The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-08-30
ST ICIl)I.
A BULLET DOES THE SAD WORK
A Young Man, Tired of Life, Shutiles Off
the Mortal Coil.

| Elmer Eelitcr is the name of Il young
/ man whose parents formerly lived on the
/ Dunot place, on the Little Elk, but who,
some time since, removed from this county,
! and now reside at Fort Washington, Mont
! gomery county, Pa. Two of their daugh-
tiers ike not far FROM Cherry Hill, and arc
tin wives OF well-;o-do and respectable huS-
bands. Elmer, for some time past, has cir
culatc,l through the country between Cherry
Hill and Fort Washington, and made his
home ut the house of his brotherin-law,
Samuel Ferguson, near Cherry Hill, when
in this county, and unable, rs was fire.
quently the case to obtain employment.
Last Tuesday evcnn. he left Mr. Fersu-
sons, taking with hir 4 revolver belong
in. to that gentleman, and leaving Il note
addressed to him, stating that he would pay
for it inside of :; year, and that he intended
to go West, &r., &c. Nothing more was
heard of him till Wednesday, evening, when
Mr.. Wells, the railroad agent ut Elkton,
received Il dispatch, stating that man had
been found by the persons in charge of a
freight train mile south of Bush river,
and from papers on his person he was be
lievcd to lie Elmer Redifer. Mr.. Wells
thereupon informed w. J. Jones, Esq, the
attorney of the road, who, having some
knowledge OF the Young man, notified his
relatives of the receipt of the dispatch, and
they took the 1.:;0 \. NJ. train on Thursday
morning and went to PcrrymanSville, where
they aScertained that the young man had
been found, as stated, with Il bullet hole in
his right temple; that he had been brought
to Perrymansville that he was unable to
see, on account OF the effects of the wound
in his head, and had died ut g. o'clock on
Wednesday evening.
\ note addressed to his sister. Mrs. Fer
guSon, was found oil his person. 1t is As
follows:
DEAR SIsrEE:-I take my pen in hand to
let you know that am well at present and
hope these few lines may find You the sane
| am going To kill ySelf and then | will
not be i'll the road. You can send word up
home, and tell them that killed myself |
guess that this is all have got TO say.
ELMER REDIFEE
y jury Of inquest was inpannelcd on
facts contained in the note, rendered vor-
dict that the deceased came to his death by
shooting himself in the right temple. His
remains were brought TO i:ikton on the
morning train, on Thursday, and taken
thence to the house of Mr.. Ferguson.
The above account is derived from the
relatives OF the deceased and is believed to
he authentic in every particular though all
the Baltimore papers Of Thursday morning
contain an entirely different version of the
story, and express the opinion that Rediitr
was killed by tramps, two of whom We're
seen under suspicious circumstances BY two
gentlemen who were fishing on Bush river
bridge shortly before the train, whose crew
found i;ediicr, passed over it.
We learn from the Baltimore Sun of Fri
day that the two trampS We're arrested OIL
Thursday morning by county police officer
ChaS. Smith, at the Back river bridge. hay
ing received information that the parties
were on the road to this city. Thsy were
brought before Justice Dorsey, at Canton,
and ut a hearin: they gave their names
William Harry Lloyd and Daniel Sullivan.
Lloyd is Il colored man and answers the de
Scription as given Ivy Mr.. Watkin. His
statement was that the white man had shot
4 man near the bridge with seven shooter
and had aftcrward robbed the man, getting
ST from his pockets, declaring that he
Iloyd) had nothing to do with the shoot
ing or robbery.
The statement of Sullivan was that he
knew nothing Of the affair whatever. He
could not say the colored man had done any
shooting, not having seen any pistol. The /
colored man left his company, stating he
intended to 90 to Wilmington, but had
overtaken him after dark, OH the way to
Baltimore, and they had slept together, and /.
the coore'i man had taken razor from his /
valise, and seemed TO act toward him in Il
rough manner. tn. justice committed the
parties tn the eastern station house, and |
telegraphcd to the authorities of Hartford
county. After being locked up in the sta
ton house the negro, Lloyd acknowledged !
to have done the shooting to the officers, .
having done the same in self-detense
The colored man referred to in the above .
extract acted i'll Il strange manner when |
seen at the bridge, which leads us TO believe
he is either an idiot or a lunatic. The proha- /
bility is that young Reditcr shot himself,
and the two trsmPS coming along found /
the pistol. and the negro took it with him. /
The case seems to have been much myStitied .
by he fact that Mr. Ferguson did not show .
the letter that Redter left ut his house in .
which lie promised to pay for the pistol he
took away with him. This letter was writ
ten on the same kind of paper that the note /
to Redifer'S sister was written on and by .
the same hand, and contained some allu-
sionS that, in connection with the other ,
facts. convinced us, when we read it, that I
he contemplated committing suicide when /
he left Mr.. Ferguson's.