This week we continue to delve into the mysterious murder of Fannie McCue, wife of the former Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, Sam McCue. Dr. Frank McCue, younger brother of Sam McCue, arrived at the McCue home minutes after the dastardly deed had occurred, and at the request of Sam had located Fannie in the upstairs bathroom. Fannie was found lying in a tub of hot water up to her neck. Frank reached over her body and turned the hot water spigot off. Here enters, Policeman Grady and along with Frank, they proceeded to removed Fannie’s body from the bathtub and carried her to the bedchamber. Here it was discovered that in addition to the wound from a shot, it was noted that she had been severely beaten and choked.
By the next morning, Monday, September 5, everyone in Charlottesville knew that Fannie had been shot to death in her bathroom by a burglar, while her husband had been murderously assaulted and left for dead on the floor of their bedroom. The populace was irate. That morning, Sam McCue took out an ad in the Daily Progress Newspaper offering $1000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer. He also hired the Baldwin Detective Agency of Roanoke to come and investigate the crime. The City of Charlottesville agreed to split the cost with Sam as the local police department had no “detectives.”
The funeral of Mrs. Sam McCue age 45, took place at the Presbyterian Church of Charlottesville at one o’clock on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 6, 1904, just two days after she was found murdered in the couple’s bathroom. The sacred edifice was filled with a throng which packed the building to its doors. After the service, Fannie was taken to the Riverview Cemetery and buried. The following day, much to everyone’s surprise, the former mayor, Sam McCue was arrested for his wife’s murder.
The prosecution would claim that Sam got into a violent argument with his wife and then bludgeoned, strangled and shot her. They would tell the jury that Sam had killed his wife in cold blood, despite knowing that Willie, their oldest son, who had gone out that evening to make a social call, could walk in at any minute, and despite knowing that he had no alibi and that neighbors and family had observed him entering the house with Fannie just minutes earlier. Had Sam wanted to get arrested for murder, he could not have devised a more blatant way to go about it.
When Sam’s wife, Fannie was found murdered at their home on Park Street, he was the very first suspect. However, had this been a rushed arrest? Sam, labeled as a womanizer, had habitually stepped out on his wife. These indiscretions had caused him to have many enemies. It was because of his many enemies that some people thought that Sam was arrested and accused of a crime he didn’t actually commit.
Before the fact that Fannie had been murdered was known to the public – indeed but a few minutes before the shot that had put an eternal end to her piteous pleading for her life – someone carrying a small grip ran down Park Street from the direction of the court-house, dashed up on the porch of Police Justice Edward O. McCue’s (Sam’s younger brother) residence and knocked violently on the door.
Next week we will learn more about this stranger who was seen in the neighborhood just before the murder.