Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-16
APROFESSOR AsANURDERER
He Kills a Negro, Skins Him, Cuts OF,
His Feet, Hands and Head, and
then Blows Him Up with
Gunp0Wder.
Insures His Life for S25,OOO, and Gre
ates the Impression that the
Negro had Killed Him.

Wilmington Delaware December y Core
spondence Of the New y orlk sum-
4 A Professor West has been living il
Dover for several years. He was for
merly connected with q school there
and is said to be a gentleman of goOC
scientific attachments. Some years ago
/ he severed his connection with ths
school, and since then has had no specia
occupation.
j For over a year past he had been ex.
perimenting with q new and peculiar
kind of gas, the properties of which are
not known to anybody but the manu-
facturer. About the time that he began
his experiments he had his life insured
for twenty-five thousand dollars. He
caused the report TO be spread that one
peculiar property of the gas was the re-
moval of the skin from the body,
and to prevent all possible Identification
or even to ascertain the complexion.
On Thursday morning there was a
/ terrible explosion in the Professors
laboratory. A man, supposed to be the
| Professor, was found on the floor. His
head, feet aud hands We're missing, and
! the skin had entirely disappeared. The
explosion had set the building on fire,
but it was saved from destruction.
Shreds of clothing were found on the
disfigured body, which were identified
by the Professors wife as belonging to
her husband. There seemed to be no
doubt that the PrOit ssOr had been eXper-
imenting with his ga when the explo-
sion occurred, aud thai he had lost his
life. A strict search OF the building re-
suited in the discovery of a quantity of
powder underneath the floor where the
body was found. There was powder
enough to have blown the body to atoms
if the flames had reached it.
A further examination indicated that
the head, feet and hands of the corpse
had been cut off, and not blown from
the body, and that the skin had been
peeled from every portion of it. Some
days before this the Professor had hired
colOred man as a servant. This man
was missing, and people began TO sus-
pect that he had murdered his master,
mutilated the body. placed it upon the
floor of the laboratory, and caused the
explosion.
Early the same morning, the south
bound midnight freight train stopped at
Dover. This train had a passenger car
attached to it. The conductor, Mr..
Chandler Evans, says that the train
stopped at the depot about four O'Clock.
His attention was attracted to a peculiar
bundle tied with a rope which he saw
upon the platform. 1t was covered with
a coat, but through the coat he could
plainly see the impress of a pair of boots.
As the train was starting, man
picked up the bundle and jumped on
the car. This mans face, was closely
muffled. HewOre a slouched hat drawn
down to the bridge of his nose. When
the conductor called for his ticket, he
asked if he could go direct to Norfolk
without delay. At Delmas, still
muffied, the man left the cars, entered
a carriage, and was driven rapidly
away.
This circumstance, together with the
fact that the Professors wife, when told of
the disaster to her husband, received the
without any signs Of deep
caused some surprise. When
it was known that the Professors life
was insured for twenty-five thousand
dollars, suspicion was aroused, and the
went to work. The Professor |
was caught in Maryland, and brought |
back to Dover. 1t was discovered
that the colored man had not
killed him, but that he had killed the |
cOlored man. He owned up that he |
had killed the negro, bat said that he |
had done it in self-defense. After the |
man was dead, the Professor probably |
cut off his hands, feet and head, and |
buried them. Then he peeled off the |
skin. The body was then placed in his |
a few minutes before the eX-
plosion. 1t is clear that the Professors |
object was to make the authorities be- !
.ieve that the body was his, so that his |
wife could obtain the insurance on his |
life, and afterward join him in a remote
part Of the country, and the two could |
i've to a green old age, and die happy. |
The Professor is now in jail, awaiting |