As we left off last week, Sam and Fannie McCue had just returned home from church. Across the street their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Massie were spending a nice cool evening sitting on their front porch. Mrs. Massie had noticed the time to be 9:15 when Sam and Fannie had entered their home. Later she would also remember remarking to her husband at how quickly they had dimmed their lights upon entering their home. About 10 to 15 minutes later, the Massie’s still sitting on their porch noticed Dr. Frank McCue, Sam’s brother, with emergency grip in hand, rushed into the McCue’s house.
As to what really happened in that short time frame of 10 to 15 minutes, we may never know the exact truth. Many different versions have been told. So, we will start with Sam’s version. This is the version that Sam told at a Corner’s Inquest. Sam stated that he and Fannie had gone upstairs to retire. As they were in the midst of changing into their bed clothes, Sam stated he caught something moving toward him out of the corner of his eye. The intruder entered their bedroom from the adjoining (their daughter, Ruby’s bedroom) room. He quickly reached for his shotgun that he kept in the corner next to the chiffonier, when he was struck with a blunt object on the right side of his head. After a moment of unconsciousness, he came to and staggered into the hallway in the near darkness. Here he saw and smelled gun smoke.
From there he descended the front stairs to the first floor and grabbed the telephone and asked for the operator. He quickly asked the operator to ring for his friend, Mr. T. J. Williams on High Street. Upon being told that the line was busy, he begged the operator to “Get someone, anyone – I have been attacked by an intruder, and Fannie may have been shot!”
Sam next had the operator to call his brother, Dr. Frank McCue, who lived just two blocks south at the corner of Park and High Streets. Dr. Frank McCue after being contacting by the operator had grabbed his black bag and searching unsuccessfully for his pistol, left on foot for Sam and Fannie’s home. Frank had arrived just before 9:30 PM. Frank entered the front door, there he found Sam sitting, dazed, about half way up the stairs. Frank climbed the stairs toward Sam. Sam pushed Frank on the back saying, “Go find Fannie.”
As Frank proceeded up the stairs, he heard water running in the bathroom. Frank entered the bathroom and lit the gas lamp on the wall to discover Fannie lying in a tub of hot water up to her neck. Frank turned the water off and checked Fannie for a pulse. There was none. Frank left Fannie and returned to Sam. Here Frank met Policeman Grady at the top of the steps. Grady had been summoned by the telephone operator. Frank led Grady to the body. By this time Sam had found his legs and climbed the steps to the hall. It was here that Sam learned that Fannie was dead. Sam fell to the floor and began to cry uncontrollably. Grady had called a cordon of men to surround the premises so that no one could make an escape. Then he began to make a search of the house. It seems however he was just minutes late of catching the intruder.
Was there an intruder like Sam claimed or was there more to death of Fannie McCue than Sam wasn’t telling? Next week we will hear from another possible witness as to what might have happened that dreadful Sunday evening.