New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-02
Muv dor Mt the New Basin.

About two o'clock Sunday morning Ofi-
Ger johnson, near New basin, heard shot,
and proceeding to investigate, made. dis
coveries that render it probable murder
has been committed. The first person seen
was man named Charles Moore, of the
sloop Star of the Sea, lying near Magnolia
bridge. 1t was he who had fred the shot,
and gave as reason that he had discovered
some one attempting to rob the vessel; but
he said the man he had fred at had run
away in the direction from which the officer
had come, and he had seen no one. While
talking of the shot, Moore exclaimed that
there was man in the water. Officer John
sen asked him how he knew, but got no
satisfactory answer, only that he did know,
On going to look for the man in the water,
q man named George Benson was met,
whose statement, subsequently given,
is important. The three got into
q skiff, and found the body of
Henry Rose, the master Of the
sloop, in the water about SIX or eight feet
from its stern and from the shore. The
depth not being much more than three feet,
and the body in an almost upright position,
it was not wholly covered. Benson refused
to touch the body, but Moore, with oaths.
got rope around it, saying it was that of
Rose, and that he had fallen into the water
at eleven o'clock. Almost unaided he
pulled it on board the sloop. Benson
stated that he had come to the city last
Friday, and to the New Basin the preceding
night to try and get passage over the
lake, where he had been promised lob of
graining; that not getting berth he had
gone to sleep between two piles of lumber
with his coat for pillow; that he had woke
up about twelve O'Clock or ater, feeling
cold, and cav two men, one being Moore,
walking toward the sloop; that they after
wards talked in German, which he did
not understand, and eat oysters together,
and finally both went on board the sloop.
Soon after he heard the shot and met Moore
and the officer. Sergeant Vankirk and
Corporal Bancroft were soon on hand and
examined the body. 1t was that of man
about sixty years old, dressed in blue shirt,
jean trousers and heavy boots. In the
pocket was some money and q pocketbook.
which was not completely saturated. The
body itself was SO warm that the possibility
ofresusciation was sugges ted, but all efforts
were in vain. Another witness, Thomas
Usher, besides hearing the shot and Moore's
strange talk of the body, declares he heard
aud saw Rose and Moore together some
hours previously, and that they were quar-.
reliug in a bsrroom; that Moore declared
he had tried three times to drown Rose, and
threatened to do it that night; that Rose
showed knife and said Moore could not
do it while he had that weapon. These cir.
cumstance warranted the arrest of Moore.
HIS statement is that he had worked
with Rose about three years, but not
steadily; that the sloop came in Friday
that he had NO object to effect nor
any desire to ipjure Rose; that he was innc-
cent of his death, but if ne had intended to
kill him would never have done it where
the body was found, but wait till they were
out in the lake; that he heard robber at
his bunk, jumped up, seizing his rife pur-
sued the robber off Of the sloop and fred
at him as he ran over Magnolia bridge, and
that he found all his clothes and his blanket
on the shore. The deceased was q native
of Hamburg, we'll known in the oyster and
kindred businesses on the basin and lake.
His body was given to Mrs. Langhoft, who
was friend of his, and buried under her
direction.
The coroner's jury yesterday found a
verdict that deceased came to his death by
drowning, caused by the act of Charles
Moore, now in custody. Coroner Chastant
accordingly made affidavit charging Moore
with murder.