Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-07-01
EVENING STAR.
DOUBLE s HEET.
HUNTED DOWN.
The RnIffsnnra I,nxintX Murder.

ton, in baltimore county, says The six Young
men, now In jail at TOvsontOn, charged with
the murder ofan unknown girl at Chase's Station,
Lave given to the world their version Of the hor-
rlble sfsair. and II there is any thing that can
sddto the ehormity OF the crime they have com
uittEd, il ~ the poor, paltry. oowardly excuse
they pat forth in yallistiOn thereof false as 1t
Is Umnsnly. IL will be remembered that IN their
ConveTsation with the ofacers who arrested them,
and with tie reporters, they sought TO justify
tier aft rpon three grounds-Arst, that some
months src. there were a great many chickens
stolen i'm the neighb0rhood, and that they appre-
hcu,Ied this girl might be contemplating raid
OF lie came kina- seCOnd, that she had a coarse
voice sad spoke like a man, and they believed
she was nan in woman's clothes, and therefore
meant mischief. and third. that she used harsh
LANGUAGE towards them, and threatened TO shoot.
The HOMELESS WATDERER.
About sy O'Clock on Friday evening dune 80
the de1neHted wanderer made her appearance at
the sGstatscn" and entered into conversation with
one Of the cOmpanys officers. She had neve
been sen in the neighhoThOOd before, and il ha
since been ascertained that she came down ths
railroad. having passed through Havre-de-Grace
three DAYS before. and through Magnolia on the
DAY preceding. Every one that saw her took he
10 be insane. At the station she pretended tina
She wanted to hire a horse and carriage, but did
nos ap9eaT to havs any definite idea of wher-
she wanted TO go. She took glass OF water. and
being toldOf a spring that was near by, she said
With much emphasis, ''I am not one of tina.
hind that goes through the woods by herself
Poor giTll she was Just then entering the border
of a forest black with murder and knew it not
After soIBe more Tncoherent talk she passed on
down tie track in the direction of Baltimore.
She was slender girl Of medium height, with
fair cCIapieyion and brown hair that hung dis
heveled shout her shoulders. The artificial
braid which In part of the adornment of a
woman head she had taken of, and was carry
ing il in Ter bosom. Her hands were thin and
delicate. her feet exceedingly slender and rather
tCO long for beauty. She wore a pair OF CATERS
that were mach seufrsd, but the little rOsettes
manned. A summer dress OF blush tint, with
white puf ovrrskirt. a blue "jo-ey," very
handsOne blac silk sash and a straw hat COM
pleted hd cost me She had scoza1a's voice,
which No person about the station thought either
loud OF I01gh.
The MIssTRELs.
Mr.. VISon. u plain, hard working man, the
father of some four or five sons, resides on his
farm about three-fourths ola mile from Chase's
Station his Younger sons are considered ''hyely"
boys but their reputation in the neighborhOOd is
good. The one implicated in the murder (Ben-
jsmin) sbout eighteen years of age. William
Hughess lad OF the same age, whose father
resides IN the vicinity. John Ahrens is some
three Or four years older, These boys have
formed sort Of rustic minstrel troupe, and were
in the habit OF going about nj night serenading
with the drum and ME, on which instruments
they sre quite proficient performers. Mr. VIII
sons house was the general place of rendezvous.
1t Wa this party Of ''Ininstrels' that the
pCor Unhappy wanderer encountered when
She wsrt to Mr.. Wilson's house on Friday night
She male the same request that she had made at
the station, namely, TO be taken to some point on
the turnpike, supposed to be about eight miles
distant MT. Wilson told her that his forses had
been working all day, and that it would be i'm
Iossibl to comply with her request. After some
further conversation she proposed TO pay ten
dollars for the hire Of a horse and carriage. Mr..
Wilson at last told her that il the boys were will
ing they might have one OF the horses and the
Carriage 10 take her to the place she desired
After his the bows had great deal OF talk with
her. and they had every oppor tunity of learning
her mental condition. After parleying for some
time. they challenging her to produce her ten
dollars, and she refusing, she started OF, Benia-
min EilsOn, William Hughes, John Ahrens and
John Wheeler, the latter cOlored boy who
worked Tor Ar. WILSON, following her.
A TURN IN THs PATH.
WheT they reached the railroad she turned to !
tho right and went inshe direction Of Baltimore.
tiOn0f the station" Joseph League lives In a
ratAfr neat looking, weather-boarded house on
Dir. James VI. Shackelford's farm, perhaps four
hurried yards from the station. Jas. Bouldin,
= colOTeC man, lives with his family in the same
LOUSr. To this house the boys came after both
families had retired. They walked up League
and Bouldin and told them about the sGuecr''
Woaan they were hunting for. League got his
ceUhle-barre' ed shot gun and joined the party
hkWife giving him a parting admonitiOn from
her couch to the purport that she shouldn't dare
togo ia his bare feet" Bouldin went alon-.
suPposiDg that there going TO be sport ThSIs
these sex robust young men started out to ''hunt'
never seen til that night, and who had aIready
passed beyond the premises over which arly one
ofthem could claim the least control.
= DARN CONJECTURE
The prisoner. are either mistaken as to the time
OF night At which the shooting occurred. or elsa
nere IS full hours dOings of which they have
gwen no account The probability is, however
tat the girl was killed about 10 O'clock. Instead
q hsif-past II. - they say. III it was 8 O'Clock
when they left Mr. Wilson's, Ii is scarcely possi-
he that it would take them two hours and ahaIf
70 walk back a half mile TO Leagues house and
then return mile to the fatal spot. If it wa.
really haii,P II when the hunt terminated
N 1ne death OF ne pursued, IL gives rise to dark
preston IN cautions whispers.
rBAkIyG HER PATE.
At the point whore the wagon road crosses the
railroad, perhap. a mile and a nnartar froIn tHe
station, and q5,its near the African Church. the
giri, impelled by some mysterious fate left the
h.ps fifty feet distant rom the cros s u Tbe
allegation THAI IL vas dark Ia utterly absurd
There Is a woods on one side Of the road but the
an opeS f eI1 T Ii an OPEN SPOT behind her was
night, but the moon was shining, as every one
VIII II member All that is known of the last
selves The murderer vas evidently standing On
the railroad whom he fred. The victim was Sit
ting on little bank beside the wagon road, per
hsps twenty live yards distant. There was no
need of taking aim; ID was point blank range A
loud shot broke the stiffness of midnight: the life
OF the harmless vandsru went out with deep
not daring to look upon the cold, pale face of
the girl they came out to "hunt" No wonder
VA they were appalled, in the presence Of that
Ineless fOrn, and that, conscience-smitten. they
hastily departed from the scene of their unhOly
exploit.
WOUNDED HONOR
Leaglley II u said, gives as excuse that when
re called 10 The woman she answered with an
opirobrlous epithet, which enraged him. and
maize bin shoot before he had time for refiee-
ton What a chirslrous soul! What delicate
sense OF honor! SIX ssalvart men 20 out with
guns szld pistols b "hunt" for an insane girI
with whom four Of them had been bandying
epithets two hours before, and when she calls |
them by names which are nOt vile enough to
express their vrstchsd poltroonery, In the flush
on : wounded honor" she is shot down like a |
wild beast.
WrTHHRRD LEAVES.
The spot on which the body lay through the
~ gnt, without a watcher, save the All-Seeing
rye, can still b seem In tho morning when
me alarm was raised, and the people began TO
gather TO the place, some Of the men lifted the
slender corpse and carried 10 acros. the road and
there, under the shade OF tree, IL was laid out
and covered with branches OF sassafras to await |
the coming Of the officers Of the law
POSSIBLE CLCB TO THE MYSTERY.
IL VIII throw deeper sadness about the un- |
happy fate Of the poor demented creature IL no
Inourner appears 80 her grave, OF no friend ever
comes 10 explain the myssery of her wanderings.
Mr. Thomas Bausmith, Of Aberdeen. Hartford |
county, says THAI he vas informed by Mr. Max
well Agent Of the Phiisislphia, Wilmington |