Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-10-23
Melancholy Tragedy at Indianapolis
A Man Mistakes his Room mate fof
a Burglar and Kills Him.

h1e4aIlchot9 Tragedy az Indianapolis
A Man Mistakes his Room mate fol-
Burglar and Kills Him.
At the boarding -lrOuse of Mr.. .1Fesse Martin
on the southwest. corner of Mississippi aud
! Maryland streets, two gentlemen, named Oil
yer r Gilkey aud Lconidas johnson. have
/ tor sometime been rOoming together Mr..
/ Giikey Keeps carpenter shop at No 46Ken-
1 lucky avenue, is well known by most of our
citizens, and much respected by all who knew
him. Mr.. johnson was a young man, be- !,
! tween seventeen and eighteen years of
age. Is.l, ri
On Saturday evening, Mr.. johnson retired
for the highland about eleven o'clock. Mr..
Gilkey followed him.; Mr.. Gilkey was in the
habit St eArryiag a,pissol wneu going about at
night, snd 1wher he went 70 bed laid it on n
table refr;the 9fecnter oftheroom. During
theFnight Nh. johnson got up to go out for
something, but did not arouse his loom.mate
until he's shut the door, Mr.. Gilkey raised up
in'bed to see what it, was, supposiny all tlIs
time that his friend was in bed and beinp
convinced that some one was trying to break
into the house, he slipped out of bed, took
his pistol from the table, aud set down on the
edge OF the bed to listen. When Mr.. johns
son was returning, Mr.. Gilkey heard him ut
the door, and rs he supposed, spoke to his
bed fellow, and said some one was trying to
get in. As the door opened he asked who
was there, aud no answer given, he repeated
the question, adding that if be, did mot stop
ne would shoot. For some reason never to
Be known, he neither stopped or spoke, aud
Mr. Gilkey fred. After he had shot, he
made his way out of a door on the opposite
side of the room, it being very dark, and
aroused two or three, of the boardcrs, with
whom ha VnkY, aI Tatn Calla1 IN
room>mate, whom he still supposed to be III
bed, but of course received no answer, aud
upon procuring light and making exam
lnation, Mr.. johnson was found lying on the
floor dead, having been shot through the head,
he died without a struggle.
Another Bloody Murder in Chicago.
On Monday night, about 10 o'clock, Mr..
Samuel Beers, living at the Union stock
yards, while returning from a visit to some
friends residing ina. westernly direction from
the yards, and when in the vicinity of Boy
ingtoni Wilder& Cash's packing house, dis
covered the body of a man hanging by his
neck from q small tree. The horrible sight
for moment terrified him, and for some mo-
ments he was unable to articulate a word or
move step.
In a few minutes number of men, with
Beers.at their head, started for the spot, and
found the ghastiy object as represented, with
Its glaasy eyes wide. cpehEand the limbs rigid
and stiff in death. Owing to the late hour IN
the evening, no steps were taken to remove
the body, but it remained there through the
night, horrible proof of the perpetration OF
dastardly crime. In the morning the rope
was detached from the tree, and the body.
with the rope e'still attached to its neck, was
conveyed to the Rock Island Railroad scale
house, for the purpose. of holding an inquest
over it. The body isthab of a man about Eve
feet ten inches in height, thirty years of age,
with auburn hair and sandy moustache. >,
Although che body was dressed In a la
borers suit, the appearance of the man plain
ly indicates that he has been, nurtured in
ease, andentirely unused to work. The hand
is small, white and soft, the body is perfect
in symmetry, and the face is thataof an in.
teligent and educated m44i. NO one knew
him no one could positively say they had
ever seen him before, but some thought they
recognized the body as that of q man they
had seen at Saturdays races, and also at the
yards, but who was thcn we'll attired. The
general impression amoug those who have
seen the body is, that theFman was first beat
en-, then robbed, after that stripped of his
Clothes attired in his present outfit, and then
hung, and that too in such manner rs te
dislocate his neck. He was probably after
wards cut down again, and placed in the po.
sition In which the body was found. -,
4 CticG0o Tiinss