Smyrna times., 1888-08-22
Death Of an Unknown Tramp.
A SUPPOSED MURDER.

Our community was disturbed on
Monday from the fact that they had a
dead man on their hands whose death
was the result Of foul play of which
they were perfectly ignorant, nor is
there any satisfactory evidence in the
intervening time to throw light upon
1t. Death from violence is natural
cause to arouse both interest and in
dignation IN community, but when it
IS shrOwded in mystery, it causes the
feeling giving vent to the expression,
" this thing must be investigated, for
the credit of the community if nothing
else. There were circumstances han
pening about the same time, if not
connected with the case that tend to
give it more prominence than the sim
pie death Of an unknown tramp along
the public highway.
In the indefiniteness Of circum-
stances, the facts as near as they could
be gathered by the cororer's Jury were
as follows: dead man was found un-
der cherry tree in the field of Eugene
Crow along the line of the railroad
about half way between Clayton and
Brenford, two and a half miles from
this town, on Sunday afternoon by a
tramp who informed the magistrate in
Clayton about five o'clock, and word
was sent in to Coroner Wright an hour
after. The latter felt it was too late
in the day for anything to be done that
night, so he left it until the next morn
ing, three men and the undertakers
wagon being dispatched for it, getting
1t into town between nine and ten
O'Clock. A jury was summoned and
got together shortly before noon, or
ganizing with John VanGasken as fore
man and Willard G.. Pierce as secre-
taTy. The body showing such evident
marks of violence, the jury asked for
post mOrtem examination, DR.. Har-
mOnsOn, of Clayton, (who was first in
formed of the dead mani and DR..
Dwight, of this town, being authorized
to do it, the jury meeting again at four
o'clock to hear the result of their in
vestigation.
The testimony of the doctors both
agreed as to the condition in which the
man was found leading to the conclu-
sion that he had met his death bv foul
play. His hands and person were
bloody, very severe blow had been
| received in the eye, there were bruises
about the shoulder, his tongue which
had been punctured by the teeth was
| prOtruding and the trachea or wind
pipe had been moved from its place as
would occur in a severe choking. The
mans face when found was lying in his
hat which held a quantity of blood from
/ Of h.
was beside him a satchel, with cup
some sugar and salt, spoons, scissors,
&c, and on his person two barlow
knives but not cent of money and no
paper or mark Indicating his identity.
The heavy rain had removed any evil
dence of scuflle if there was one, and
the body was found where it lay under
the tree in untrampled grass.
The jury was not satisfied with the
evidence before them SO they adjourn
ed until d o'clock tomorrow evening.
In the mean time ere the inquest was
closed, the body together with satchel
and its contents and pocket knives,
&c, were carried to, and inferred in
the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
WHAT HAS ADDED TO THE CASE.
The first thing that met the ear of
| our reporter on going out Monday
morning was that a murder had been
committed as the result of a racket"
at the Smyrna House on Saturday
night, and that the body had been
found in a peach orchard out of town
the night before. This was accompan-
led by the names of several engaged
in the melee. Then as if to relieve the
case, it was stated that the dead man
was one who had been sick 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 to 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, because it involved
the character of the community as we'll
as the character of certain individuals
| The circumstance as we have gathered
them are that at half past eleven
o'clock the pool and bar-room was
filed with q motley cOllectiOn-mar-
ried men, young men, boys half grown
in such an unsavory state of mind
as would naturally result from the as
sociation. 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 a vengence. They started in
pursuit. some twenty-five Of them,
married men, young men and well
grown boys like a pack of hyenas
whose wells disturbed South street
from one end to the other. The man
was heard begging for mercy, that they
wonld beat him to death, for God sake
not TO kill him, &C., but they acted
! like a set of blood hounds who had got
a taste Of the fugitive's blood. They
stoned seemingly at the farther end
of South street from exhaustion, and
were heard on their way back using
such exultant expressions as, g / gave
him a rood HIT" Il let him have a
good kick" &c.
The sad part of this affair, sadder
than the death Of man who places no
value on his own life is that it was pos
sible for the young men to be engaged
in ID that were, III the names are correct