Clark - Lucy - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Clark - Lucy

This perhaps should go in the News items but not sure what happened so decided to put it here instead -

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 14 September 1900

A Crawfordsville scandal of several years ago had its usual climax in Indianapolis Thursday night of last week.

After deserting his wife and five children seven years ago, Decatur D. Ellis, a carpenter, attempted last week to murder Mrs. Lucy J. Clark, whom he at that time persuaded to desert her husband to live with him. He also severely cut with a knife, with which the woman’s injuries were inflicted, George Clark, her son, twenty three years of age, who sought to defend his mother from Ellis’ attack.

Mrs. Clark was cut twice on the right side of the neck, the gashes both being deep and about six inches in length. On the back of the neck were four gashes, each about one and one half inches long, and a deep gash on the arm.

George Clark’s injuries were a long and deep cut directly over the heart, a long gash across the body, and a deep cut on the right side of the abdomen.

According to the stories of Ellis, Mrs. Clark, who was unable to talk but little, and her daughter, Grace, fourteen years of age, Ellis came home from work Thursday evening and became abusive, on account of liquor and a reprimand by Mrs. Clark. Ellis, Mrs. Clark and the daughter were sitting on the front porch of the house where they lived at 828 South Illinois Street. They talked of various things, and three times during the evening before the attempted murder Ellis left the house and went to neighboring saloons for liquor. George Clark returned home while the others were on the porch and retired. After Ellis last visited the saloon the conversation turned to dresses which Mrs. Clark wanted. Ellis became angry and accused Mrs. Clark of friendship with other men. Mrs. M. Greenburg, who occupies part of the house, was sitting on the porch, and the topics were such that Mrs. Clark did not wish to discuss them in her presence. She demanded that Ellis keep quiet, and he then declared he would not provide raiment for a woman who had been false to him, making at the time specific charges.

As he was about to continue, Mrs. Clark said she would make him stop, and arose from her chair, picked it up and threatened to beat Ellis over the head with it. He jumped from his seat and knocked Mrs. Clark down, beat her with his fists and then drew out his knife and began cutting her. Mrs. Greenburg and Mrs. Clark’s daughter, Grace, both ran away, screaming at the top of their voices. The noise awakened George Clark, who was then asleep on the second floor, and he rushed from his room to the porch.

Ellis, covered with blood from the wounds inflicted upon the young man’s mother, jumped up from the ground and ran to the rear of the house as young Clark came out the front door. Clark turned back and went to the rear door, where he met Ellis as he passed. There on the rear porch a desperate fight took place, in which Clark received the injuries stated and Ellis was badly bruised about the face and body. He managed to get away from Clark and out on to the street, going north to McCarty Street and thence west to Michael Tivenan’s saloon at 802 South Capital Avenue. His face was covered with blood from the bruises received in the fight and his shirt was soaked in the blood of those whom he had assaulted. Tivenan, who was behind the bar, looked at him in surprise. Ellis gave him no time to ask how he had been injured, but said: “For God’s sake give me a drink. They got me down on the corner and beat the life out of me.” The drink was given him and Ellis explained that young Clark had assaulted him, and he was then on his way to police headquarters to give himself up for assault and battery. Ellis at the time wore no shoes or socks, and had on nothing but a working shirt and his trousers. He left the saloon, and as he proceeded in the direction of the police station the bartender did not doubt his story. About two minutes later Bicycle Police Bray and Losh and Detective Tom Griffin entered the saloon inquiring for Ellis. They then followed the direction he had taken and found him at South Street and Madison Avenue, and after being placed in the wagon the bicycle police returned to the scene of the attempted murder.

The screams of the women aroused the neighborhood and in a few moments several hundred people were gathered on the walk and in the yard in front of Mrs. Snyder’s home, at 829 South Illinois Street, where the woman was carried for medical attention by Drs. McGaughey and Thompson, of the City Dispensary. George Clark, although he lost a large amount of blood, was able to walk unassisted and after looking about his home for some time went to the house where his mother was and there had his wounds sewed up by Dr. McGaughey, while Mrs. Clark was being taken to the city hospital.

The wound over Clark’s heart, had it been a trifle deeper, would have resulted in almost instant death, for the blade of Ellis’ knife came near reaching the heart. The two long cuts on Mrs. Clark’s neck were the more dangerous, and, according to the doctor, would have resulted fatally had they been on the other side.

Mrs. Clark and Ellis have had much trouble since they came here, and only two weeks ago the police were called to the house. Neighbors said at that time Ellis stood over her while she was in bed, threatening to kill her with a knife though the police found nothing. Mrs. Clark is the mother of six children by the husband whom she deserted. Three of them live with her. Her husband now lives at Franklin and occasionally visits her, which is one of the causes of Ellis’s jealousy. Ellis’s wife resides in Ladoga with her five children. Both families formerly lived at Crawfordsville, and it was there the separations occurred.