Evening journal., 1888-08-23
a DEAD TRAMP.
Was He Murdered by a Crowd Of smyrna
BOYS and Young Men?


The Smyrna Times gives report of
the finding Of the body of tramp under
cherry tree on Eugene Crows farm,
which is situated between Clayton and
Brenford The man was undoubtedly VIC
lently treated before death The body
was lying with the face in a hat. which
was full Of blood A confused wound
was found over one eye and he had evil
IDENTIFY been choked The coroners jury
could come to no very satisfactory con
clusion on Tuesday, but they
are all convinced that the
man came to his death by violence. The
body was buried in the odd Fellows
cemetery. II ia believed that the man
was killed by mob of young men and
boys who had gathered at the Smyrna
House on Saturday evening. The Smyrna
Times speaks of this feature Of the affair
as follows:
"The first thing that met the ear Of
our reporter on going out Monday
morning was that murder had been
committed as the result of racket at
the Smyrna House on Saturday night,
and that the body had been found in Il
peach orchard out of town the night be-
fore. This was accompanied by the
names of several engaged in the melee.
Then as if to re 1--we the case. il was
stated that the dead man was one who
been sick for several days and not the
man who had been beaten.
''But for this affair in our town in
which tramp had been chased from the
bar-room above named out Of town in the
direction where the dead man was found,
there would have been less significance
10 the case in question, for it is known
that the tramps quarrel and fight among
themselves and hold human life as Of
little account The news circulating as
it did Of course stirred up inquiry, be
cause Il involved the character Of the
community MS well as the charac-
ter Of certain individuals The cir
cumstance are, as we have gathered
them. At 4 30 o'clock the pool and bar
room was filled with molly collection
married men, young men, boys half
grown in such an unsavory state of mind
as would naturally result from the asso-
citation A fight was kicked up which
was transferred to the street. In the lot
was this tramp who was noisy, and it is
stated somebody directed the young men
to clear him up, chase him away, which
they did with n vengence. They started in
pursuit, some twenty-five of them, mar
ried men, young men and well grown
boys like a pack of hyenas whose yells
disturbed South street from one end to
the other The man was heard begging
for mercy, that they would beat him to
death for God s sake not to kill him, &c. /,
but they acted like set of bloodhounds
who had got a taste Of the fugitive's
blood. They stopped seemingly at the
farther end of South street from exhaus-
ton, and were heard on their way back
using such exultant expressions as, i
gave him a good hit, i let him have a
good kick, &C.
IF it turns out as is now claimed that
the man over whom the inquest was held
was not the one who begged for his life
from his savage pursuers it is a merciful
deliveranee for them for the result of
their brutality made such thing very
possble-an ineiIaceable scar that no
amount Of repentance could ever oblit-
crate. The deceased man was about 80
4 years old whereas it Is claimed by those
who were cognizant Of the Saturday
night brutality that that man was only
about % years old