The Palatka News And Advertiser

THE HASTINGS TRAGEDY.

William Austin, White Fiend, Murders
Four Persons. Beats to In-
sensibility Two Helpless
Children.

Then Puts a Bullet in His Own Head.

Passion and Revenge the Cause.

The people who inhabit the little
town of Hastings, eight miles east of
Palatka on the F. E. C. Ry., woke up
on Monday morning to find that one
of the most fiendish tragedies of
modern times had been committed
in their midst just before sun up, and
that in the cabin where the murders
were committed, lay the five victims
of the awful crime.

Wm. Austin a Jacksonville car-
penter had shot William Wilkinson
Mrs. Wm. Wilkinson, Amanda Wil-
kinson, William's sister. Bitha Me-
Cullough, his scarcely 13 year old
sweetheart, and after striking over
the heads with the butt of his pistol
two little girls of the Wilkinson fam-
ily, aged 6 and 2 years. had laid
down beside the body of his sweet-
heart and put a bullet in his own
head. Had the fiend had enough
bullets it is probable that he would
have murdered the little babes also.

Robert Preyatt, a neighbor, was
evidently the first to know of the
wholesale killing. He was passing
in front of the cabin when Rosadale.
the little six year old-girl, with blood
streaming down her horror-stricken
face, ran out and told him that William Austin had killed all the fami-
ly except herself and little sister.
Mr. Prevat hesitated a moment, and
then ran off for some witnesses. The
child's story was soon verified.

The cabin in which the crime was
committed is of meager proportions,
being of but one room about fifteen
by fifteen feet, with not even the
customary lean-to. It is doubtful if
so small a space ever before held so
much of horror. The entrance to the
cabin was almost blocked by the body
of the young girl, Bitha, and lying on
her left and close beside her was the
stalwart form of her lover. The con-
trast was marked as they lay upon a
pallet or shake-down upon the floor.
The girl was partially dressed only.
Austin had removed his shoes and
his coat. He was stout and plump.
His six feet three inches of bone and
muscle seemed to measure twice the
length of the girl beside him.

Austin's right arm lay crooked at
his side: part of it rested upon the
breast of the girl. In his
right hand, index finger on the trig-
ger, was the insignificant weapon
that had caused so much havoc with
human lives. In the southeast cor-
ner of the room stood a double bed,
upon which lay the dead body of
William Wilkinson. It is supposed
that the two children slept with the
father, for the eldest testified that
Austin shot her father first. In the
southwest corner of the room was
another double bed, on which lay
Mrs. Wilkinson and Miss Wilkinson.
Just inside the door, to the left.
stood the cooking stove, and on the
opposite side was the table. There
was nothing to indicate any division
in the room. and the whole family of
six evidently, slept, cooked. ate and
lived in the one apartment.

Austin arrived in Hastings on
Wednesday of last week. He had
known Bitha McCullough in that
city and had formed a passion for
her, though she was a little under 13
years of age. She had recently lost
her parents and came to William
Wilkinson, her brother-in-law, as to
her guardian. After Austin's arrival
in Hastings he began making violent
love to the girl. On Saturday morn-
ing early he went to St. Augustine,
where he procured a license to marry
her.

In the evening of that day he call-
ed on Mr. J. J. Harvey, notary pub-
lic, to come over to the Wilkinson
home and perform the ceremony.
Mr. Harvey and two friends went
about 7 o'clock. On their arrival at
the house they heard crying inside
the house, and they were told it was
the girl and that she did not want to
marry Austin. Harvey then advised
Austin to wait until Monday, and
then, if she nor her guardian did not
object he would marry them. On
Sunday Mr. Harvey again saw the
girl and she was still in tears, and
said she did not want to marry Aus-
tin. The kind hearted notary told
her she was not compelled to, and he
also told Austin he could not marry
the girl without her consent and that
of her guardian.

The Wilkinsons were a poor but
highly respected family. and have
lived in St. Johns county the best
of their lives.

William Austin the murderer was
born in Tallahassee and was about
27 years old. He was a large man
and shiftless.

The Wilkinson family and Bitha
McCullough were buried with ap-
propriate funeral ceremonies. The
body of the murderer was left in the
house, which was burned over him,
and his body cremated.