Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-08-27
STARTLING TRAGEDY.
Boy Stabbed 10 DEATH.
Fred. DsHraff, .SIias Griffin. 6i,Is Peter
RsgaSff.

{ pace near IIc corner OF jackson 1tiey anu De-
aware avenue. one version Of the affair i rs
follows About O'Clock last night, Peer b IN
! nett, aged eighteen years, was standing AZ IA;
I corner named above, conversing with lis two
| brothers, when DeKraft, in company with Wu.
/ Padgett and John Miles, came along n loud
I discussion. As they passed the Bennett boys
I they addressed some offensive words t. the-M
/ which were answered back. Padgstt then said,
| . Damn an Irishnan any wdy," and struck al
! Peter Bennett, who returned the blJS. DsHrdft
/ then rushed IN and plunged a weapon, sup
posed 20 be a butcher knife, into the he. rt of
| Peter Bennett, who fell and expired almost in
stantly. DeKTaft Immediately ran OF and IL
/ is reported that he jumped into a freight car
passing AZ the time and escaped.
| STATEMENT OF ONE or TaE EENEETTs.
One of the Bennetts Immediately ran to 20
| Ice headluarters, aaG meeting Chief Detective
! Clarvoe, who was starting 1t to get the facts,
| said, oily brother has been mIrdered, aLg,
| alter getting little Gained, stated thst whi.G
| andlng AZ the place named above WIlL LIS
/ brothers, the! we're approached by three LeH-
| DekTaft, Padyett and Niles-al evidently
| mu6b excited, and taking lJUtly. When orp0-
1 site tn BENEFITS. Padgett stopped and without
word struck Peter, who attempted ID ScTi6e
| back, When DekEait drew a knife aud stabbed
! MN to the heart then turn.Ag to his comgsn-
ions, lie said, " I've killed the ---; l5j's
GO" In the meantime the wounded boy La
fallen 70 the ground without Uttering q wOr.!,
and when his two brothers, after a In0men:ary
pursuit.. returned 20 him. he vas dead.
ETMoEED ORIGIN or TIE TROUBLE.
The news spread rapidly, aud 4 large crowd
cOnEregated, among them Policemen Reardon
and Taylor. They gave hurried directions .Ur
the removal of tie Coz pse 20 the home OF the
mother Of the deceased, and started IN pursuit
OF bekT2it. They came acrOes jaime, II.
Eadgett, brother OF y III. P@igstt. and ne was
taken TO the station-hcuse an locked an. lie
states that he knew nothing OF tie affair, bat
thinks il grew out OF some trouble between MS
brother William and cne of the neignb1rS about
his gWiliiam'e' wife, they being greatly opposed
10 the marriage because the ceremony did not
take place in the Catholic church. About y
O'Clock last night VIM. Padgett was brought by
John Miles to the station au,i "a GucvncerEeda as
INSsIb.p. ~ MA a nm
for The night. he appears to be perfectly cool,
ana said that Griffin did the stabhing after
icing assaulted by young Bennett: that ne do !
not know where Grltiin went TO after the Occur
renee.
THE POLICE ON THE ALERT.
Lieut.. John Kelley, IN charge CT the 9Th pre-
cinct, at once took al possible precautions to
apprehe nd the accused, ard all the reserves in
his own precinct were started ont a scout,
and al the other precincts promptly notified OF
the occurrence, Lieut.. johnson being requested
by Chief Clarvoel to start the entire mounted
fOSce on - once with Instructions II ecOur the
county. kilograms were also sent to Baltimore,
ANNAPOLIS, Frederick, and intermediate points,
deSiT Dg that a strict lookout should be kent. as
it was supposed Griffin would leave the city.
Arrest of the Accused.
This morning, about O'Clock, "a OEcers
Lawior and Fugitt, who, with Sergeant John on
and Others who had been securing the woods in
the neighborEood OF the GermaIiia Park, were
returning to the station. they stopped at the
house which DekTaft lived and dete rrnined to
search it. Trying the doors, they found them
locked and barred, and were about II force an
entrance when s.ae one suggested that win
dow could be OpeAcd. This 81 gg ,sti0n was acted
on and the officers went in and through the
rooms, and were about y give up the search
when they looked under bed, and there they
found Dekraft, whom thew took i'm custody
be protessed that Re knew nothing of the AFFAIR
but on being taken out and seeing the brothers
Of the deceased he appeared frightened and
asked the officers 10 take b i'm to the station al
once, which they did.
1t appears from DeKraft's statements that he
spent the night in the We DDS near GlenwoOd,
and on returning TO the city he kicked up the
dust IN tlle road as he walked, and Officers Law.
Ter and Eugitt noticed il, and seeing the party
going in the dire ction OF the sceTe OF the MR.
der came 10 the conclusion that ne YVES the one
they were il search OF, and therefore went 20
the house and found him as above stated
Lieut. Kelly, with Sergeant Clements and othof
ON cers hau Just pre- VIous TO this Obtained infOr
nation that he was at home, or would soon he
there, and they arrived on the scene lust as he
was being brought out
THE aTABBRR AND HIS VICTIM.
Peter Bennett. the victim. young man.
about Is years of age, about feet inches high,
fsir complexion biue eyes, and respectable loot
ing. He was timer by TIRE ie, moral and reg
u!ar IN his life, and was looked upon b. those
VINO Knew him as one OF the best young men of
Fred De Kraft, alias Griffin. is about % wears
OF age. and formerly o'lowed the occupa' .on of
\ butcher. He was engaged for some time as
brakeman OIL the Baltimore aud Ohio railroad, |
and lstterly he's been lostng around the Ba.tl-
more railroad depot, and is well Known to tie
police.
Dr. ID. c. Patterson the coroner. was ro.ifsd |
last night, and listed the body abou- II o'clock
which had been conveyed - tue residence OF |
Mrs. Bennett, IN Jacs-cn alley, near North |
'apitol street, and MADE an examination of the |
WWound-a feariui cash directly over the heart. |
He directed the officers 10 sunn9n jury OF in |
quest, TO report this morning..
The Inquest.
Coroner Patterson beli an inquest OF The body !
at 10 O'Clock his morning. Mr.. Isaac Newton |
eng the foreman of the The first =
ness was James Berrett, brother of deceased, |
who testified that at nile O'clock last evening he
saw crowd at the corner Of LIST street and Jack
sOn alley; went over and heard some talking. |
James Padgett said "COme out II W Fitz, you |
of a =" Deceased was standing near at
the time. Saw Griffin and the two Pad-ett |
b,cvs approach and Bill Padyett said "giye me !
that knIte sEred or the Irish - Of "a will |
Kill US" VIM. Padgett struck deceased AMI |
E.si Griffin took hold OF hip al The same tim3, ,
Witness took hold OF Padsett TO ask what he
- a, will cut your heart out" De-
ceased said '.you would not kill me. 1 never
done you harm" Griffin said yes would, you !
Irish - of a -, take that" raising the knife
in his lett hand and giving the deceased a cut
the knife was a large one, could not say whether
IL was butcher knife or dirk. Griffin then said
''come on Bill, I've cut that - of a - heart
cut; cut two, come on" and ran at witness with
the knife and witness ran away. Witness did
not see Grifiin again tail he found under the
bed and witness ,ound a large pen knife CON
ceaied in the bed.
Michael o. Leary sworn:-witness testified that
he saw the two Padgetts Miles and DeKrsft
trying TO raise a fight with party. Padgett
said: Come on, the Irish - OF - will
kin Us" There had been a row going on al
FTz's, about square below, and the crowd weS
following them up. Witness went in the crowd
ana Dekraft caught him by the shirt. Wit
ness said: ''Let me GO, Mister" and DeK.
knocked on his knees. when he made asthrust,
cutting his leg above the knee, and also cutting
his pants about the waistbant. Witness gave
him a shove, and ran on u get the cut dressed.
Witness did not see Bennett cut.
Wm. 4. Kelly. sworn:-Witness was sitting on
LIST street east, near /; heard noise in direction
OF n street, and some parties crying ''He's CUT
and saw Mrs. DeKraft run down and when 81 g
came back she said she supposed her husband
had got in Eght. Five minutes later DeK.
ran up the street and ran against witneg ses'
wife. when she tainted, and he sung out "For
Gods sake open the door aud let me in, and he
went in and locked it. Did not see any weapons
in his hand at the time.
Maurice StsrdGs sworn:-Witness, with Peter
Bennett, started from the corner OF jackson
alley, listening TO Q scOlding between Padgett's
sister and Fi;z- William PAdgett called Peter
a-Of Q -. Peter answered: al am HSt
a ofa A., and Padgett struck at him: ibid