To: KYF Subject: Wheeler.Ann.Murdered.1947.Casey.NEWS Mrs. Ann Wheeler Found Murdered On Country Road July 17 1947 Casey County KyArchives News THE CASEY COUNTY NEWS,1947 Mrs. Ann Wheeler, 82, resident of the Hatters' Creek section was found murdered by neighbors Sturday afternoon, July 12th. Held in the county jail is Charles Hatter, 19, charged with the murder. Mrs. Wheeler, who regularly visited her daughter, Mrs. Cloma Black, was enroute on such a visit when she was evedently way-laid and slain in one of the most gruesome murders ever recorded in the county. Reason for the murder is not known but,she was reported to carry sums of money up to $100 at times. This time she was carrying only $4.00. The murdered woman was found with her head bashed in by stones which were later found by county officers. She carried a walking cane which was also used to cause her death; the cane was broken and bloody. On her head she was wearing a blue cloth sunbonnet which showed a mark left by a soap stone also later retrieved by officers. The mark was on the side of the head near and perhaps above the ear. Her right arm was broken and there was evidence to indicate that she had been kicked. Officers followed tracks through a cornfield and in a nearby woods found the sunnbonnet, her purse containing only one cent, the walking cane and two stones. One of the stones was considerably larger than a mans' fist and might have been the one used in hitting the woman on the sunbonnet. The other stone was large and flat and weighed about 30 pounds. Undersheriff Bill Wilson estimated in the examining trial. On it were blood stains and hair believed to come from the dead woman. Charles Hatter, defendant, now lodged in the county jail awaiting examining trial is a native of Hatters' Creek. He was questioned once and turned loose. Tuesday night he was picked up by Danvile officers and brought to Liberty. Hattr has made no known statements regarding the matter. A court inquiry was held Sunday on the scene of the murder. The jury was then reassembled and empaneled for the inquest in Liberty Tuesday morning. Jurors were, Alva Phelps, Troy Richardson, Mckinley Richardson, Claud Carmicle, Elvin Richardson and G.D. Richardson. Mrs. Wheeler was a native of Cumberland county and has lived in Casey county nearly 60 years. She married John E. Wheeler who died some 10 years ago. She leaves surviving a son, William Wheeler of Cincinnati and three daughters, Mrs. Sallie Vest, Mrs. Cloma Black and Mary Wheeler, all of Hatters' Creek. There are seven grandchildren. County officers taking part in procuring evidence were;County Judge S.T.Griffith, County Attorney Oliver Popplewell, Commonwealth's Attorney Harold M. Garner, Sheriff French Toms, and Deputies Bill Wilson and Ray Thomas. Submitted by: Nancy Ellett http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002501 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/