Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-03-26
"NURDER WILL OUT"
Twenu -four Wears After q Murder the Negro
Murderer 10 Arrested.
iLynchburg Virginian.


iLynchburg Virginian.l
Mr.. II. \. Flippin, of Amelia county,
who arrived in the city yesterday on a
visit TO his brother, Officer George Flip
pin, furnishes us the following strange
but true story, which adds to the many
proofs that murder will out -:
Some time in the year 1861 the people
in the neighborhood Of Rice's depot, in
Prince Edward county. were startled
by the
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
of Mr.. +. F. Ellington. quiet, inof-
fensive wheelwright. Some one had sent
to his home early that morning order
ing coffin for child who had died
the previous night, and il was the last
his wife and children saw of him when
he started to his mill, where he had a
workshop. Several hours later the
parties who went after the coffin found
his hat floating on the mill-pOnd, but
no trace OF him. The alarm was at
once given, and all the neighbors joined
in the search. The mill-dam was
broken and the water let out, and every
place where it was thought that he
could be found was searched without
success.
After a week of hopeless search the
people began TO think that it was proba-
BILE that he had been murdered by Il
notorious old negro who lived in the
neighborhoOd and arrested him. but
failing TO get any evidence against him,
and the report reaching them that Mr..
Ellington had been seen alive several
weeks after his disappearance. the
suspected party was released, and no
further effort was made to unravel
the mystery.
FINDING or THE REMAINS.
About three years after Mr.. Filing
tons mysterious disappearance, some
parties who were hunting in the neigh
borhood pursued hare into gullcy,
and while there found the skeleton of "A
man concealed under ledge. The
wife Of the missing man viewed the re-
mains and was enabled by the buttons
on the remnant OF the coat and the
wooden bottoms OF the shoes TO identify
her husband, and thus after three years
il was discovered that he had been muir
dered-but by whom:
At the same time Mr.. Ellington dis
appeared a negro named Crawford Jc-
ter, owned by that gentleman, left the
neighborhood. At the time of his dis
appearance there was but little thought
that Mr.. Ellington was murdered. but
later, when the remains were found
concealed in the gulley. the neighbors
remembered that the negro had once
declared that he would "get even with
his MASTER for treating him roughly
when he ran away from home several
months previous to that time, and suS-
picion at once pointed to him as the
murderer, but no trace was to be had
of his whereabouts.
ARREST OF THE MURDERER.
itH udyS ago, w lltic NildSc III
Texas, gentleman, while standing
near group Of negroes. heard one OF
them-who was under the influence oil
| liqum--tell the others be was going
back to Virginia, where he had killed
his master during the war. The gem
tleman drew nearer. and heard the ne
gro say that his masters name was
Ellington. and confessed that he had
not only murdered his master, but had
il not been for the pitiful expression on
Mrs. Ellmgton's face when he returned
TO the house he would have killed her
and the two children.
The gentleman procured policeman
and bad the negro arrested and confined
IN Jail, where he confessed his crime as
above stated giving his name as Craw-
ford .jeter.
The officers Of Prince Edward coun-
~ are in correspondence with the Off
GERS of the Texas village, and will bring
the murderer TO Virginia and to Justice
I in & short time.