Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-05-27
anInEY, rHn goKrn..
Confession of One OF His nAurderers
"A PLOT 10 Kiil the Whislky-seilinR
Hnruuil for His NF0uav


Hermit for His Money.
Special Correspondence of Gazette and Journal.
ELKToN, May 20.--The lower districts
of Cecil county are in a ferment over an
event that happened yesterday and rumor
has full sway. Thereaders Of the GAZETTE
AND JOURNAL well remember that ON
the afternoon of the 18th of last March
William Green, alias "Billy the JOKER
was found lying insensible and MORALLY
wounded in the cabin of an old barge
which he owned and inhabited. It lay on
one Of the banks of Back creek on the
suburbs of Chesapeake City. By the side
of the cocker" was found stone-mason's
hammer covered with blood. About
$500 had been taken. There were
number of wounds on Green's
head, several of them being very
serious. He died from the effects on the
goth of March, three days after the as
sault. coroners jury rendered yer-
dict that "death was from wounds on the
head inflicted with blunt instrument,
causing compression Of the brain" A
number of clues brought out at the
coroner's inquest were traced up, but to
no effect. A constable searched the house |
of suspected negro. Later the county |
commissioners hired a Pinkerton detec- |
| tive, who spent several days in the vicinity |
without making anyimportant discoveries. |
What caused the excitement last evening |
was the report that George Mannon, a |
youth of about 10 years. son of Alfred |
Mannon, a respectable farmer who resides |
on farm belonging to the Knight estate, |
| about six miles from Chesapeake City in |
Bohemia Manor, had confessed TO being |
| implicated in the crime, and had turned |
states evidence against either one or two |
| colored men who, the report is, had COM |
| mitted the deed Mnnnon merely being |
with them. "Billy the Joker was a |
vender in liquors and the party 1T is |
said went there to get some. The |
| GAZETTE correspondent at once visited |
| the Jail, where the report said |
young Mannon was lncarcerated. The |
sheriff had been instructed TO keep the |
fact quiet but was compelled to admit |
that Mannon was in his care. He did not |
care to let any one see him without the |
permission of the states attorney. This |
official was in Chesapeake City
working up the case. The reported
| followed him there. He could not
give anything for publication but
had no objections TO the reporter see
ing the prisoner, who, however, had been
instructed not to talk with any one. The
reports III Onehipeuhe Olty VI tue huuu
are conflicting. The above is the gist of
county. Mannon, it is said, took the
course he did on advice of his father.
| ELKToN, May 22.-There were new and
startling developments yesterday In the
"Billy the Joker" murder case. Young
| Mannon, in his story Of how the murder oc-
| Cured, names Paul Reed, q eolored man, as
| n tub n nnmUfttnI thn InnI IlA
| Pinkerton detective who has been working
the case up, and Mr.. John Banks started In
search Of Reed early Thursday morning. 1t
was found that he had left Cecil county on
April 18th, taking passage to Baltimore by
boat from Reynolds wharf. After arriving
there 1t was found that he had sought a col
ored employment agency and been en-
ployed under the name of William
johnson, as farm hand for W. I.
Revll, u farmer residing about 81
miles from Annapolis In Anne Arundel
| county, To this place the persons in search
went on Thursday afternoon. They stayed at
tho house and Heed was sent there as II on
an errand for his master. When he got near
they went out to meet him and, when within
! | q few yards of him, the detectives called
7 him by name and told him to hold up his
/ hands, at the same time pointing II Smith *
Wesson revolver at the negro. Mr.. Banks,
! | however, had his hands bound behind him
before he could raise them. They took
him to Annapolis, where he was
lodged In jail over night Reed is said
A being lynched at this place. While in
l reality the people here hardly knew OF what
i crime he was arrested for. He was brought
to Elkton on the IL o'clock, a. m, train yes
:, terday. The report having reached here oil
= his arrest IA large number Of persons were
t gathered at the depot and saw him taken from
e the cars to the jail where he was Immediately
/, locked up. The states attorney left orders
K with the sheriff to allow no one to see him
"a Reed is very black man, 8 feet inche.
y high, wears IL moustache, and Is aboul
e | % years of uge. He Is married nnC
o came to Cecil county from Virginia about
7. | 1879 since which time he has worked arount
d among the different farmers. His reputation
h is not of the best. For u few weeks previous
to the murder he had been hanging arount
the premises of John Edwards, II colore,
man, who resided on the Knight farm, ant
was employed by. young Mannons father
~ The detective and constable Walter s. John
s, son yesterday afternoon captured Juliu
ge Goffney colored as he was ut work trim
IS ming hedge on the Knight farm. He 1
" charged 1t is said on the information o
~ Reed with being implicated in the murde
. having known that it was to b
. committed and that he had knowledge tina
~ 1t was committed by Reed or some other.
q lie is about 20 years Of age, married, an,
I'd is native of King and Queens county, Va
III was lOChth StIllulclJ anu lSlplltl
is were denied the privilege OF talking wit
~ him. He denies being connected with tn
4 murder at all. Young Mannon when h
came to ElktOn with his father first went {
see prominent criminal lawyer who nd
vlsed him to tell mis- story to the states-at
torney which he did. He is reported TO stat
Q, | that on Tuesday night the 10th OF las
q March he and the negro, Paul Reed, starte
~ to Chesapeake City with the intention {
4 getting whisky from the Joker" who sol
" liquor In violation of the local optic
" law. On the way the cOlored man stumble
~ over stone mason's hammer which ha
'e- been lost by Chesapeake city mechanic.
C. 1t was picked up and carried on to tn
he "Joker's" cabin. "Billy" measured ther
nd out quart Of whisky, but they hadn't tn
a. money to pay for it. After some dispute h
w. leaned over to pour it back, when lee
ne struck him on the back of the head wit
re the hammer. lie turned and received seN
WIS eral more blows, and the negro grabbed hi
er pocket-book. The states attorney yeste
I'd day swore out u warrant for Mannon, VIII
has previously been In jail mostly OF hi
own accord. No inducement has bee
thrown out to him to be u states witness,
is said.
'h- 1t is reported that Reed tells n iiiferel
he story of II than MannOn. The detective VII
nd arrested Reed and Goifney has been worl
les ing up the case since shortly after ii
ar murder, being employed by the states "A
i; torney. He bought saloon In Chesapeal
" City and has been moving among the lowe
Tx classes. Some suspicion having fallen q
lhe him another PinkeTton detective was sci
down us blind. 1t is said, however, TIL
he had been engaged on other clues, m
ler while he may have suspected the colort
for man Reed, young Mannons story was Il
=; starting point for the present arrests. II
= thought that al the arrests intended ha'
oVa been made.
eto
tie. ELKToN, May 2I.-Paul W. Read, wi
emf is confined in Jail on the charge of beil
ose implicated in the murder of Villa
Ca Green, alias Billy the JOKER" has be,
interviewed by EVERY EVENINGS corr
spondent. He tells his story Of the atfi
in a straightforward manner without co
low. tradictions. 1t was very lengthy, GOVERN
the the whole ground and was substantial
lin as follows:
on My name is Paul W. Read. W
ION born in Smithyille. Charlotte count
his Virginia, and am IS years of age IL
orn month. came TO Cecil county in
vii fall of 1850, working first for William
100 Potter aud afterwards for John G. Mu
or n love and Alfred s. Mnnnon, the lat
the being the father Of young George
orrt Mannon. julius GoiIner, n mulatto, We
lobt to Billy the Joker's' place to buy whis
in February last. When he came ba
home lie told me that he believed
Joker had n good deal of money q
stem said that if he could get in with so
and some parties lie could rob the man d
odv take his money. He wanted me to