Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-29
A CHASTITY SIGHT

III IHE STAR.
The body was found in a watery grave, it
having been inferred in the low ground near
the fence.
CHASTITY SIGHT
was presented when Undertaken Gasch, Of
Bladensburg, broke the lid from the coffin,
which was then afloat in the muddy water that
had nearly inundated the cemetery. The foot
of the coffin was but a few inches from the
fence inclosing the cemetery grounds. When
the grave was opened the body was
so covered with mud and was other
was found almost impossible to remove it to an
elevated place, where a good likeness could be
obtained. So on the other side of the fence,
under the tall oak trees, the photographer ar
ranged his camera. Then the boards were
taken off the fence. In the meantime the I'M
dertaker had succeeded in elevating the head
Of the coffin in order to get the water off the
face Of the dead woman. The foot Of the cof-
fin was buried under the water. Several buck
cts of water were used to cleanse the faces as
well as possible, and then four hkenesses of
the women were obtained.
Under the head of the woman was
piece OF linen which was thrown over
her face when the body was put in the
ground. There was also considerable red clay
and number of small twigs and pieces Of
sticks which had probably gotten in the coffin
since the body was first dsinterred Under her
chin was a stick which was placed there by
the undertaken to close the mouth and prevent
the large teeth from showing. Only side
view was taken because the other side of her
face had been eaten away before the body was
first found. On the left temple scar is visi-
BILE which looks like bruise made with flat
iron or some other heavy article. The police
think that any one who knew the woman would
be able to identify her from this photograph.
THE MAN OF THE WAGON.
The clothes taken from the murdered woman
are in the possession of Sheriff Darnall
Of Prince George county, Md. Diggs, the
colored wagon-driver, whose home is at Burr
vile, and who was arrested on the statement
of the old colored sandman Capt" Cook, is
still held at the sixth precinct police station.
To those who give credence to Cooks story
which is corroborated by two other sandmen
who say that Diggs stopped at Benning bridge
either Thursday or Friday or Saturday morn
ing, April, IS, 10 or 20, and washed his wagon
suppose that Diggs was employed by
the murderer to cart away the body of his vic
tim and conceal it. Cook says that it was Sat-
urday morning that Diggs stopped at his shanty
to wash his wagon. When Detective Raft ex-
amined Diggs' wagon after the latters arrest
he found no sign of blood in in, but some traces
of ashes in the crevices between the boards
Cook said in his statement that there were
ashes in the wagon when he helped Diggs
wash it out after Diggs had passed his house
with his load, supposed to be a human body,
AN INTERVIEW WITH DIGas.
In a cell at the sixth precinct police station
is tall, athletic looking negro, attired in
well-worn old flannel shirt and rusty-looking
trousers. This is Diggs, the wagon-driver
When STAR reporter looked into Digs cell
this morning the prisoner at once sprang up
from the iron bench on which he was sitting
and came forward TO the grating. Raising his
hand he said, with solemn air: Il know
ia n1<N,,A r i
tell the world that know nothing about it.
never hauled body for anyone" Diggs still
adheres to his story about his employment
Friday and Saturday. the 18th and goth inst
He was working those days about the Balti-
more and Ohio depot and the Maltby house, he
said, and drove to and from his home at
Burrville at the usual hours. He told
The STAR reporter again that he had promised
five cents to Cook for board the latter had
given him, and had never paid the five cents.
Cook had called out after him about it. Il
believe, said Diggs, land l am willing to
swear, that believe that this old man was
hired by some one to tell that he saw me with
this body"
Questioned further as to who could have
undertaken to injure him in this way Diggs
about the Baltimore and Ohio depot had tried
to crowd him out. Some of them had, he said,
backed their wagons into his, and in other
ways prosecuted him. He believed that some
OF these men, to get him out Of the way, had
hired Cook to tell this story. When asked
about
ASHES IN HIS WAGON,
and whether he had handled any ashes. Diggs
said he had hauled away load Of ashes from a
house near the Maltby house. He thought it
was three or four weeks ago, but he could not
hx the time exactly. After that, he said, he
had washed his wagon. Diggs said that one
day about a week ago, and he thinks 1t must
some hay, and had Q canvas cover stretched
over it.
THE MAN WITH THE RED SEcKr1E.
The mystery Of the man with the red necktie
was cleared up by STAB reporter. This man
brought information to the police Of another
person, q resident Of Prince George county,
named Lepley, who corroborates Cook and the
other colored men ct Benning's bridge about
the washing Of the wagon. The information
given to the police is that Lepley saw Diggs
| washing his wagon that morning.
These statements tend to strengthen the sus-
PIGEONS against Diggs, Who has constantly and