
to Okie Painter, daughter, $50 per
month. The third premium was due
on this policy May 3, 1913. Premium
was not paid and was on grace period
at the time of insured's death, May
22. 1913
$50,000. New York Life; issued
March. 1912, payable to Martha S.
Painter, wife, and Okie Painter,
daughter.
$40,000. New York Life; March. 1913.
payable to Martha S. Painter, wife,
and Okie Painter, daughter.
$10,000, New York Life; an old pol
icy, In force for some years.
Note for Premium.
$70,000, Fidelity Mutual: ordinarv
life, issued April 21, 1912; payable to
Martha S. Painter, wife, and Okie
Painter, daughter. Note given broker
in payment of the premium. Note due
June 15, 1913.
$2,000. Mutual Life; date. January 25.
1891; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wif. P«»l!c> hears a loan of $933.
$12,000, Mutual Life; date, February
3, 1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife. A note due in twelve months
from date given in payment of this
premium.
$12,000, Mutual Ufe; date, February
3. 1912; payable to Okie Painter,
daughter. A note due In one year from
date given in payment of this pre
mium
$50,000, Mutual Life; date, March
15. 1913; payable to E. O. Painter Fer-
j tillzer Company. Note due one year
; from date given in payment of this
premium.
$100,000, Mutual Life; date. March
27. 1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife, and Okie Painter, daughter. A
note due January 1. 1914. given in pay
ment of the premium on this policy.
Stock for Premium.
$50,000, Mutual Life; date, April 4.
1913; payable to Martha S. Painter,
wife. Premium on this policy paid
with stock in the E. O. Painter Fer
tilizer Company.
$25,000, Mutual Life; date, April 4,
No Analysis Made Yet, as
Vital Organs Are Missing
BALTIMORE. MD.. June 3—A
heart, a stomach and two kidneys,
once the vital organs of E. O. Painter,
the fertilizer man of Jacksonville,
Fla., are missing somewhere between
Jacksonville and Baltimore
They were supposed to have ar
rived at the Johns Hopkins Hospital
Saturday for the purpose of analysis
That day the physicians of the hos
pital received word that they had ar
rived in the city, but when they were
not delivered at the hospital som**
hours later a search for them was in
stituted which, to date, has proved
vain
Arrangements for the analyzing of
the organs* were made at the Hopkins
early last week by a Redmond C.
Stewart, who paid, according to the
hospital authorities, that he repre
sented the Prudential Life Insurance
Company.
Stewart said at the hospital that
Painter had died suddenly and under
rather unusual conditions and held
the theory that he might have com
mitted suicide. The insurance com
pany had demanded an analysis of
the organs, be said, before entering
negotiations* for the payment of the
policy which the deceased held in
that company.
Johns Hopkins authorities agreed
to make the analysis, and Saturday
being the date set for examination,
everything was placed in readiness
for the analysis. They are still wait
ing.
At the offices of the Prudential
company in this city absolute igno
rance of the shipment to this city of
the organs is professed. They say,
however, that the arrangements for
the analysis might have been made
by a representative from the, home
office of the company at Newark, N. J.
Rival of Weston on
Long Race With Him
NEW YORK, Juno 3.—Cheered by \
big crowd, John Ennis, aged 71, of
Stamford, Conn., set out at noon to
day to walk the 1,446 miles to Min
neapolis.
Ennis made the start one day lat«r
than did Edward Pay son Weston, Ills
ancient pedestrian enema. He hopes,
giving Weston a 24-hour handicap, to
beat him into Minneapolis, which i»
also Weston's goal.
Baby's Body Found;
Police Investigate
Wrapped in an old skirt, the body
of a six or seven months old baby
was discovered in a gully at the
Williams street rook quarry, near
Third Street, by R. B. Wood, a driver
for the city, Tuesday morning.
It is believed to have been an in
fanticide. Detectives are investi
gating.
Florida Assembly
Ignores Constitution
TALLAHASSEE. FLA.. June 8 Both
houses of the Florida Legislature have
adopted a resolution to adjourn the ses
slon sine die Friday noon, one day earlier
than the constitution allows.
The resolution which abolishes the as
sembly for State commission rule did not
reach a vote to-day.
Hellflre Only Myth,
Say Bible Students
HOT SPR1NG8. ARK., June 3.—
Hell and hellflre are myths, in the
opinion of members of the Interna
tional Bible Students Association
who are holding a convention here.
They ask ministers to discard the
“offending words.’’
Laughs Himself Sick
At Vaudeville Joke
MILWAUKEE, WIS., June 3.—A
veteran vaudeville joke heard for the
first time by Julius Jeswein, aged 34.
made him to laugn so loud and so
long that the show was interrupted
until he was helped out to the side
walk.
He continued laughing until at the
end of sixteen hours he became so
weak he lost consciousness. Physi
cians to-day fear the violent laughter
will cause his death.
Broyles Finds W 7 ay
To Forestall Mavor
Blind tiger operators in future will get
a twenty-nine-day sentence instead of
thirty days. Recorder Broyles has
found a way to circumvent Mayor Wood
ward. who. the Recorder alleges, has
interfered with eases in the Recorder's
jurisdiction.
The Major can pardon prisoners sen
tenced on a blind tiger charge to thirty
days or mo~. b*vt in oases where the
sentence is less he can not interfere.
Recorder Broyles Monday afternoon
sentenced T R Preston to twenty-nine
days in the stockade on a charge of sell
ing liquor.
Memphis Grand Jury
Probes Martin Case
MEMPHIS, TENN., June 3.—Attorney
: General Estes to-day admitted that the
Grand Jury was examining witnesses
with a view 10 finding an indictment
against Joseph W. Martin, former pres-
1 ident of the Martin-Phillips Cotton
i Company, of Memphis, which went into
'he hands of a receiver after Martin's
disappearance in London.
Estes would not say for whai of
fense the indictments might be found
The home of T. H. Knox. 23 Kuhns
Street, was robbed late Monday night.
I The thief got a gold watch. Clifford
Howell, a negro, is held.
Alumni, Arriving for Commence
ment, Startled by Progress
Made in 25 Years.
Alumni of Tech are drifting into
! town for the great commencement
and quarter-centennial celebration to
be held June 6 to June 11. Some of
I them recall that 25 years ago was
nothing more than a log cabin with
j a mildest workshop and are amazed
at the magnificent and imposing col
lege confronting them to-day, cover
ing 25 acres, with sixteen buildings,
valued at approximately $800,000.
The commencement exercises will
open with a society debate by the
Henry W. Grady Literary Society,
June 6 at 8 15 o’clock, in the Tech
Y. M. C. A. Auditorium. On June 7
the Frerfhmen oratorical contest is
scheduled to occur in the same build
ing. Sunday, June 8, at 11 o'clock, in
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Dr.
Thomas E. Green, of Chicago, will
deliver the baccalaureate sermon, “A
Veiled Vision.”
Claxton to Give Address.
At 10 o’clock Monday, June 9, there
will he a meeting of the school trus
tees. At 3 p. m.. in the Tech Y. M.
C. A.. Dr. 1’. P. Claxton. United States
Commissioner of Education, will de
liver a literary address. From 5 p.
m. to 7 p. m. President K. G. Mathe-
son will hold a reception. At 8 p m.
one of the features of the commence
ment, the .Junior prom, will be held
on the campus.
Tuesday. June 10. is “Founders’
Day.” At 9 a. *n. there will be a
meeting of the alumni in the Tech
Y. M. C. A. Auditorium. At 10:30
Founders’ Day exercises are sched
uled in the Auditorium; at 3:30 Class
Day exercises and pageant on the
campus; at 8:15 C. Alphonzo Smith,
Ph. I)., L.L. D., will deliver the
Founders’ Day oration in the Grand
Opera House; at 9:30 p. m. there will
be a reception by Governor and Mrs.
Joseph M. Brown at the mansion.
Shop Exhibit June 11.
Wednesday. June 11. the boys will
be given a chance to show what they
have accomplished. From 8:30 to 10
a. m. a shop exhibit will be held. At
10:30 graduating exercises will be
held in the Grand Opera House. Dr.
Herbert S. Bigelow, of Cincinnati, as
commencement orator, will deliver an
address on “Old, Institutions and New
Ideas." At 1:30 delegates, trustees,
faculty, alumni and graduation class
will attend the Chamber of Commerce
luncheon.
Since 1906, when Dr. Matheson as
sumed the presidency, approximately
thirteen acres of land have been
added to the campus; the income of
the school has been nearly doubled;
the Carnegie Library has been built
and its support provided for. A night
school has been established, which
gives industrial education to a large
number of Atlanta artisans and em
ployees generally. A large and flour
ishing Summer School has been es
tablished. The Joseph Brown Memo
rial Hospital has been built. The
beautiful Rockefeller Y. M. C. A.
buildir % : has been erected. Three of
the five units of the handsome fire
proof mechanical engineering build
ings have been erected.
The finest athletic field in the South
has been secured, providing two
complete gridirons and baseball fields,
tennis courts, a quarter-mile track
and other athletic equipment. A re
inforced concrete stadium will be
built this summer.
Enrollment Is Doubled.
A number of scholarships paying
from $150 to $200 per year to needy
young students have been secured.
The enrollment of the school has been
practically doubled, and large addi
tions 1 ave been made to tfye faculty
and all courses have been raised in
standard of efficiency. Decided im
provements have been made on the
campus so that it is rapidly becom
ing an attractive park.
Through the will of Julius L.
Brown, two-thirds of his estate was
left to the- school. Tentative dona
tions in equipment for a new' heating,
power and lighting station amount
ing to more than $100,000 have been
secured. A course in architecture has
been added and, generally speaking,
large additions of equipment have
been made to the various departments
of the school. The reputation of the
school for work of the highest order
has been extended throughout the
country.
Atlanta Rail Mail
Division Advanced
The Atlanta and Montgomery di
vision of the Railway Mail Depart
ment. one of the most important be
tween New York and San Francisco,
was placed In Class "C" following a
long conference with Postmaster Gen
eral Burleson in which John Hogan,
national auditor of the Railway Mail
Association; Senator Hoke Smith.
Representative Schley Howard, P. J.
Schardt and H. G. Swanson partici
pated.
The committe was in session nearly
a week. Eleven Congressmen and
four Senators supported the conten
tion that the line should be classed as
a “C” division.
Woman Sees Her
2 Grandsons Drown
ORLANDO, FLA.. June 3.—Frank
Pounds. Jr., and Fred Wilmott, Jr., 6
and 6 years of age. were drowned in
Lake Lucerne here yesterday while
the grandmother of the Wilmott child
looked on In horror.
The boys were playing in a boat
which floated out into the lake where
the water Is ten feet deep. Thinking
it shallow. bt)th jumped out of the
boat. The bodies were soon recov
ered, but efforts to resuscitate them
were unavailing.
SETS ALTITUDE RECORD.
VERSAILLES. FRANCE, June 3—A
new altitude record for an aeroplane
carrying two persons was made here
to day by Aviator Perri, who ascended
16.832 feet in a monoplane with a w oman
passenger.
DIVORCE NEAR
“Woman With Money Mark for
Designing Men,” She Says.
“I’ve Learned a Lesson.”
NEWNAN, G A., June 3.—
Though Eugene Grace declined to
discuss the divorce suit of his
wife, Mrs. Daisy Opie Grace, in
Philadelphia, members of his fam
ily stated positively Tuesday aft
ernoon that the suit will not be
contested by Mr. Grace. The
statement was made by S. L. Hill,
Mr. Grace’s stepfather, who de
clared that “Eugene would be
very glad for her to secure the
divorce.”
PHILADELPHIA. June 3—The ap
pointment of a master to take testi
mony in the case of Mrs. Daisy Ople
Grace, who, in September of last year,
filed suit for divorce from her hus
band, Eugene Grace, will be as«ked for
by Mrs. Grace’s counsel some time
this week.
Grace failed to reply to notice of
the action and a verdict for the plain
tiff virtually is assured.
If Grace fails to appear at the hear
ing before, a master Mrs. Grace will be
called to the stand, her libel in divorce
read, and, after she has been sworn,
the decree likely will be awarded her
bv default.
Personal service was not obtainable,
because the respondent failed to come
within the jurisdiction of the county
court? 1 here, arid, under the law, U
was necessary to advertise the suit by
legal notices in the newspapers.
Take Testimony Next.
This advertising was made return
able yesterday, and the next move
will be for the courts to appoint a
lawyer to take testimony on the
charges of cruel and barbarous treat
ment, on which the woman, who fig
ured in one of the most sensational
trials in recent years, bases her suit.
Mrs. Grace said to-^ay:
"I do hope to be free from that
man forever. The world has never
known what I had to endure from
him, and now that I shall have the
opportunity to tell what he did to me,
I know that opinion will change. It
is true that sentiment was all against
me, because of the part that I was
assumed to have taken in the shoot
ing.
Won’t Wed Again. She Says.
“I have had enough of men like
him. Since my acquittal I have been
more careful than ever of my associ
ates. and J tell you that the costly
lesson I have learned has taught me
to beware.
“When a woman has a little money,
she is a mark for designing men, and
the race is predisposed to that sort of
thing.
“Once I am free again, I tell you
It will be a long time before any man
can court me.”
I
IS CALLED AN ACCIDENT
Clews, First Taken as Slaying Evi
dence, Believed to Strengthen New
Theory—Negroes Have Alibi.
With an alibi practically proved by Walter Wilkes and Ernest
Maynard, negroes held on suspicion in the Stevens case, detectives
who are investigating the mystery are inclining to an accident
theory to account for the burning of the Stevens home and the
death of Mrs. Sarah C. Stevens and her daughter, Nellie.
Detective Rosser, Sheriff McCurdy and Deputy Sheriff Livsev,
of DeKalb County, working on the ease, have finally leanted the
truth of the finding of the ax, hoe, revolver cartridge, the dis
charged shotgun shell and other evidence, which it is claimed sus
tains the theory of accidental death more than it does the theory
of murder.
The investigations of the of
ficers, according to one of them,
has developed the following
facts:
The ax was found 60 feet from
where the bodies lay, and the
blade was imbedded in the
ground. It was later carried into
the ruins where the bodies lay.
The door—there was but one—
leading from the hallway into
Mrs. Stevens’ room was locked.
The hoe was found In the hall
way, nearer Mr. Stevens’ room -
than the room where the bodies
were found.
The exploded shotgqn cartridge
was found more than a hundred
yards from .the house, at a spot
where it is said Mrs. Stevens had
been shooting at birds.
The exploded revolver cartridge
was found a hundred yards from
the house, at the edge of the
• road. It had not been in the fire
at all.
There was no truth in the re
port that an exploded shell was
found In the shotgun discovered
in the bedroom. There was a
shell In the gun, but the brass had
melted and run Into the barrel.
It was Impossible to tell whether
it had been fired or discharged
by the heat.
Thinks Fire Cracked Skulls.
F. W. Patterson, of the firm of H.
M. Patterson & Son, the undertak
ers who prepared the bodies for bur
ial, told a Georgian reporter Tuesday
morning that he does not think the
skulls were crushed. He said It was
Impossible, owing to the condition of
the bodies, to tell how Mrs. Stevens
and her daughter were killed. He de
clared that the skulls of the women
looked more like they had been crack
ed open by the heat than crushed.
Mr. Patterson said It is not an un
usual thing for the bones of human
beings to be cracked by the heat when
caught in a fire. He said he could
find, in a minute examination of the
bodies, no traces of foul play. Neither
of the bodies were examined by a
physician.
One of the officers declared to-day
that the hoe, supposed to he one of the
weapons with which the murder—if
there were a murder—was committed,
was an old implement that had been
under the house for several years.
Sheriff McCurdy said that the hoe did
not iook as though it had recently had
a handle In it. The band of steel
which holds the handle In place was
missing when the hoe was found, and
ha^rnot be^n located.
Theory of the Tragedy.
Detectives declare that Mrs. Ste
vens’ revolver—the one Wade Stevens
took to Chattanooga—was .38 caliber
instead of a .32, and that the cartridge
found near the road had been fired by
Mrs. Stevens some time previous to
the burning of their home.
The accident theory, based on the
new developments, is that Mrs. Ste
vens and her daughter, being fright
ened because they were alone, had
locked the door of their room when
they retired; that about midnight,
when they were sound asleep, the
house caught fire; that with the door
locked they knew nothing of the blaze
until It had gained considerable head
way; that they arose from their beds,
and, half-suffocated with smoke, stag
gered to the door, forgetting that it
was locked; that they had reached the
door and couldn’t get it open; that
they then started for the windows and
were overcome before they could reach
them.
Sheriff McCurdy declared to-day
that, in the light of recent develop
ments in the case, the only circum
stance that points to murder is the
position in which the shotgun was ly
ing when found. It was as though it
had fallen from Mrs. Stevens’ hand.
It has been learned, however, that the
gun habitually stood in a corner of
the bed room, and*the theory is ad
vanced that when^the flame* exploded
the shell the recoil threw the gun Into
the middle of the room.
Police to Sift Evidence.
Though all Indications now point to
accidental burning as the solution of
the mystery, Sheriff McCurdy and De
tective Rosser said to-day they will
continue to work on the murder theory
until it is exhausted or evidence ob
tained to determine whether there wag
a murder or whether the women were
caught in the burning of their home.
Detective Rosser practically admit
ted on Tuesday that the two negroes
held under suspicion, Walter Wilkes
and Ernest Maynard, had proven
alibis. He is not yet through with
his investigation, however, and the
negroes will not be released until
after their alibi is proven beyond
the shadow of a doubt. Both men
are now locked up in the DeKalb
County jail at Decatur.
Because not all of the crowd of
farmers who gathered at the scene of
the crime Monday afternoon were let
in on the secret, a dramatic, “third
degree” to obtain a confession from
Wilkes and Maynard not only failed
of Its purpose, but almost developed
Into a real lynching. The lives of
the negroes were saved, it is reported,
only when Chief of Detectives Lan-
ford appeared on the acene with
drawn revolver, backed up by Sheriff
McCurdy.
According to a statement made on
Tuesday by one of the members of th**
"mob.” the lynching bee was framed
-by Chief Lanford, with the knowledge
and consent of Sheriff McCurdy and
a number of farmers.
Ruse to Get Confession Denied.
“The plan,” declared the “mob”
member, “was this: Sheriff McCurdy
and Detective Rosser brought the ne
groes out to the Stevens farm, and
after tying them to a tree, stepped
behind the barn. Then the farmers
who were in on the deal began threat
ening the negroes, and the original
plan was to get a rope and advance
upon them, yelling that we were going
to lynch them. Then Chief Lanford
was to rush up and rescue the ne
groes. It was hoped to get a confes
sion out of them while they were
frightened.
“But a number of farmers came
out who were not in on the frame-up
and they were in dead earnest. ^ The
crowd carried the men to the barn
and started to put a rope over a
rafter when Lanford appeared. It is
very probable that the negroes would
have been hanged if he had not shown
up.”
Chief Lanford declared this morn
ing that the lynching was' not a
frame-up, but declared a moment
later that he thought the farmers
were only going to frighten the ne
groes. Detective Rosser declined to
comment on the affair at all. He
said he had not seen it and didn’t
know anything about It
U. S. Biggest Market
Place for Canada
WASHINGTON. June 3.—Accord
ing to a report made public to-day
by the Department of Commerce, the
United States ranks second as a cus
tomer for Canadian products and first
as a supplier of Canadian needs.
Canada buys more from the United
States than from all other nations
combined. We also would take the
hulk of the exports except that Cana
da has little to sell that is not pro
duced also in our own country.
The larger takings of Canadian
wheat constitute the principal factor
that makes England loom larger in
the export trade.
A WHOLESOME SUMMER DRINK
Mtrsfonf'i Acid Phosphate
Better ttian lemon* or lime*—healthful and
delicious. Refreshea and Invigorates. Ada.
Pushes Bet Winner
30 Miles in Barrow
SPOKANE, WASH., June 3.—Roy
McC&mpbell, of Okanogan, Wash., es
corted by a drum .corps, made a thir
ty-mile hike from Okanogan -to To-
nasket, trundling a gorgeously trim
med and canopied wheelbarrow in
which sat George Hopkins, the man
who won the bet as to the probable
date of- entrance into Okanogan of
the New Croville-Wenatchce branch
of the Great Northern Railway.
If the lin/ had reached Okanogan by
April 10 Hopkins would have been the
motive power, with McCampbell his
passenger. •
Record Graduation
Class at Normal
MILLEDGEVILLE, GA., June 3—
The Georgia Normal and Industrial
College closed here yesterday with the
largest graduating class In the history
of the institution.
The baccalaureate sermon was
preached by Bishop Warren Candler
to a congregation of 1,500.
The board of trustees to-day
changed the name of Lamar Hall,
which was named in honor of the late
Richard N. Lamar, to Terrell Hall in
honor of the late Joe Terrell. The
name of Science Hall was changed to
Parks Hall, in honor of President M.
M. Parks,
Babes, Buried Alive
By Maniac, Still Live
ATLANTIC CITY, June 3.—-Two of
the three young children of George
Walls, proprietor of the Chelsea baths,
who were burled alive by a maniac
yesterday, were to-day believed to
be dying.
The lunatic, said to he the wayward
son of a prominent Philadelphia fam
ily, Is under constant guard in the
Jail.
POLICEMAN DROPS DEAD.
MACON, GA., June 3.—Policeman
William Avent Jumped off a street car
last night during a downpour and
started on a run toward his home a
block away. Just as he reached his
front gate he fell dead of heart fail
ure.
We have Beautiful Bedding
Plants, 3c each. Atlanta Floral
Co., 555 L. Fair Street.