The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1886-01-28
A HORRIBLE MURDER.
Charley Howard, Night Waterman, Drained
and Burned.

A foul murder was committed at the
shops Vi lhe Marietta and North Georgia
Railroad on last Monday night Charley
Howard, colored, was the trusted night
Waterman at said shops, being sober and re-
liable, he was always faithful and vigilant.
He was at his post Monday night, and in
Aqmpany with Lawson Erwin, mulatto boy.
cleaned up the eHg,ne thai had been pulled
IN from its daily travel. He left his post at
nine o'clock that night and went to see his
sick sister. He remained at home some IF
teeen minutes, it was sworn but did not re.
turn to the shop until near eleven but left
t-a~sQa Erwin and jim Fields alias Trippe
in charge of the shop during his absence
These two left at eleven o'clock and they
are the only persons that last saw Howard
alive.
WLaa Mr. G. w Cearley, who has charge
OF the shop, arrived about sis o'clock Tues
day morning, he found Charley Howard
PROSTATE between the stove and an engine
tie was dead, his head having been crushed
with large sledge hammer, which was
found some fifteen feet distant in the shop.
a!oqay, After the fatal blow, the murderer
opened the stove door and With "a shovel
piled Goals of fire on the breast of the dead
man. and his body and clothing were burn
ing when Mr.. Cearley first discovered him
His hands were burnt to a crisp and his
clothing about the breast and abdomen was
burned off. The flooring underneath him
Was burnt through in several places. His
lantern was between the body of the deceas-
ed and the stove full of oil, but extinguish-
ed The blood and brains of the murdered
man covered the floor near where his head
lay. His unopened pocket knife fell out of
his pocket when he was removed. but sill
yer watch was missing. Tracks leading
from the shop across field east of the shop
were visible and ~er2 followed BY Sheriff
Coryell until they were lost in the road.
A Coroners inquest was held with c. C.
VIM, }. p. acting. The jurors were
Thomas II. Shockley, Foreman; T. L. Hunt
w. H. Warren, w. H. Coyipgton, p. T.
Handy and }. H. Murray. These gentle
men diligently exerted themselves and sift-
ed the evidence very closely to arrive at an
accurate clue, but were unable to do so and
returned verdict that he came to his death
by a blow from an unknown party The
night of Towards death he told viii Ram
sey, colored, that his sister had been poison
ed and the party committing the crime in
tended to treat him the same way, and that
he intended to find out that night who he
was This impression of his sister being
poisoned, Dir. Simpson retutes stating that
her disease is chronic from disarranged kid
neys.
Charley Howard is the son of Dennis
Howard, well known to our people. He was
about thirty years old and leaves a wife and
three children.
Sheriff Coryell, not discouraged vigilant
ly followed and closely scrutinizcd the tracks
leading from the Railroad shops across the
field to Bells ferry road and came to the
conclusion that man and woman were TO-
SUM- ""N H"ut INT udCho' ne TRACKS Oh
the shoes OF the man were large, and one
track was apparently made with shoe with
a haltsoIe on il ana the other with patch
sole. The tracks made by the woman being
smaller with no definite descriptive marks
This coupled with other information recev-
ed by Sheriff Coryell induced him and Mar
sha Banks to arrest Joe Hayward colored
who lives about two miles from town, but
when arrested in the afternoon was at the
scene of the tragedy viewing the bloody re
mains Of the deceased Haywood denied
the crime stoutly, but it is said his shoe
tracks are similar to those leading from the
Railroad shops, besides he did not 20 home
that night until after o'clock that morn
ing, and does not give any account of his
whereabouts during that time save that he
stated that he went to Howard house to
see the latters sick sister but they say at
the house that Haywood did not put in his
appearance there that night The evidence
is purely circumstantia but the colored
people are greatly excited and believe Hey
wood guilty There may be other develop
mems in few hours.
Physicians use Shriner's Indian Vermi-
fuge in their practice and pronounce it