New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-06-05
lature Of that year. Certainly they are too
important TO be surrendered without further
effort to save them.
Nv OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES MURDBH.


AN EXTRAORDINARY MURDbR
The annals of criminal Jurisprudence hardly
nresent a more remarkable case than that
which is now upon trial at Dover, Del. A
DR.. J..C. West is the murderer. Last Deem
Der he killed Turner, q negro. DR.. West, who
ia about "a years of age and an educated
man. had insured his life for S25,990 in favor
of his wife. Determined by fraud to obtain
this sum, he gave out that nc had discovered
q new gas of such character that IL wouid
remove the skin from the human OOdy, anu
destroy all chances of Identification. Even
the color or complexion Of the body sub
mitted to its Influences, no said, it
would be impossible to determine. lie
invited persons into his laboratory, ana
discOursed to them Of the wonders OF ms
discovery. In the laboratory on the 5th OF
December, 1872, there was terrific explosion.
Those who hurried to the place fOund upon
the floor the body of man supposed to De
that Of DIR. West. AS such, his wife identified
it. The head, feet, and hands were missing.
The skin was peeled from the flesh. Every one
said that the Doctor must have been the VIC
tim of his own invention. But a large guam
tity of powder was found under the floor, and
it was also found that the limbs had been cut
and not blown from the trunk. Suspicion was
excited. especially as the widow West did not
seem in the least grieved by the tragic event.
Then the matter Of the insurance became
known, and did not tend to allay the excite
NEXT. The question arose naturally whether
anybody besides the Doctor WAS missing, and
it appeared that colOred man named Henry
Turner, who had been in the employ
of West, could not be found. 1t was by some
supposed that Turner had murdered his mas
ter and absconded. But the majority were of
another mind, suspectng that the negro had
been killed, and that the Doctor had killed
him. 1t was as aggravating a mystery as ever
was handled by the police All was soon
made plain, however; for West, having got
well away from Dover, was arrested at
Harrington, and, after being taken into
custody, made full confession of the killing
of the negro. He said that Turner tried to
rob him, and threatened his life if he did not
give up his pocket-book, whereupOn he slew
him in self-defense. How he mutilated the
corpse, how he got rid Of fragments OF i, how
he tried to change the color of the skin by
pouring upon it burning alcohol, and how
in doing 80 he set the laboratory on
fire and then abscOnded-these are de-
tails which appear to mark this
confession as utterly false and insincere. The
story is incoherent, smells strongly of subter-
fuge and after-thOught, and, with tho circum-
stance of tho large life insurance, seems to
point strongly to felOniOus attempt to de-
fraud the Company. The Doctor appears to
have been altogether of an unsatisfactory
chafacter. His wopderful gas was nothing
more than nitrous oxide somewhat colored.
He ~ graduate of Dickinson College, at
which he studied both law and medicine.
The case adds another to many which have
already occurred of ingenious efforts made by
men of some scientific attainments to deiraud
life insurance companies. Such schemes, for
various reasons, are rarely successful, what
ever amount of ingenuity and skill may have
been expended upon them. The rules OF the
companies are too rigid and comprehensive,
and their suspicious are too easily excited by
self-intcrest, to permit fraud by policy
holder to be proftably cOnsummated.