The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-26
BLOOD MONEY.
ooo FOR CHARACTER, AND
'' $4,000 FOR A LIFE
n.,tn Of FIndIey 4. McGreW. al
K,tdgeport to be Ag"i" InNes'i-
ratsd-InterNieWS win MRS.
hcGreW and Mr. John
IL. watkins.

nssrsd 3 short IIeu 'HNo" '0"1
5v.i-,yille paper which stated that Mrs.
v,Grew, widow of Fndiey q. McGrew
L.d sued Mr.. John Ii. Watkins for $40
on1 damages, tor the loss o. her husband,
=, will be remen bered that the body Of
vcGrsw wss found IN the creek under
nsC &P. railroad bridge in Bridge
,,,t on the llth Of Dec. last, and that
ma testimony brought forth at the
o,-,ner's inquest justified them in bring
20, in the verdict that he came to his
s,.tb by violence at the hands of un-
h,ovp persons. Mr.. Watkins was more
o- less connected with the case, bu! no
testimony was sdduced to show tFa: he
w,s cor cerned IN it.
In order to get st the true inwsrdness
of,be affair, REGISTER reporter called
IN Mrs. McGrew at her residence in
Bridgeport yesterday.
She la, been living very quietly with
her mother Al d children at her old home
aimee the dtu.h of her husband.
Mrs. McGrew Is OF rather PrepossessinS Z
snnesrsnce, Of slight 10 IL, with dark
bsir ard grey eyes, and Is perfectly calm
sud self possessed.
vii YOU tell me something about the
sui; YOU have brought against Mr.. John
n Wh.klnsP asked the reporter.
After few moments hesitation she
said "Yes, don't see that 1t wouli do
any harm and l would like 10 have the
pg5pls know what Is the truth OF II.
D." wanted D bring that man TO justice
from the very first but | was advised TO
le. II rest tor a Whine Now l have got
more testimony and the Csse has been
commenced IN earnest. Last Tuesday
week the le-4l papers were all made out
sud everything WAS ready 10 begin. MI.
Smith my lawyer, hat me sting
in his office last Saturday Of the
parties connected with the $4,000 slsr-
der suit which was brought against
Watkins by US, before nv husbsEd's
dovn. last Saturday Mr. Watkins wa
there, aud so was man named Amos
Sheppard, VINO works IN some office IN
BeIalre he IS about fifty Years old, l. u
quiet ald reLaDle man, aud ne presents
the
MOST IMPORTANT TESTIMONY TET.
he wss going down the railroad track
from Bridgeport 20 Bellsire, on the night
that FIndlsy was drowned. II was a
moonlight night, and as be reached the
south end of the railroad bridge, ne saw
two men talking together, and apparent
lv guarrelng. He did not see the
face of one OF them, but the
other sctsd so queerly that he
attracted Sheppard's attention. The
man seemed to be watching him very
closely, and moved restlessly about to
such 40 extent that Sheppard thought he
intended 70 strike him or assault him in
some way. He went on down the track,
however, and continued his way home.
Ha had never seen either John Watkins
or NV husband. When he was brought
into Mr.. Smiths Office, be saw Watkins
and =. once told Mr.. Smith that
WATKINS WAS THEMAN
whom be saw on the bridge, aud who
h.ta.t.d so sIugularIy. He was posi-
tive that he was no. mistaken rs to hls
identity.
Nj smith says that when Watkins saw
Shepparr, be was perfectly coniounded,
and .rurd TO Mr. Jim Tallman who sat
beside him, and began eagerly to ask
who Sheppard WAS, where lie came from,
what bis business was, &c.
Mr.. Sheppard says that he is sure
Watkins recognized him as the man who
hsd passed him on the bridge.
Mr.. smith brought Mr.. sheppard up
here last week to look At the coat Find
lev wore. Mr.. Sheppard said it was a
sack coat and was made Of light cclored
cloth, or else it had something Whl.e on
i.. This was Just the kind OF coat my
husband wore, and as 1t WAS
sI covered with -four it
would look as be describes it.
He recognized the coat when II WAS
shown TO MIN. l knew my husbands
voice as he cried out when in the water,
sad was sure it was him. l have moth
Dog else TO say of my own knowledge
other than what l SAID TO the jury. l
understand tia. Mrs. Kugler says that
she wss frightened when she wss before
.le Jury, aud lorgo! to say that she rec
oylled the voices, l have never met
M-. Watkins since my bus band died, eX-
gept that day IN Mr. Smiths Ctiice Ny
lawyers Messrs Smith and Tsliman, Of
Ba.aIre. SAY that the case will come up
tl-Inv this term of Court"
Bidding Mrs MCGrew good-day, the
reporter proceeded TO obtain
SrEs. KUGLER's STORY.
!. will be remembered that she heard
voices 4usrreling on the bridge, but did
no. stay to listen very long. She said
She would not swear that they were the
voices Of McGrew and Watkins; neither
would ste swear they were not At first
Size though they were girls. She said
one OF the voices sounded very much
ike Watkins but would not express a
POSITIVE opinion as to whether 1t ,0GS his
or not. She nd not know McGrew very
well, sud could not say much about his
voice.
&E. JOHN II. wATkIN STORY.
Calling on Mr.. Watkins at his flour
mil. on Main street the reporter found
h'm quite disposed to tax on the matter.
In answer to question rs to what he
thought about the suit be replied that he
knew nothing Gifts existence until about
81 hour before the reporter visited him.
a youngm n" said Mr.. Watkins, "who
works in q store near here said to me
Soy-, sn hour ago, 1 see they amt done
With your case yet said, What case?'
and be told me about that piece in the
papers.
Il have just got paper, but haven't
read it, and l don't know
soy more about 1t than YOU do. l have
never bad any papers served on me and
have never had an intimstion that such q
sll was TO be brought until now. l
think 1t only a bluff, and they cant bluff
me one Bit don't see how they could
OFIng such 8 suit. and l not know
anything Of it.
am perfectly innocent, and had moth
- i