Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-03-19
MYSTERIOUS lDEATH
was HB KILLED BY THE OARs OR
WAS HE MURDER ED9

A MYSTERIOUS tDEATH !
was HB KILLED BY THE OARS OR
was HE MURDERED9
The Victim Placed SO las 10 MAX g
Death Appear Caused by Rati.
road Accident.
-
''I'm going to try and hunt some coal"
said the honest but poor William a.
Moore Of No. 23b Liberty street, after eat
ing supper Wednesday night week. "Dont
90 out tonight John," said his wife,
Eyes, I must," he replied, ''or the little
ones will be cold" He went, and Thursday
chilly dawn found his cold
and liieless body on the ground, his
head in q pool Of blood and his CLASSY
eyes fixed with horrid, vacant stare at
the olouded and threatening heavens
above. Thus came to light what, with
proper police developments may prove to
be most atroclous crime.
Thursday, ss number OF laborers
we're walking along the railroad tracks In
the west yard, they discovered the dead
body OF q man lying between the Will
mington & Northern siding and Quigley
& Mullen's large stcrehouse. The head
WAS resting on mound OF earth six
inches nom the ties, and about q foot
from the western end OF three fat cars.
The. body was also lying westward, the
feet almost touching q small alley which
leads from the railroad TO Liberty street,
Q distance Of perhaps 4b feet. At the
further side Of the street from the alley
is humble frame building, the home Of
the dead man.
The mans neck and breast were horri-
bly, bruised, the Aesh being color be-
tween blue and crimson /; on the fore.
head was o wound resembling q bullet
hole, while back Of the ear Was another
gaping wound, and that member WAS
almost out away. The hands and arms
were covered with black dirt as II 1t had
rubbed and ground In them In wrestlings
Of q terrific struggle. The flesh on the
back OF one Of the hands WAS iaoerated,
the long hair was matted with blood, and
the teeth were set and the muscles Of the
face horribly oontorted, evincing terrible
sgony.
The inhabitants Of Liberty street were
so0n aroused, the motley curious crowd
that at once gathered around the re-
mains instantly recognised them 40 those
Of Moore. The screams Of the bereaved
family on being told the awful news were
heArtrending and were distinctly heard
and re-eohoed by She storehouse's brick
walls, at the scene of the crime, II such
IL was.
The police department WAS notified Of
{y.N- II nAa Dat and TQhtha
were sent to the scene 10 guard the body
over which 3 sheet had been thrown,
pending the coroner's arrival. Standing
on either side Of the dead man encircled
by over 100 persons were the officers When
. GAZETTE JOURNAL reporter arrived. II
was then 8 O'Clock, the crowd was inoreas
ing and the pool Of blood still lay besids
the track.
The oolored people formed conspic
uous part Of the gathering, talked In
whispers and tread lightly ss though
they were on holy ground. Even the
hardened Km Jones who, impressed BY
the scene, surprised all with the senti
mental remark ''that the poor man wal
alive yesterday, ..but now he's dead and
glossy"
Huddlsd together and weeping in on'
corner Of miserable, chilly and untur
nished room, surrounded by Q crowd 0
women who were trying to sympathize
was found the bereAved family. !
consisted Of the wife, aged 3b, and fou
small children, one Of them ye. an infant
They had not seen the corpse yet, ant
reooiled with horror when such thin
was suggested.
In conversation with the reporter, Mrs
Moore said her husband WAS 46 years 0
age. he had always been q quiet man
and for long time had been employed q
odd Jobs at the Harlan & Hollingawortl
Company's yards. BE had not beel
making much lately, and was q littl
down-heArted that night. Whei
he went out to hunt coal 70
his children, he was perfectl
sober and though he occasionally took
drink, he never drank TO excess. Il
never had trouble with any one, save th
little boy OF Jacob Anderson, colored,
near neiRhbor, who hit one Of the chill
drsn with q stone, and WAS sued. 5h
didn't know her husband had an enem
in the world. His failure to return HON
from his pitiable errand had caused her
night Of anxiety, while her opposition
his leaving the house almost gave th
| impression that she had been f0rewarne
Of his terrible death.
DR.. 0gle examined the body {
Moore, and expressed ths opinion thu
the unfortunate man had been killed b
the cars. No disseoting was done. Whe
the remains were stripped II was foun
II. % - 1tK.t.A N nv n a
loose, and that the shoulder blade wa
broken. ALI the ribs on the right side (
the chest were crashed, and the breai
bone was broken. The black spot unde
the eye, which was thought TO be
bullet hole, was found to be only
bruise.
Though the terrible injuries woul
seem 10 suggest that Moore's death wa
accidental, there are many who sti
firmly believe he was the victim Of
murderer, and they will probably nev'
give credenoe to the theory that he vi
killed by q train, unless thorough il
vessigstion OF the case proves SO. tt
theory was abroad Friday that the awfl
wound In the head was whI
killed Moore, and that tho other ipjuIi
to his body were done by the assass
after death ensued 10 make accidents
death look probable. This Ia somewh
borne ont by the fact that the body VI
lying beside the wheel Of car that VI
put on TIE siding before Moore left hom
and which remained stationary duriI
the night.
A prominent ofieikl Of the W. &
railroad sdheres strongly to the idea tn
there was foul play. He says the deoeSa
could not have been struck by cara whe
they were on the siding, and that had
. been struck on another track 1t won
have been impossible for him TO get to !
i position in which he was found wh
, suffering from such injuries.
. Another official says that had Moo
1 been struck by the fat CARS, he,
ottioial, would have known It, and tb
ate O'Clock Wednesday week night
passed along the siding and that
!, body was not there.
Q Deputy Coroner Smiths Jury consi
ing Of the following members Assembl
q at the morgue ai 10 O'Clock on Saturd
d morning 20 investigate the mysterit
,- death Of Moore Rx.sheriff 10
Pyle, W. 8. McNsir. ]. Alfred Collins,
R. Long, DR.. B F. Vandeyer, b.
@cIntire and c. F. AEdella. After vie
ing the remains the Jury went Il
d Undertaken Palmer's private room a
v shortly after 10 O'Clock the taking
?, evidence was begun. The front Of
"a WAS crowded with witnesses and spec
tors.
William Dunlap Of Browntown, q Q
:. ductor OF the W. Il N. shifting eng
o. No. q, testified that on Wednesday ev
y ing sometime between and 6 80 o'elo
~ ~ there was box car standing in from
:, Quiglsy & Mullen's atorehouse.
n walked around to the spot where Moo