The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-11-11
Frumihe. Charlotte ssil. ehrpn:cie, NOV 9Th.
... Horrible MURDER. - u ii
A MOTHER. AND Err SON THE yicrIms-rH

u
Albevlarle county, the victims of which are, a
mother and her son. We give below such
particulars as We can gather from parties from
he ncighborhood Of the murder:
=. 1t seems that On Monday night Mr. Henry
Salmon who lives near Strny, pcint, in this
couuty, went to MIR. Herring's (his neighbor)
to corn-shucking, ard rctarhing very early
yesterday morning, was surprise At seeing Inc
door Of the house standing oren, He went
short distance TO a neishbor's. and with him
he proceeded to the house. and there found a
sight that would make the hair Of the hardest
hearted stand on end. There in the front
room lay his mother, good old lady Of about
sixty years, dead in pool of blood, and in
the adjoining room, lying on the bed, was
his only brother breathing his last.
The neehbors were hastily called together
and consultation held, and the conclusion
arrived at was that some one, actuated by q
desire for booty, entered the house soon after
the departure of Henry Salmon and killed
Luther Salmon by striking him on the head,
apparently with a Ratchet, and then going in
to the other room, met Mrs Salmon coming
in from the wood pile, whther size had been
for kindling and killed i,er with-the same in
strumea.::. The fends then ;ransackcd the
house, breaking opcn;a llaAe drawers and scat
tcring things in every direction. About s25
in money taken from Mr. :Salmon'ss pocket and
small quantity of brandy is 'ailsthat is miss
ed from ne house 50 far.
| The Salmons had a reputation for honesty
and integrity They have been manufactnr-
ing very fine article of brandy, and it is sup
posed th.tt the murderer was tempted by the
supposed proceeds of,this brady. to commit
| the rash act. 49,
| No clue has as ct been asccrtained as to
who the assassin il, and the whole thing is in
volvcd in MYSTERY
Drs. Shackcford and Dulany both were
summoned, and seemed to regard Luther Sal
mon as quite dead his skull being badly frac.
tured He was still clutehing an open pocket
knife when the neighbors' came in yesterday
morning.
| From the Richmond Wing.
THE ARREST OF THE SUPPOSED MURDERER
| INTERESTING DETAILS. ~
A letter from detective Craddock. received
yesterday morning, announced to his partner
Mr.. Knox, the arrest Of John Henry Salmon
in Albemarle, for the murder Of his mother
and brother-Luthcr-o Thursday night last
in that county. Last evening however, prom
incnt member of the Richmond bar arrived
from Afbemarle and gave us the details of a
conversation had with Mr. Craddock after the
arrest. Mr.. Craddock, on first meeting Sal
mon, it seems, pretended to be land buyer in
search of Albemarle land. and the latter at
once agreed to sell him the land he had inner
tied by the death Of his mother and brother,
giving as reason for his wish to dispose of it
that he felt so badly about the horrid tragedy
connected with it After some conversation,
in which all that Salmon said was carefully
noticed by the detective, the latter told him
that land buying was-not his main object in
coming to Albcmarle, that he was military
officer detailed by General Candy to invest
gate the Salmon murder Salmon there
upon recited to him the story Of his having
gone to corn shucking Thursday night at
the farm of q neighbor mile off, and on
his return the next morning that he found
the door Of his mothers. house open. Look
ing through his window, he saw the body
of his brother who had been murdered, but
did not then see his mother that he i'm
mcdiately, without going in, went back to
the neighbors at the farm already referred
to and informed them ofawhat had happen
ed. The detective noted that he could not
have seen the brother through the window
at all, lying as he was. IN the position when
found, nor could he-have looked into the
window unless he got upon something tc
elevate him, and there was nothing near
it. Further that the body of the mother
was found near the open door, and must
have been in full view of him when he APP
preached the house. He was only gone
after leaving the neighbours farm, hall
hour, until he returned and reported the
incident, and yet it would have taken an
hour and half to have seen and dore all
be reported to Mr. Craddoek during that
time. The mother when found had her
apron full of chips she had picked up in
the yard and taken into the house. This
she would not have done in the night, and
the conclusion of the detective. was that
she was murdered before he weut to the
corn shocking as she was taking chips in
at night to build fire. Salmon further
reported to the neighbos when he went
back that be found his brother dead, and
yet when Mr.. Henry, the ;neighbor, came
with him towards the house the noisy
breathing of the dying man could be heard
twenty yards from it. Salmon, finding he
was duplicating himself, finally said to
Craddock he would answer no more cues
tions until he could get counsel. Craddock
left him, and after. communicating with
persons at the cornshucking, who, among
other things, said Sa1mio5n seemed very un-
easy all night, came back to him, and as
he approached him, remarked: 81 have
found the man who killed your mother and
brother; you are the man, and I arrest
YOU" Salmon denied it, saying He knew
nothing about it. He manifested no feel
ing and showed no indignation at being
charged with so horrible crime. :. In allu
ding to this circumstance Craddock said
he is one of the. coolest and most unfeeling
men he ever encountered.
|. An. officer of Albam az Aaaeounty, on hear
ing Of his arrest, told osua informant that
some two months ago Salmon came sever
al times to him to enquire aboutthe prop
erty of his: mother and brother, asking if.
in the event Of their death, he. would not
inherit it. He told him he would Sal
mon, it seems, had before that gotten into
some difficulty about some cloth, and, on
being threatened with a suit, had onveyed
all of his interest in his mother estate to
the murdered brother The affair has ere
ated the most intense fe cling in .Albemarle