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THROUGH THE STATE.upSPECIALLY REPORTED FOR THE setCONSTITUTION.Tha MarCtr of Mur Bacw.ll. Whoio Bon ea Were Found In a Mina—Jamea Cook Cr.arged With Muri'r.r.l W. F. Jfottlmham—Tno Italian Who Wat Araaulted—Other !fewa.Special Cormpondenco of The Conatltutlon. tUocGLu«vxL(.E,'July 25.—Three important cases are now before the superior court for trial. Judge Harris is presiding and is dispatching things in a business like way. The three cases referred to are the Bagwell murder case, the Xot'ingham murde case and the tHal of the men who assaulted tfic young Italian a few weeks ago with such disastrous results to the Italian. This last named case will draw a big crowd bn account of its novelty. It is a rare thing that evidence has to be taken through an interpreter, as will be done in this case.Til* BAGWELL MIRDEI*. CASE.The most exciting case that is to be tried is that of old man Bagwell and his sons, charged with connection with the murder of AlaryBagwell, whose bones were unearthed in an old shaft of a coiIjpper mine, in March last. This case is of two-fold interest because it is enveloped in mystery and doubt. Mary Bagwell was the daughter of Willis Bagwell, a farmer who resided two miles from VillaRica. She was a wayward girl and did notthconfine herself to the paths of virtue, and her disregard of chastity made her the mother of u boy baby before she had paid the usual and very proper visit to hymen’s altar. Her son is now living in Car-delicate condition, and suspicion pointed toidBarney Hargrove, a negro hand on her fathers farm, as the probable cause of her second trouble. One night in July of the year mentioned, Mary Bagwell disappeared. No clue to her whereabouts was known, and very little interest in her was manifested even by her friends. It was generally supposed that she had gone the way of all who fall so low, and was an inmate of one of the dens of disgraced and abandoned women in Atlanta. At the time of her disappearance tlm negro Hargrove was also missing, but he. subsequently turned up. Since then, however, he has died, at least nothing is known of him. Since the night of her mysterious disappearance in July, 1805, no tidings have ever dbme from Mary Bagwell.THK BOMS IN TIIK SHAFT.About a mile and n half from Villa Rica oh tbo Dallas highway, a neighborhood road turns to the right nnd leads over the hills for about a mile, where in the midst of a . dark and tmfrcquentcd forest and upon tbecrestofa knob among the bills, is a shaft of a deserted copper mine, known as the Hill copper shaft. When being worked, the shaft was ninety feet deep. It was eight feet square, and in 1354 the owners left it, a dangerous and desolate looking hole away ofT by itself in the midst of that dense wood.Tor nearly thirty gears that shaft remainedundistuibcd save by the elements. But the rains and storms were gradually filling it up until a few months ago a company determined to test the value of the ore’. ^The old shaft was nearly filled with dirt nnd debns and water. The water was pumped out and the work of removing, the accummulateddebris of twenty-eight years was begun. Afew feet down the workman came upon the liones of a dog. The work was continued and on one Thursday in March lost the spade of one of .the miners, then fifteen feet below the top of the debris, Ihrcw up a human hip bone. Anothershovelful brought more hones until finally therfciastonished workmen unearthed the complete skeleton of a woman. A. closer search revealed a second skeleton, that, of an Infant. With .the skeleton was a puff corsef, s-gbld breast*' pin ami a piece of folded but otherwise well preserved ribbon. The hones were gotten together and on the succeeding Monday an inquest was held. The testimony was voluminous and pointed to the belief that the hones were those of the dead Alary Bagwelland her unborn baby. The .suspicions of thed 1people were directed toward the family of the girl and the negro, Hnrgrovo. The father of the girl contended that he had supposed that she was lending a life of shame in Atlanta, and lienee made no search for her. From all the facts many people came to believe that the negro was the perpetrator of the murder, and that lie was aided or countenanced by the family, who were willing to get rid of the disgraced girl in any way possible. The negro being dead, nothing could be done with him. but Willis Bagwell, the father, nnd Wyly and Charles Bagwell brothers of the girl, were put under $1,500 bond for their appearance to answer a charge of complicity in the murder. To-day the grand jury is at work on the case, but it is not known whether true bills will be found ornot. The bill charges Barney Hargroves withbeing principal and Willis Bagwell, Charlc Bagwell and Wyly Bagwell as being princi pals in the second degree, and as accessories before and after the fact, and also chargesv t__.ii 1__iwyly ittgweu wun ocmg principal, and charges Wyly and Charles ltagwell with being principals in the second degree and accessories before and after the fact. It will not be a difficult matter to get a jury in the county, but it is not probable that the case will come to trial at this term of the court owingto the fact that some testimony is not yetitedready. The case is represented as follows: For the prosecution. Solicitor-General Reid and Mr. J. S. James; for the defense. Smith «fc Roberts, John V. Edge, Reese Adamson, and W. W. and G. W. Marion.CO!heallmiratvifthduncpencfoisicthticbeG«asaccafalt;caricofPrurwifnanthhesoduta
Newspaper Details
Atlanta Weekly Constitution
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Tue, Aug 01, 1882
Page 1
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 03 Mar 2019
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