Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-08-27


we got couple Of bottles Of beer. We
staid there until between 10 and o'clock
this morning and then we went back to
Schuetzen Park. When We got there
Becker was sitting on the porch and there
was a light in the barroom. This young
fellow wanted to get half a pint of
whisky, but Becker said he was closed up
and wouldn't let him have it.
"What's the difference said he
(McGinnis); t'between selling me whisky
now and selling it to me Saturday night Z"
81 don't want TO do IL !" says Becker.
Then we went down to the shed, by
the women's closet and McGinnis
said we'd wait there until the
lights were put out and see If anybody
came out of the barroom and, if anybody
did, we'd go up and try it again. He
(Becker) came down with shotgun, q
think il was shotgun, and he hollered
Don't shoot don't shoot don't shoot |"
but he shot and killed him. He shot only
once. said "Don't shoot me i" and l
ran away"
"Was this all that passed between
YOU" asked the reporter.
"That was all"
HDidn't Becker order you away before
he fired"
"No; he didn't say anything to u.s."
Walker did not know how old McGin-
mis- was; but boy who was standing by
said TINT he was 81 years old on Satur-
day. Walker said McGinnis was clever
young fellow, that he had no trade and
that he worked in dye house.
Somewhat disconnectedly Walker said
during the interview that Becker "told
me we clum over the fence and threw
stones at him" but he persisted in declar-
ing that there was no provocation for
the shooting.
THE MuRDERER's VERSION.
When GAZETTE reporter went
up to the door of the cell in which
Theodore Becker is incarcerated Sunday
morning he was sitting or half reclining
in the extreme corner of the small apart
ment. He came forward, and on being
asked to tell the story of the crime his
first remark was, ~ guess it is best that l
say nothing about it," He WINS asked
about the time at which the shooting
occurred and after a few such questions
he made the following statement:
81 was sitting on the front porch of the
park hotel about o'clock Sunday morn
ing. l was waiting for my team, that
had sent away to take home some good
friends of mine who had been visiting
me, and one had sore foot and could
not walk home. He lived some miles up
in the country. While was sitting there
this man (meaning McGinnis) and the
fellow who is locked up for q witness
came into the front gate and asked me
for some drinks. l told them NO, boys
am closed up They kept at me to give
them some liquor and at last begged me
to give them only half pint of whisky,
laying the money down on the floor of
the porch. 1 said No, boys wouldn't
sell you any whisky, not for $780,
Then they commenced to curse Inc
and abuse me, and used the worst
language that came to their tongues. l
paid no attention to the talk, because l
knew that when they went home and
sobered up there would be no more
thought of it, and no harm done. So l
said, you'd better go home, boys, and
sober up They kept up their abuse, but
finally went out into the rond coming
back in few minutes over the fence.
They came up through the garden and
commenced throwing stones at me.
One of the stones hit me on the
side of the face, and bruised
my Jaw so badly that it is now
30 sore that | cannot chew my bread. In
the course of their cursing and threaten
ing what. they would do they said they
would set fire to my place. got my gun
and went down toward the pens. There
is hay loft down there and was afraid
q Ia ,ak L.. 4
in it. l wanted to drive them away, and
thought l could scare them by giving
them shot. l was not within % yards
of them and did not have any idea that /
would hit either of them. l could not
see them when l fired. 1t was good gun,
fred and the poor fellow lost his life.
That's oil can say"
"Did you know McGinnis ?"
81 don't remember ever having seen
him. don't know him by name. Maybe
if saw him 1 might remember having
seen him before. know the man who is
locked up here (Walker). had seen him
n number of times"
Didn't you see them during the day?"
"No. They might have been at the
picnic, but did not pay much attention
to that. My barroom was closed all the
time and | did not pay much attention to
what was going ON ut the picnic"
Becker said he did not order the men
out Of the park, but had ordered them to
go home. He also said afterward that
they went out over the fence and came
back the same way. The throwing of
stones did not take place until after they
came back, after having been outside.
There they got into the garden, or more
properly, truck patch, and threw at him
from there. II was then that Becker got
his gun. He said he had not sold any
liquor all day; that the young men
| (McGinnis and Walker) wereunder the in
fluence of liquor and very abusive.
Becker seemed to be in n nervous con-
dition though apparently not of ner-
vous temperament. He WINS sitting on the
bench in his cell and would stop talking
occasionally, bow his head and put his
hands over his face with nm impulsive
and nervous movement, MS though his
thoughts were getting the better of him.
| He said several times il was best to say
nothing about it, and closed with the re-
mark that the whole statement would
come out at his hearing and that he did
not wish to say much. In answer to n
question he said Levi @. Bird, ESD,
would have churge of his case.
WHAT THE DOG SNOWMAN HEARD.
A man named Alexander Roehm arrived
at the Schuetzen Park on Saturday evening
with a lot of trained dogs, with which he
purposes giving n dog show during the
Volkfest this week. Roehm is German
by birth and has been handler of horses
and dogs for years, having been i'll Will
mington with his dogs before this. On
Saturday night he appears to have been
the only man on the place who was not
asleep at the time theznurder took place.
A GAZETTE reporter saw him Sunday
afternoon and obtained the story OF
what he had seen or heard, for he
had seen nothing. Roehm said that be.
tween IL and 1890 Sunday morning there
were several men in tho barroom with
Becker. Not later than the last named
hour the men left and Becker said he
thought it time to retire. Roehm about
TINT time went ont into the stable grounds
about rs yards from the house and lay
down to sleep under tree hetweel
blankets. He says he is wakeful ut night
by habit, in order to keep an eye on his
property, which in travelling about is fire.
quently in danger of leing tanpered witt
or stolen. Somewhere between l2.3O and
Roehm says he heard loud talk, whiel
sounded us though the parties were il
anger. He heard Becker's voice AMI
McGinnis' but said Walker was doing thu
most md the loudest talking. He heart
such expressions by Walker and McCiin
mis- rs 'EWe'llget even with you, you -
of -" Wen pay You up for this !
!, "You'll hear from usagain, and it'll he to
night yet" "You'llmalse nothing by this.
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