Throat Was Cut With Case Knife Dastardly Murder Commited in Mobile Early Christmas Morning John M’Kenzie The Victim No Known Motive for the Deed and Belief is That the Man Was Mistaken for Another. Coroner’s Jury Fails to Fix the Guilt For the Crime

• Walter Clayton (Attempted Lynching)

Special to The Birmingham News.

MOBILE, Ala., Dec. 26. – One of the most dastardly murders brought to the attention of the police of this city in recent years was that surrounding the finding of the body of John McKenzie, a well-known plumber of this city shortly after daylight yesterday morning with his throat cut from ear to ear. The murder is completelt shrouded in mystery and all efforts of the police so far to fix a motive for the crime have proved unsuccessful. Beside the body was a rusty case knife, besmeared with blood and which had been plunged into the man’s throat, evidently with terrific force. The wound inflicted by the knife was ghastly and great force must have been used by the murderer to accomplish the terrible wound as the throat almost to the back of the neck was severed.

The body of McKenzie stretched out in a ditch on state between Broad and Locus was discovered shortly after daylight by a passerby and the police were notified. Detectives were sent to the scene but the only clue that could be discovered was the rusty knife with which the murder had been committed. All efforts to find a motive for the deed futile.

The man’s pockets had not been rifled and this removed the belief that robbery was the object. It is the impression of the police now that McKenzie was mistaken fro someone else by the murderer and as he came near plunged the knife into his throat. When the detectives reached the scene the body was still warm which leads them to believe the deed was committed between midnight and daybreak. McKenzie was last seen by friends on his way home shortly before midnight.

The murdered man was 45 years of age and had resided here all his life. A wife and eight children survive his death. After the body had been viewed by the coroner and a verdict of death by violent means at the hands of unknown parties rendered it was taken in charge by a local undertaker and later removed to the home of the dead, 27 Old Shell road, from where the funeral took place this morning.

“Throat Was Cut With Case Knife; Dastardly Murder Commited in Mobile Early Christmas Morning; John M’Kenzie The Victim; No Known Motive for the Deed and Belief is That the Man Was Mistaken for Another. Coroner’s Jury Fails to Fix the Guilt For the Crime.” The Birmingham News (Birmingham, AL), December 26, 1906.