The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-26
THE CANAL-L0CK HORROR.
Confession of the Alleged Murderer
SKETCH OF TIE ACCUSED.

OF Mary Holmes. mulatto gdrl scarcely
seventeen years old, in lock No. 3. near the
corner of Eleventh and Byrd streets. The
result of the post"mortem examination, coro-
ner'S inquest, and verdict of the jury, was
also made public at that time.
On saturday morning Horace tcnahlc
ana Mosllc Sykes, who had been arrested on
r nday night, appeared before the Police
Court to answer the charge of having MUIR
drred Mary Holmes. There was no exami.
nation into the merits Of the case, and it was
continued until Thursday. While Nenable
was in the prisoners box he
CONFESSED THE MURDER.
hut -aNc a mca"rr account of how he sue
rrrdcd in getting the girl ont of the bali
room. and then plunging her backwards into
the lock.
Ii must have been about halfpast II
o'clock. however. Or maybe later, hut no
statement relative to the time was made by
the accused. The murdered woman came
out ut the ballroom 10y the rear door, which
is Within Il few steps of the canal lock. The
water WAS running through the wicket aud
making "A noise which would wcll-nigh have
prevented her cries from being heard. The
Two. Standing there in the darkness, for it
Will hr remembered that 1t was very cloudy
about that time and had been raining had
brief conversation. Suddenly Nenable dealt
his victim powerful blow and sent her
BACKWARDS INTO THE WATER,
ani she sunk to rise no more until taken out
hv Mr.. Melton. the lock-keeper. who found
the body on Friday morning. There was
10 cry heard. but the splash which WAS de-
,rjhrd hy the lock-kcrpor. seems now
t. have been made is the untoru-
nate wninan was plunged into the tretscher-
OF, chamber. The Wlckets OF the lock being
| somewhat raised ii is supposed that the
body WAS sucked down almost instantly, and
after passing through the wicket WAS found
in the lock below. bruised. and almost in q
state of mkedneSs. The murderer in an in
>tant realized what h" had done. but his re-
pcnfanc, came too late. for all of his efforts
to rc>cuc her, which ii i> said he made.
proved unavaiiing. There is another report.
which is to the effect That hc not only struck
her in the forehead or mouth. but also
O CHoKED HER so SEVERELY
that she could not cry for help. and while
partially in>enSible he pushed her into the
an.iy water below. II remains to be brought
out which of these reports is the true one.
There Is no doubt, however, OF the fact that
he confessed to the crime Of having struck
her blow somewhere in the face and then
plunged her into tue fatal cana-lock,
II was also reported on Saturday night
that there was a,witneSS who could vouch
for the fact that Nenable had said that he
meant 10 make Mary Holmes go and live
with him as his wife, or he would serve her
a, he had done another--viz.. knock her in
the head. But this last is simply report.
HORACE vESAHLE
is about gingerbread color. twenty-one
wears of agc. and was born in the county of
Amelia; was owned and partly reared by
the Bannister family, being the slave OF DR..
Monroe Bannister. when he was ten years
of age he left his native county Tor Il six
months cruise in heenaphrodite brig
which piled between Boston and Queens
town. captain Lakewood. who commanded
tn, vessel was washed off the ship at a later
day IN the Chesapeake bay. After the
dronnn" vi the captain the crew all left,
iucludiu" Ncnahlr. who
ESCAPED DURING a JOG.
and did not go on >hipboard again for some
time. Coming to Richmond. he lived Tor a
| time with his mother near HaXall Mills, and
| was employed in one the rolluy-mills. After
being discharged from the rollinS.mil he
sought for and obtained Il position as bag
| ga.c-wayon drvera at the Spo>w God Hotel IN
which capacity he served until about week
before the destruction of the hotel ty fire.
After leaving The Spo'>W""d he became cm
pIoycd on the wharvc> in this city, and
worked under Captain Lumpkin III that
capacity. He served for some time, and after
operations were commenced on Church Hill
tunnel he left the wharveS and became one
of the tunnel hands. He was employed on
| that work at the time the alleged murder was
committed
In an interview with one Of our reportcra
on Saturday he stated that the last time
lie SAW MARY HOLMES
was at noon Thursday; that once upon a
time he loved the very ground the girl
walked on, and loved her until he parted
from her. AS to his having ever hated her,
that was not true. He also remarked that
he saw MoIlie Sykes at the same time that he
saw Mary Holmes last.
In conclusion, it may be remarked that
\cnahlc, or Hall as he has beer before
called. is Simly-built. sllarp-teaturcd, large
eyed. wiry-Iooking negro, and seems to be il
simple sort. of a creature but maybe that
simplicity j. all assumed. He Is securely
guarded In the city Jail by other O'DWyer
and his yigilant assistants, where he wilr
probably remain until the preliminary eNanl-
nation, which will be held on the 29th IN
slant before the Police Court.
NEARLY A FIGnT.--On Saturday morning
abou, halt.piSt III o'clock there was consider
able excitement caused to the iuialntantS oi
Franklin sheet near Fourteenth by the Del