Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-11-14
A MURDER OF LAST CENTURY.
The Killing of Elizabeth Reeves In Phila-
dslphiS In 1902.

@AAS ~
dslphiS In 1902.
Philadelphia PnSS.
The recent murders in London, and the
utter failure OF the English police to secure
the assassin, has led to many controversies
on modern methods of detecting crime IS
compared with these employed 100 years
sircs, but respecting this country, and es,
pe2ially Philadelphia. such e comparison
would be utterly futile and absurd.
Here q high constable aud q corps
OF constables were charged with the
execution of the laws. and they were venal
and Inefficient in the extreme. In the
early part of the century criminals could
work with an impunity that would not BE-
possible now, and their deeds were OF a
more deadly character, and, iu proportion
TO the population, more numerous than at
the present day.
No event ever created more horror among
the residents of the old Norton Liberties
than did the murder Of Elizabeth Reeves
in 1892. The crime was not only excep.
tionally brutal in character, but the sab
seuuent incidents coure cted with it were
so strange that the most ingenious writer
of modsro 6cjion could not imagine better
material for sensational literature.
In the early morning on the 18th Of
Augu9t, 1892, Peter Helm, whose cooper
shop was in Water -, near Callowhill,
went down to Warden's wsrf, below
Coates street, to get out some bundles Of
hoops that were steepipg in the water.
The tide was coming in, and while cropping
in tie water with a boat hook, to his sur,
prise and horror, TIE face of woman rose
TO the surface He at once gave the alarm,
and, aided By some bOatmeD, drew the
body ashore and laid it On a sail in a shed
mt the end Of the dock.
1t was the corpse Off young girl who
in life tai been very beautiful. Her light
bro n hair was long and silky, aud had
evidently been wrCpched and torn by rude
hands, as several tresses were found at
tached to hsr garments. Her throat was
bruised, and the marks of the hs1ds that
hsd wruug it with desperate v~iolenc;
were clearly defined. Her arms were
bruised and her clothing torn, aud she
bad evidently made q brave fight for her
life. Toe medical examination neat dag
made plaiu the motivsr for murder, fI
the last and worst offense sglinst the poor
girl had been accomplished.
When the coroner held his irQuest the
dead woman was iGentiisd. Her mother
and q young man named Garland were
the witnesses. The former testified that
her name was Mary Reeves, by occupation
. seamstrsss, aud her residence 50 Vine
street. The dead girl was her daughter,
Elizabeth, twenty years of sge, aud heI
homs was in COomhes alley, where she
bad been living with her uncle, James
Mcguire. Coonbss alley ran east from
Second street, and below Arch.
Il was ia evidence that Elizabeth bad
left Ter uncle's house at . o'clock on the
afternoon Of the 18th to take some sewing
to 3 family that lived in GATES street, be-
low Fourth. She left here at Z, and was
never sg4in seen alive by any Of her
friends and relatives.
Why she should have gone to the water
side at night was q matt ar Of much coz
lecture, as it was at this time a DANGEROUS
neighbCrhOcd, and il came to be believed
that she hsi been enticsd into q house on
her way home, outraged, murdered aud
then carried to the riverside after night and
thrown into the deck. Her character was
void Of ~reproacb, and she YVES q member
and commitment of old Christ Church.
Thomas Garland, the other witness, VISA
the girls lover, and there could be no sus-
picion against him, as he had returned
from Reading only az hour before the il
quest, so he could tell nothing Of import
Gnee.
About 3 month bsfoIe this, women out
altsr nightfall had been assaulted in this
1e:ghb>rhood, aud 8 vigilance committee
Of the residents had succeeded in catching
Spanish sailor in the act. After his cap
tors had beaten him nearly to death he
was sent to Jail, and could, Of course,
have no pIrt in this matter.
Toe lsWless element in tie city was at
his time very large. There were no
amps save on two or three of the principal
,trssis, aud TIE old watchmen who
them were useless 10 enfercs order.
IN any of the dark and dingy wateTside tAy-
rms one could hob-nob with men who had
,eeu pirates, privstsermsu and torv ma