National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-20

obscure from view the dlapidated frame
shanties and damp and cherries brick struc-
lures that constitute Frogtown. III was
probably called by that suggestive name be-
cause the marshes formed frstsclas5 breed
ing places for those creatures betOre
the health department allowed colorcd aShos
venders to dump their loads of refuse over
the flats Even now, however, the dreary
mon otone of the "bullirogs song can be
heard every night, like the weird beating oi
thousands of efn drums. IL IS IN TINS
locality that brutal murder is reported TO
have occurred between six ana eight months
ago. The ignorance Of most OF the inhabl-
tants of Frogtown precluded the possibility
of getting at reliable data and IHE kEPlR.
I1cAN reporters were, therefore, compelled
TO work on menger and unintelligent
information. Enough was learned, however
TO lead to tho very strong supposition that
a man had been murdered during family
quarrel: that one night in that isolated quar-
fer the victim had been struck upon the
head with heavy hammer, which crushed
his skull us though IL had been an eggshell
Filled with alarm, and knowing that detec-
tion by the police WAS almost an impossi-
bility, as the mud aud bogs of Frogtown
form a certain protection against police
patrol, the family had several altcrna-
lives. 1t is fair to suppose that they
might have represented to some
the victim died, after several days illness,
from pneumonia or other pulmonary diseases
and received q burial permit after being sub
iected to hasty questioning. Or they may
have dragged the corpse out into the gloomy
darkness of midnight and buried 1t deep un-
der the marshy garbage piles. rms would
have been an easy accomplishment, because
on the following days and weeks and months
the long lines of ash carts, with their un-
savory loads dumped upon the spot, would
have increased the depth Of the unknown
grave many yards.
The location of the reported murder was
fixed in different parts of Frogtown Tho
old three story brick roOkcries in tho rear OF
Gov. Buffers mansion were first visited. ihe
green slime of long continued dampncss oozed
out of the walls both inside and out of. the
building. The plastcrinE had disappeared,
and the old shingle roofs had long since ceased
to protect the interior, and the battered old
doors creaked mourntully on their worn and
rusty hinges as the reporter entered. The
rooms were like vaults, and the only daylight
that penetrated the heavy atmosphere en-
tered through squares of brown paper that
supplied the place of window panes, and
made the apartment look more gloomy.
Many of the rooms were unoccupicd, but in
several of them puny and sickly looking per.
sons were found, living in squalor.
The old rookeries would be q safe place for
the commission of almost any crime, and the
surrounding flats would be equally safe ia
conceal it. 1t was in this locality that band
of gypsies took up their habitation about one
year ago and operated upon the charitable
by several nefarious ruses. One of them wa:
to employ ragged female and several half
clad children as decoys. 1t was there also
in an old half torn.down shanty-that des
perate gamblers assembled nightly for somt
time.