The Cecil Whig., 1872-12-14
A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY AT DOVER.

One of the most revolving and unaccount-
Del, week ago on Thursday last, that can
be found among the list of crimes.
A terrific explosion occurred on the
morning above named in the Office or Lab
oratory of Professor West, who manufac-
tured peculiar kind of Gas which he used
in the treatment of disease. The explosion
aroused the town, and the Office of the doc
tor was discovered to be in flames, which
were soon extinguished.
When the room was entered, on the floor
lay the body of a nian, minus head feet,
and hands. the extent of the mutilation
rendering recognition impossible This was
supposed to be the body of Prof. West who
had left his room at the Capital Hotel,
about II o'clock the previous evening, and
had not since been seen.
For a few hours this was the pre- vailing
impression, when it became known that
colored man, who had been employed by
the Professor, was also missing. The fact
excited suspicion of foul play, and close
examination of the premises as made
Under the floor where the body lay, was
large quantity of powder, sufficient to
have blown the body and the building to
atoms had it exploded. 1t was afterwards
ascertained, from the conductor and brakes
men on the freight train, on the Delaware
Railroad, which leaves Dover at clock
A. NJ, that man answering the description
of Prof West, had got on their train that
morning and gone to Delmar.
Isaac G. West, Jr., the mysterious mur-
derer, after going to Salisbury, Md, re-
turned on Friday, to Dover, and delivered
himself to the Sheriff,
He made a confession giving all tie de-
tails involved in the murder of Henry
Turner the colored man. Turner had done
some jobs for West, and on Monday even
ing he and Turner entered the Dr.'s office
in company, the colored man having agreed
to carry some water up for him. \ sledge
hammer was sitting beside the door, which
he intended to use as weight to hang on
IllS SuS ilidClIuC. Ills llItlllnct, w CSJ Ill
legcs, Turner picked up when they entered
the room and told the doctor to deliver up
his pocket book. At tho same moment
West seized a piece of iron axle, which
was standing beside him, and lodging the
sledge hammer which was aimed at his
head by the colored man, dealt Turner
blow on the side of the neck, which in
stantly killed him.
West says i'll his confession: 81 left the
body laying there and came up to William
Fountain Hotel and got my supper, and
did not go back any more that evening. l
went back again on Tuesday morning about
10 or II o'clock. l then thought woulC
cut him up in pieces and carry him off and
bury him. | cut off his head and feet with
pen-knife, and skinned the body. I had
broken several Of the bones with the bolt Or
piece of axle previously. This was not all
done before dinner, l do not know how
much l did do before dinner. Invent to my
dinner that day, but do not know the ex-
act time. / was not there in the afternoon
w tlC DSno VI my hio" III tllO ttltSi-
noon I got {. horse and carriage of Mr..
Fountain and went out home TO Hazetville,
thinking it would be dark in the evening
when l came back 20 take the remains away
and bury Them
The time was passed from this till
Thursday morning in efforts to dispose of
the body, in the most deliberate and loiter
ing manner. The skin was carried out in
bucket, to be taken away in the carriage
which he had hired on Tuesday evening,
but the horse refused to allow the bucket |
to be placed in the wagon and it was ac-
cordingly put back into the room and the |
door locked. He would suspend operations
and go to the hotel and get his meals as
though nothing uncommon had occurred
He made q box and placed the remains in
it, intending to ship them to some point on
the Del. railroad, and there bury them,
but he had delayed SO long that they began
to smell. He tried burning alcohol on the !
skin to see whether it would change the |
color. but it did not. In this experiment |
SUNNI phCohol was SIiiiCtt oii tiO liVoi "hiSh
he tried to put out with his hat but could |
not and fearing the flames would get to |
the powder in the hole in the floor, he,
gathered up the hanGs and feet and skin |
and took them to the Methodist grave
yard where he buried the skin and hid the
hands and feet in lime pile. While he
was thus engaged the explosion took place.
Hearing the whistle of the 4 o'clock train
he went to the Depot and took passage for
Delmar. Vests life was insured for $780,
900, and the impression at first was that his
object i'll killing Turner was, that in Vests
absence and Turner being found mutilat-
ed in his office that the negroes remains
would be taken for those of the Doctor, and
his wife would draw the insurance money.
An improbable theory at best.
\ reporter of the Wilmington Commerci-
al had an interview with West the day af-
ter he was committed to jail, who makes
the following report to that paper:
REVELATIONS, NOT IN CONFESSION,
made to our representative. are not only of
a strange and peculiar nature, but may yet
take an active part in the affair before its
close. Of the peculiar sort ofgas, for which
he claimed a secret, and which he has not
only used himself. but has been dispensing
to others under the pretext of its wonder
full curative properties for certain diseases,
but in reality for the exceedingly exhier-
ating and Intoxicating influences, there is
no special secret. 1t is simply nitrous OK
ide gas, and in order to give it different
appearance, it is disguised by a solution of
or Suh=carh0uate Of iron which