Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-08-28
MIDNiGRTNUkDkk IN BALrIuoRE
An Aged Lady Shot while sleeping.
Her .NSph~,r Chsr<ss .-sfh IRE rrsm..

by pistol shot. =; about 2 O'Clock la the MORN
tng. while asleep IN her bed
The Baltimore NEE OF this morning saws
Ihe house Wa occupied bv Mrs. JPasrcue. =
wiccw lady. her daughter. y sou NAMED Jesse
:, lisr.ae, his Snn,. Mr.. Wheat, aged p YEAR,
tue NtStm. and colored female servant. Tue
.p, iy al resided In the house Tor only about
THs VICTIMS FAvoRrrR SrrHFw.
The aged lady, Mrs. wheat Wa .,-Iire tna-rn-
hSNhe ;, me TINE sgo been afflicted Nl.h "a
Failsls, from which she hat never entirely re-
covered. She had been left some few years an
with competency by her fecrsSes h-s..SrS
Mr.. Nathaniel Wheat, OF Anne Arun lei soprfv'
which y varicusly estimated ~ FROM Ss0.ala -
~so.tTN by relatives protesting 20 know. After
her husbands death she had found an aSvInu,
N her acvs need and inhrm years in the fam IN
OF Mr.. UpT ercue, her sister, ~ 81 Yves; L.,m-
bard ctr ct, she furnishing her own means lfh-
orally towards the Necessary family eNpoull-
lures. Her nephew, Jesse Jppcrcue, vac fhen
raiicly growing M, and became - mach a
faVoritC II theOld lady that he was, IN a msf@-
are, recognized a. an adopted sDa. He was
educated ty her, and graduated ar 50. johns
1oiege, Annapolis, and Was atterW ards seut -
Europe, completing his education ~ tie lai-
burg. Auer two years abroad he returned
home. about four yearS since. aud catered fIa
law office Of John p. Foe, Esq, where ne hls
since bten engaged, being generally rec'gE.-sl
a. young man OF me prom sc, bat possessed d
THE uEInAL CHAvuER.
Young Dppercue, il seems, had been wai.i1S
uTsn ycGnE iady living on P5o9.e'7n street
f0T some time past. and wsS 90 have been mar
lied within the next ten DAYS, the mar. lgs. -
b. stated, receiving The sanction ot her tam y,
auG Ole ~ thg Rooms OF the dwelling Nlefe tha
Tragedy took place Lad been handsomely n-fcf
mp with new walnut furniture. new carpets, a. b,
~ a bridal chamber Tor the yoBog couple. Al
jsluiI < this chamber was The sleeping apartment
OF yVung lFTseTcue, ana a lev Steps father
back, in the rear building, was the room OF Mrs.
Wheat, wherein che wa killed whilst asleep.
THE ALARM.
The fret intimatiOn OF the crime was given
about 2o'ciock .. M, when single pistol shot
" murder" Then followed two more shots.
(hred by neig EbOr, as Was proved, % alarm
the police and after a briei lapse OF ume young
IPpeTcue appeared at the mont door, uttcring
shout after shout OF murder 8Ud police. TIE
shaTIs-eounding rape OF tie pOliccmeE's clubs
upon the sidewalk gathered the night watch
men quickly, aud ere many minutes four officers
ana many citizens were ON the SpOt. In re-
sIonse 10 inquiries, Young lppercue stated that
there were robbers in the house. A light was
obtained, and the policemen proceeded 10 re-
cOnBOltre tho premises. The parl0r was searched.
and alsO the dining hall and kitchen, the latter
being found open 10 the yard, with the lock
broken, and the back gate unlocked but closed.
The yard Was searched, but no robbers were
found.
THE MURDERED woMAN's CHAMBER.
Ascending To the second story ths 4" bridal
chamber" was looked into. Here was found
confusion IN some measure, n large number Of
Cancelled bank checks and pTiyase papers being
stTeNn about the floor. The chamber OF young
lppeTcue, adjoining, was also found In a sim
liar condition, The bureau drawers being fOuui
open and the contents on the floor. Passing
away from the bridal chamber only few steps,
tie scaTch,rs entered the chamber OF Mrs.
Wheat, where every one was thrilled with h5r-
rcr at the spectacle. Upon the bed lay the out
stretched form Of the eyed lady, Mr.. Wheat.
with the istal wound in her left temple, from
which was still OOziug her Hfe-bioJl. She
seemed calm, a. though having died without
knowing when or how, and - e lsily a. not 70
even disturb her slumbers.
AN INVESTIGATION.
further search Nas made OF the premises,
but the only trace OF robbery was The broken
lock upon tile rear door, which Is referred % an
the testimony below. Upon platform OF the
stairway, however, Was discovered a small four
haTTelled Smith & WesSOn pistol, and upon cx-
animation one barrel wssfound TO be discharged.
IL was stated to the policeman that bat one man
resided IN the house, viz: young lppercue, and
that he had gone into the chamber OF his aunt
and Was Sleeping beside her, az her request, in
consequence OF her iniirmity, a. he had often
done. Captain LePsOn, OF the western police
district, having arrived, determined % question
young IFpeTcue.
HIS EXPLANATION.
Having been taken into the parioT ne was
asked for an explanation OF The m stery when he
stated that he had gone into the room Oh his
aunt 20 keep her company ~ an early hour At
night. lie had been sleeping for some time
when be was aroused by shot. lie spraug up.
sew dark shadow. ran 10 his own ROOM, secured
his pistol and fired a shot at the TObb5T. whJ ran
out the back way. He dropped his pistol where
IL vas found, and gave the alarm. Capt. Lep-
son then informed the young man that ne re-
and conveyed him 60 the western police station,
where, at ~ a. IN. an inquest was held
THE INCCEsT.
Police Sergeant u andy. Ia lis tr-fi mony be-
fore the inquest, sw0re that yoJIg Uppercue
"ssid there bad been robbers iu the hou -. aud
that they had shot his aunt; asked him which
way they got IN, he said they hal broken the
keeper Of the back door, / examined this door
particularly, and found that the keeper hai
been forced Oh from the inside, there being
marks Oh the door jam"
n. NJ Frl.H n ny
fired two shots out OF his window % sUGumDa the
police, soon - be had been alarmed by the
cries of murder; he lived next ~ the mouse
whore the murder occurred.
Prof. j. h. Butler testified As % the post
norton examination. Policeman C-oEav aud
Officer johnson cOrroboT8ted Sergeant Handy.
Capt. X. +. Finley, OF n South MOanr street,
talked with the prisoner, his mother and sister,
they all told dilerelt stories; the prisoner first
said ne woke ~ and the man fired, then he ~iid
his aunt awokc him, then he said the mau frcd
three shots; saw the body; saw the face scOrchsd,
tie pistol must have been within a foot,
Police Captain LspSon testified that he ac-
SGsed Young CPi.ercue OF tie murder, who then
began 20 argue the Ioin', and laid great stress
upon liz own shot; he insisted up1n an exam
ination being made, saying. " Gcu'il ind my
shot in the Uassasr;' witness examined ma
premises minutely, but could fiud DO evidences
OF shCt anywhere. Lieut.. CadvAlls Ter, Of me
police. thought the pistol must have been bred
IN me diately over and close the face As there
were MARKS OF powder on the flesh; there was
also the PRINT in the bed, near the body. Of a
single loot, a. though the murderer had stood
upright. Henrietta Marriott. the colorel scr
want, testified that she heard NOBODY ~ 0a' OF
Tie house. The mother Of the prisoner, Mrs. -.
CprercGe, an aged lady, was sworn. avn with
much nervous irePldation gave her tCs-iu ~.
Throwing no light upon the murder She s "A
Mrs. Wheat had disposed OF four hou-s = auf 10
rs ed one. (This was ceuied by ing Upper
Cue.l
Justice Charles a. Wheeler testified that some
time ago he was summoned by the prisoner 70
acknowledge paper at Mrs. WAeat's hJr-e:
The young man said, after the papers were
signed, " Go outside, aud d pay ysa the fse.''
90 50 and he paid the bill; told Mir. Murray, a
relative OF the family. 7 thought something vas
wrong; after this, on J ally l2Ch. ] ackn 5wielred
deed from Amelia Wheat 70 Temperance tor a
house on South Fremon street; the OLD "A lv was
very secret, and said I'll tell YOU wa AZ Won re
heIe Tor, want 10 convey some property 20 my
sister; no one must know it, for III they 10 vii
be IN bad place; have given all except TO NV
nephew, but this Il not embodied in the paper-;s
L kept quiet, and she closed the doors OF the
chamber; the shutters we're only hall closed aud
she inquired IL any one could hear through the
window. looked and saw the shadow OF some
person listening al the window; pointed 10 this
In caution; the papers were then signed and a.
left, she remarked, - III this known n ona NJ