FARMER HELD AS SUSPECT

The Columbia Daily Times Columbia Missouri Tue Sep 1911 page 5

HARRISON COUNTY, MO., STIRRED BY FOUL CRIME

Woman is Murdered by an Unknown Assailant in Presence of Two-Year-Old Daughter.

Trenton, Mo., Sept. 22 - Bunk Davidson, a young married farmer, about 35 years old, and father of two children, is being held by the Harrison county authorities near Melbourne, in connection with the killing of Mrs. Ed. Shirley, of the same neighborhood. No formal charges have been preferred against Davidson, but he is being guarded at his home.

The holding of Davidson addds new fire to the already heated sentiment in the Brimson neighborhood, the outcome of one of the most brutual crimes ever known in this section of Missouri. Mrs. Shirley was murdered Sunday by an unknown assailant, who broke her neck. When her husband and little son returned home from a day's trip they found the doors locked. A 2-year-old daughter, who had remained with the mother, was inside, unhurt. The assailant had evidently escaped by a window. Mrs. Shirley's body bore no marks save bruises on her wrists, but on the window was blood, showing that her antagonist had probably not escaped unscratched.

The little girl told those who arrived later that "a big fat man" had "fought with mamma" and that "mamma was asleep now." An effort was made to get bloodhounds to the scene, but they were late in arriving and accomplished nothing.