The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-16
M"URDEREDBY HER UNCLE
THE LATEST sgARTLIEG NEWS
AR0DF THE LACoYEY TRAGEDY.

80 -TTRT
Other News from the State.
Chalkley La Coney, the uncle Of Ami e
La Coney, whose murdered body was
found in the cellar of his residence at
Merehantyille, near Camden, a few days
ago, and for whose killing negro Lingo is
n custody, was arrested yesterday in
WaYerly, Ohio, on a charge of having not
only killed the girl himself but having
entered into a conspiracy to fasten the
crime on the guiltless colored man. La
Coneyhad gone to Waverly to take the
body of the girl to the home of her
parents there Tor interment. After the
funeral he was taken into custody by
detectives who had followed him thither.
At the time the murder WAS committed,
Lingo was at the mourner's bench at a
camp-meeting with his wife. Another
negro by the name of Murray, who is sup
posed to be a tool of LIE Ceney's, was dis
patched at night to tell Lingo, one of the
farm hands, to show up at the house at
five O'Clock next morning. The bloody
imprint of a hand upon a window-sill had
been made by the murderer to make IT
appear that robbery had been the first
motive, and as Lingo did not show up &C
oording to promise, suspicion at first
naturally pointed to him.
Lingo, when questioned why he did not
come to the house, said he changed his
mind after remembering dat Annie an
Mister Chalkley had been a-quarrellin'
and dey worried him."
When Chalkley was asked who COM
mitted the deed he said:-f1 don't know,
but If that niger Lingo had shown a
drop of blood on him I'd have shot him on
the spot for killing my girl .
The negro Lingo was closely examined
by the County Physician. He found
blood under his finger nails and thought
he had stumbled upon guilt. But upon
stripping the negro it was found that he
was suffering from the hives and the
blood found under his nails came from
scratching.
Murray, who helped La Coney on his
farm and had been taken into La Coney's
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS had reported, he
had been taken into custody, and he
agreed to pilot the detectives to the place
where Cnalkley had hidden the blood
stained clothes he wore when he COM
mitted the crime. Immediately after La
Coney had left with the body Murray,
terrified with q long night of torture
among the wild friends of Gallagher, the
detective who threatened to hang him on
the spot if he did not speak the truth,
land speak it q1ickl!n willingly led the
detectives to the dark closet, securely
locked, with the key safe in Chalkley La
Coney's pocket, Patrick Gallagher, with
one kick of his powerful brogans, broke
in the door of the dark closet and broke
open the lid of the trunk.
The saehel, or grip" was not fastened
and there lay the evidence. The detective
brought the gripsaek and the clothes to
the Prosecutors office, Sixth and Federal
streets, still wet, for they had been put
under the pump near the kitchen door, so
Murray says, the same pump at which
Chalkley La Coney washed the evidence
of Annie's blood from his hands.
William Smith, a neighbor in whom LIE
Coney also confided, was taken into GUS
tody, He bears out Murray's story,
1t is alleged that Smith knew that muir
der had been done, and it was Billy Smith
who was to keep watch and ward over
swear that Chalkley LIE Coney was in the
field, among his cifrons, when Annie lie
Coney lay dying On the floor.
AS the uncle came from the citron field
ne rested a moment at the gate leading to
the kitchen.
Bridget O'Donnen cried out, wringing
her hands, She simply said;-"Anniel O,
Annieln
Chalkley rose up, his fiorid face flushed
redder than its wont, and he cried outs
Yes! Somebody has killed my niece and
robbed the house"
Nobody had said anything about killing
or robbing anybody.
On the second-story window was found
the seemingly bloody imprint of a
The doctor called 1t ''blood.m Examine
ton since made showed it was
red paint daHbed on the shutters in
the second story. This shows premedita-
ton. So does the sending of Murray
down on Sunday night to the ~Jordantown
camp meeting
''Tell Lingo | want him, but not to dig
potatoes" said LIE Coney.
Murray, who lived in the house with
Chalkley-there vas no tenant other than
himself and Murray and Annie
went on Sunday evening to the camp
meeting. He found Lingo and his wife
at the mourner's bench. Calling Lingo
out he delivered the LIE Coney message,
assuring Lingo he was not to dig pota-
five o'clock sharp.
81 will be there, tell de boss" said
Lingo; 'be dere on time"
Murray left. The plot was working
well.
HWhy didn't you conner" said the Cor
oner to Lingo before the jury
Because" said Lingo, "Annie and
Mister Chalkley had been a-quarreling
and dey worried me-"
Ii he had called instead of going to
John f. Starts farm, Murray says, 1.-THE
plot was to put blood on his garments
and Lingo would then have been made a
heave-offering or vicariolls atonement for
another's crime and added another case
to q long list of legal murders.
The motive was to get possession of
Annie's savings.
Assemblynlsn scudder Out.
A peculiar political thing happens in
the First Assembly district Of Mercer by
the change made last winter. Uriel
Seudder, of Ewing, represented the First
district in the Assembly last winter, but
owing to the change in the lines of the
districts he pow resides in the Second dis
trict. 1t has been the unwritten custom
for years to elect q member for two sue
eessive years at least from the First dis
trict hut this lnaYaS Mr. Scunlnr with