The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-06-16
COUNTY ITEMS.

TERRIBLE AFFAiR AT Elk RIDGE BRIDGE THIR-
TEENTH DisTRICT, BALTIMORE CoUNTY--A Gate
Keeper Murdered and his Daughter and Son Dread
fully Beaten -One of the most shocking and
terribly murderous affairs which has lately ta-
ken place in this part Of the State was committed
about half past ten o'clock Sunday night at the
Elk Ridge Bridge, which is small wooden affair,
the passage over which was only allowed upon
the payment of toll. 1t was private structure,
owned by man named Dennis, and the bridge
keepers house was on the Baltimore county side
of the stream. Ever since the destruction of the
first toll-gate on the Washington turnpike the
toll collector, well known as David White, aged
about sixty FIVE years, has been in charge of the
bridge On Sunday evening he and other menu
bers of the family retired to bed at the usual
hour, and were asleep, when the premises were
visited by two men, doubteless intent upon rob
berry, as the following particulars, furnished by
Messrs. Smith and Gray, regular police detectives
will attest. The first information Of the affair
which the police department received was by the
| telegraph operator at Mount Clare Depot, who
was made acquaintd with the outlines of the
same by his colleague at the Relay House of the
Baltimore and Ohio Road. Accordingly, the
detectives started out at o'clock, and nearly
all the particulars they could learn were furnished
by grandson of White.
| He stated that at the time above mentioned
| some persons euI6T6u lu6 CulChCu uOuot3 WulCu
was in the cellar and caused considerable noise,
which awoke his grandfather, who arose and hur-
| riedly went below to see what was wrong
Scarcely minute elapsed ere he heard the cry
OF murder, murder, whereupon both he and his
mother ran down to the porch and there saw
Mr.. White hanging or leaning over the porch
rail, apparently lifeless. Soon as they made
their appearance they were assailed by two men
Of low stature, dressed in dark clothes and SEEM
/ no11 E.o
beaten over the head with clu BIS with the utmost
violence, and was left PROSTATE upon the porch,
bleeding profusely when he was attacked and
also received injuries of similar character but
not to such an extent as to justify serious appre
! hension of fatal result.
Having done their bloody work, they proceed
ed to rob the old man and his daughter, but did
not get much, as an old silver watch and $46 In
Government notes ($40 of which belonged to
the daughter) was the amount of their i-gotten
booty. Thus much for the statement of the boy,
who could scarcely make his statement TO the
officers without considerable physical suffering.
| 1t was about eleven o. clock when several par
ties residing on the Anne Arundel county side,
hearing of the affair, fastened to the house, and
there bloody and frightful scene was presented
to their gaze The old man laid in the condi-
ton described, perfectly inanimate and cold,
whilst his head and face were thick with coagu-
lated blood. Near and PROSTATE upon the porch
were both mother and son, who were bleeding
profusely
The neighbors removed the father into the
house and rendered every possible assistance to
alleviate their sutferngs, at the same time secu-
ring the prompt attendance of physicians. Up
on an examination of the mothers injuries they
pronounced her recovery quite doubtful, still,
with the most judicious and skillful treatment,
her life might be prolonged; whilst the boy, al
though horribly beaten was beyond danger
The body of the old man was also carried into the
house, and prepared for an inquest. AS the
night advanced, Justice Smith, who had also
reached the house, summoned a jury, and pro-
ceeded to hold an inquest There were but few
witnesses examined (including the lad and the
jury soon rendered the verdict that the deceased
came to his death at the hands of some person
or persons unknown to them The deceased
was widely known by the country people, espe-
cially those residing in Anne Arundel county,
as a man of irascible and violent temperament
and were often in collision with him in conse-
quence thereof to say nothing of the fact that for
term of years they were shamefully subjected
to toll, over road which in certain seasons of
the year was unfit for travel, and which induced
them more than once to remove the gate and its
fixtures, but no suspicion rests against them as
having been concerned in the murder or robbery.
| The object of the desperadoes was money and
valuables, and they no doubt supposed that
such would be found in abundance
Al an early hour Tuesday morning Marshal
Carmichael, Captain Cassel with Detectives
Wallis Smith and Gray, proceeded to the place
in their private vehicles with the determination,
if possible, of ferreting out all the particulars
and arresting the guilty parties. After patient
inquiry among many parties who resided in the
vicinity, they arrested three men, named Alex
ander Mccain, James Hobbs and VIM. Hoy,
alias Dawson, all of whom have for several years
past sustained the most dangerous characters
in fact the people residing in that vicinity were
in constant dread of them. Bench warrants had
BEN issued by our County Court against two of
them, viz: McCann and Hobbs, charging them,
among other crimes with that of highway robbie
~, but they were never arrested until the Bati-
more city officers took them Two of them were
at work upon the farm Of Mr.. Thomas Winans,
whilst the third Mccain on hearing the ap-
proach of the officers, hid himself in his house,
but was soon in custody, Notwithstanding the
violentan of his mother, who declared that
he should not be arrested. The officers, who
certainly deserve praise for their energy in devel
oping the case thus far, especially as it is beyond
their legal jurisdiction, are confident that they
will be able to bring the guilty to Justice, and
have them promptly dealt with according to law.
Marshal Carmichael states that the silver watch
worn by White was not taken, but was found in
his pocket and that he was in the act of undress-
ing when the robbers visited the house. DR..
Henry, who visited the parties, states that Mrs.
Susan Mooney, the daughter, whose husband is
in the navy, will probably recover, whilst the
boy, who has suffered relapse, will die He is
but nine years of age.
FOUND DEAD.-On Tuesday of last week, an
unknown white man, supposed to be about as
years old, was found dead in an out-buildng on
] the farm occupied by Mr. BENJAMIN Sterling near