Smyrna times., 1881-06-08

"A SMYRNA WOMAN MURDERED."-
Under this head starting with the Phila=
delphia Times the Wilmington and other
papers have had circumstantial accounts
of the character and death of dissolute
woman giving the name Jane Cassidy alias
McCann, aged about 80 years, who came
to her death in Philadelphia last week
from a severe beating by John ChillOn.
They State that "the woman had been in
Philadelphia about three years, and was
"the daughter of a respectable well-to-do
resident of Smyrna, Delaware" The case
attracted of course considerable attention
in our community and deligent inquiry
fails to connect this character with any
one who has ever lived here or near here.
She belonged to some other locality.
SHOT IN THE HEAD.-On Sunday last
man living with Jas. C. Powell near Dula-
ney's Chapel named Cordray had a whole
load of shot fired into his head making a
very ugly and dangerous wound. A crow
in pursuit of Sunday dinner sought out |
a flock of young chickens. Jacob COrdray |
picked up a double barrelled gun to |
shoot the crow while another young man
regarded rs simple minded started with
single barrelled gun cooked. The latter
was told to put up his gun and in doing |
so the hammer it is supposed, slipped from
his fingers, discharging the whole load into
the head of COrdray, who stood only
few feet off. The shot penetrated to the
| skull bone and DIR. Clifton thinks he will
lose the sight of one eye if he survives the
other injuries.
PERsONAL.-Rev. Il. X. Peterson, of
Philadelphia, will preach for Rev. }. A.
Brindle at Bethel and SeversOn's on SUN
day next.
Thomas Haynes, who has been clerking
for the past year or two in the Drug Store
of Cloak & Clifton, will leave tomorrow
for Chestertown to take a position in the
store of Mr.. Wicks.
Rev. J. V. Smith filled the pulpit for the
Rev. Mr.. Otis at Centreville on Sunday
last.
Among the visitors of the week are the
! following: Everett Snowden and r. 5.
: Culbreth, Esq, of Baltimore, Md; Samuel
Draper and wife, Milford; Mrs. Francis
} A. Biddle, Cecil CO.; Miss Mamie Clifton,
FELTON,; Miss Lizzie Reese, Edward Evans
Philadelphia Miss Ida Wright, Preston,
Nd; Mrs. DR.. DiricksOn, Berlin.
, THE SHARPLEss BERRY-William Polk
. Cummins has in his strawberry patch a
? section covering nearly an acre of the
e Sharpless variety that make the finest
T show on the vines of any berry we have
e ever seen. The latter are not only full
: but the berries of unusual largeness and
t richness of color. A section of the COM
e mon kind, "Wilson," along side though
very prolific make poor show i'll com
parison with the "Sharpless." Mr.. c.
Y had over fifty pickers on Monday morn
e ing, company of so many busy fingers
: making an active scene. The Wilson" or
= Albany Seeding for general, and especial
e ly careless cultivation has the credit OF
e winding up at the end of the season with
d more quarts per acre than any other variety
e but the "Sharpless' is certainly much
e better in taste and appearance while ii
Q looks as if it would yield as much or more
A MURDEROUs AssAULT.-The Satur-
n day night scenes which were complained
n of so much last Summer, have been resumed
a again this with greater intensity. This
n seems the chosen time for the people from
:. the country, especially the laboring class
q to pour into the town not so much for the
l. necessaries of life as to indulge the beastly
v propensities for frOlic or debauch. Fol
g several Saturday nights they have re
e mained in considerable numbers, mostly
negroes, until way after midnight two
weeks ago as late as 2 O'Clock Sunday
? morning, about twenty of them engaging
d in fight at that hour in front of the NJ
n E. Parsonage. They uniformly go out O
2 town in a bOisterOus way disturbing the
t. peace of quiet citizens and from theil
lr numbers, defying and taunting the police
n 1t is not surprising that on Saturday
m night week such conduct eliminated il
&c what like to have proved n murder. Oh
" the night in question a young white MAJ
lg named Wilber Collins who came up from
le the vicinity of Milford in the early sprinI
s. and engaged with Alfred Carpenter livinI
on Esquire Colts farm, near the Thor
IN Oughfare Neck road, staid in town unit
re after midnight and started home on foot
s. He was overtaken near Duck Creek b,
d. four negroes in a dearborn and eithe
I'd asked them, or was asked by them to take
ly ride. On reaching PryrOr's Corner h
re wanted to get out as they were keeping
~ straight ahead but they said they wer
Is going up the roads little way to carry on
81. of the men hong and they would retur
TX and take him to Mr. Carpenters rs the
n were going by there. a little way on Ia
n the Buchanan farm finding they wer
at turning road in the opposite direction h
attempted to get out when he was terribl
assaulted, robbed of his money -four O
or five dollars under the demand of hi
m money or his life" and in attempting t
m get away was knocked down, beaten an
ly kicked until he says life was almost e2
IT tinct and after robbing him of most of hi
81 clothing, he was thrown over the fence O
M dead. After an hour or two he recovere
to sufficiently to walk, and wandered in
a bewildered way across fields and thrOug
Vi woods, reaching the residence of Andre
N Spear hetYeen two and three o'clock. NJ
lal S. directed him the way home, mile {
les so distant but he was still Bewildered, an
Die reaching John Gosser's residence (whel
of the Neal crime was cOmmitted) he wG
recognized let in and wounds dressed. O
reaching home later in the day Carpentt
at laid the matter before Thomas Deakyn
as Justice of the Peace, who issued warran
cir for their arrest and in default of bail ii
tly four were committed to New Castle jai
ife Their names are Walter Iodine, GeOrS
ay Clifton, VIM. Benson and George Evan
ng They were all farm hands living in Il
s." neighborhood and regarded as good hand
en They evidently did not appreciate Il
IS. enormity of their offence, allowing tt
)n- statement above to be true, three of the
ng not being arrested until the Tuesday fc
his lowing, the other on Monday, giving the
as ample opportunity to escape. Their br
So tai Instincts must haYe been given play I
Dol a free use Of whiskay, for they were N
otherwise recognized by their empl0ye
as bad men, and our Saturday night ma
IN ner of business may be largely respons
ne BILE for such violations of the law, Il
ne punishment which these men merit OF
Ich the loss of their labor to their employee