Smyrna times., 1881-07-13

and Ida Boggie, Washington, d. c.. Mrs. |
DIR. Chas ID. Green, KirkwOOd; Fred A.
Howard, Chester, Pa. and Charles Patter-
son and wife, Jersey City.
CRIMEIN BLACKBIRD DHUNDRED.-There
seems to be an epidemic of crime in the
lower part of New Castle county. In
March, a man at "Shclton's last dance"
had two pistol balls fired at him, one of
which we believe he still carries in his
leg. Then in May, in an attempt to settle
a feud between two neighbOrs, one of
them came near Draining the other with
hedge knife or some other murderOus
instrument. In June II young man had
the contents of loaded shot gun fired
into his head while attempting to shoot
crow one Sunday, and on Saturday night
in the same month, white man was
robbed and beaten until he was thought
dead, and thrown over the fence by four
negroes and now we have a case of delib-
crate murder, where u little child is shot
down by an inhuman villain, and immedi-
ately on the back of this an old man is
found on the road side dead, with his
mouth and nose full of blood. A reporter
of the Morning Nelcs who went down to
gather the facts thus narrates the Incl
dents in the two last cases:
A NeicS reporter visited the locality on
Thursday, and made Il full examination
of the evidence, and of the parties en-
paneled at the inquest, and gathered up
as much as possible bearing on the case
from the neighbors.
1t seems that Coroner Weldin, on being
informed by telegraph of the affair, at
once sent word to Mr.. William LYMAN
of Townsend, to get together Il jury and
make full and trustworthy examination
of the ease. Mr.. Lyman, upon receiving
| these instructions, gathered up the follow
| ing and proceeded to the house where the
shooting occurred, and held an investiga-
ton. The Jury were: ID. S. Richardson, +.
| C. Welch, j. H. Hutchinson, Jacob Daniels
Ezekiel Riggs, John II. Welden and
! Squire Thomas Deakyne, of DcakyneVille.
! The tenant house in question is the prop
erty of Mr.. Ananias Ennis, and is situated
on the road leading from Smyrna to
| TaylOr's bridge, near the latter place.
The mother of the murdered child was at
Ocean Grove, i'll charge of the cottage of
Mrs. Stidham, of this city, at the time the
shooting occurred, and her child wa staying
with Reading, in Ennis house. The facts
in the case are briefly as follows: The child
about five years old, was playing in the
front yard, when Mason, IL colored man,
about 40 years old, who was staying ut
the house, and who had but recently come
into the neighbOrhOOd, went to the door
and calling to her, said, "Come i'll here
Come quick, now, or I'll shoot you if you
don't" The little girl, frightened, jumped
up and hastened to obey. As she was ap-
preaching the door, Mason reached up
and took down a gun, and cooked it.
pulled the trigger and discharged the
] tod fa1Il - h.
child and the contents were blown full into
her body, killing her instantly. She sank
to the ground where she stood, without
uttering a groan or cry, her body being
mangled fearfully in some places. Mrs
Reading, who was in the house at the
time, hearing the loud report, and guess
! ing what had been done, rushed out O
the house screaming, and so utterly beside
! herself with fright that she crOuched down
on the ground and began pulling the
grass up by the handful. Mason ran out
another door, and around the corner OF
the house, saying as he ran, You make
as much noise as if the child was yours
by =" Mason then went over to Squire
Deakyne's, at Deakyneville, but that fimc
tionary was not at home, so his son stated
to the reporter, although Mr.. Lyman, in
speaking of the same occurrence few
minutes before, said that Deakyne wa.
home, and that the evidence was INSULT
cient. AT any rate Mason and the squire
We're both fOnnd together at Reading
house. when Mr.. Lyman took his jury over
to investigate the case. Deakyne wa.
also included on the jury, for some reason
although he had had a previous connection
with the affair, and was found in the same
house with Mason before the investiga
ton.
Three witnesses were examined. Tht
first of these, Jane Reading, said that, a.
the record had it, Thomas Mason tool
the gun down in playful mood, no
knowing it was loaded and pointed it a
the child, and it went Off" She also sale
she saw Mason shoot load out of the gu:
n month ago; and saw AbsalOm Reading
load the gun again afterwards. How sh,
knew Mason was in n playful mood whel
he took the gun down was not stated, bu
the evidence, illegal rs it was, was record
ed by the Secretary, Squire Deakyne.
Susanna Reading, aged IL years, testi
fed that she was standing by Mar!
Walker, the murdered girl, when the shO
was fired, and saw Mason do it.
AbsalOm Reading, 13 years old, testified
to loading the gun sometime before tn,
shooting. With these the examination
, closed.
There was no testimony before the jur,
to show that Mason had or had not knOwl
edge rs to the gun being loaded. From
the amount of evidence taken down by tn,
secretary it would seem that about thre
questions were asked each witness, ant
then the foreman shut up the book, ant
, that after much pondering and delibera
ton the following curious verdict wa
, ground out for the benefit of pOsterity ant
its ancestors. "The said Mary Franci
Walker came to her death by a gunshO
s wound in the hands of Thomas Mason
mot knowing the gun was loaded, w
, believe, from the best testimony befor
|, u.s." How the said Thomas Mason held
"gunshOt wound" in his hands does no
appear, but the presumption is, that tn
innocent jury took it for a sky rocket, an,
built up their verdict on that hypothesis
, After the verdict had been given tn
l mother of the child was telegraphed fol
2 and came OH from Long Branch, and pro
ceeded to Readings house, sOrrOwfull,
+ gathered up the remains of her murdere,
child and buried them, unaided and alone
= She then, on the advice of friends, got Ou
n warrant for Mason, on the charge @
$ willfully shooting her daughter, but whel
the constable went to arrest him he ha'
+ fled. So far all efforts to capture hin
: have been fruitless. The principal caus
i. of the issuance of the warrant was an afte
statement made by Susanna Reading, on
/. of the witnesses, to the effect that sh
r distinctly heard Mason snap the trigge
+ of his gun three times before it was dis
charged, thus pointing conclusively to tn