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STABBED TO DEATH
W. P. Cape Kills J. J. Poole Near Lula –
A Girl the Cause
The Gainesville Eagle
Thursday; August 26, 1897
The people of the Glade District were terribly shocked Tuesday by the murder of James J. Poole by W. P. Cape at the soldiers’ reunion at Bethlehem church, one and a half miles from Lula.
Protracted meeting had been going on there for several days, and Tuesday was set aside as soldiers’ day, hence there was no religious service on the day of the killing. It seems bad feeling had existed between Cape and Poole for some time, and trouble was narrowly averted about one year ago at Dunagan’s chapel.
The trouble then, as on Tuesday, grew out of Cape’s attention to Miss Babe Martin, who is a cousin of Poole’s.
Poole had been working at Ducktown, Tenn., for some months and returned home last week on hearing of the death of his sister. In the meantime Cape had renewed his attentions to Miss Martin, and rumor has it that they are engaged to be married. Tuesday Poole carried Miss Martin to the reunion service at Bethlehem church and about 3 o’clock in the afternoon he saw her in Cape’s buggy waiting while Cape was hitching his mule to it. He immediately went to the buggy and began talking to Cape and invited him out into the road. Poole’s mother and younger brother heard him ask Cape into the road, and, fearing trouble, followed them. On reaching the road, it is alleged that Cape grabbed Poole by the throat, or collar, and a fisticuff ensued, Cape getting decidedly the worst of it. Finally Poole forced Cape down into a stooping position, whereupon the latter ran his hand down into his pocket and drew a knife. At this point Mrs. Poole ran in between the combatants, caught hold of Cape and begged him to desist; but he pushed her back, and, reaching around her, cut Poole several times in the back and wound up by a fatal stab in the upper left breast, severing two ribs and cutting the third half in two, the blade reaching the liver and cutting several large veins and arteries. Poole sank to the ground and was removed from the road and laid under some trees near by, there he bled to death in about 30 minutes.
Cape was taken in charge by bailiff C. D. Cagle and others, and brought to Gainesville and lodged in jail, reaching the city on a freight train about sundown.
The remains of the dead man were carried to the home of Richard Martin at Lula, where Coroner Dorsey held an inquest over the body. After hearing a great deal of evidence the jury rendered a verdict of “voluntary manslaughter.”
Mr. Cape was seen at the jail, but positively refused to make any statement further than that he acted in self-defense, and exposed a wound in his head as evidence of what he had come in contact with.
He is the son of Sidney Cape, and a nephew of F. F. Cape, who at one time lived here and operated the street car line. He is 27 years old and has the appearance of a peaceful man.
James J. Poole was the son of W. H. Poole, was 34 years of age, and leaves two children. His remains were interred yesterday by the side of his wife, who died in 1892, at Timber Ridge church, near their home.
All of the parties involved in the sad affair were reared near each other, where they still lived, in the Glade District.
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