Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-04-30
IN SUSPECT BRAM'S CELL
The Prisoner Able to Clearly
Prove an Aiibi.
NO EVIDENCE TO HOLD HIM
Tells of His Whereabouts at
the Time of the Killing.
II He Should he Convicted and Hanged
for Killing Mrs. Richards He Wants to
Put the Moose ON His Own Neck and
Spring the Trap Himself.

The excitement over the murder of Mrs
| Richards and the attack upon her husband
IN their lonely farm house on the Porter's
Bridge road, about four miles from Rising
sun, Nd, has now almost died out, and
| the people are beginning to weigh care
fully every particle of evidence brought
forward by the clues as developed in the
| hands Of Detective 0ttey and his assistants
Day and night the slightest thread has
been taken up and followed until sure of
| its failure.
When DR. George, Bran was first ar
rested there was hardly man for miles
around who would lift his voice and say
that the man was other than guilty. Ills
reputation was not savory and his known
connections in Baltimore did not add to
his standing. He was refused admission
into one college and elected from several
boarding houses, until finally the man
| went to reside with colored people in one
of the lowest parts of Baltimore city.
But Bran has accounted for every hour
OF his time on the eventful night of the
murder and his testimony Is borne out by
indisputable proof.
Bran is good-looking young fellow of
perhaps % years of age, TALL light COM
plexioned, with bright blue eyes that
shine clearly when animated in conversa-
ton or excited
he is u nervous parsonage, with short,
quick movements, and boaster from the
start to finish. This is probably the cause
OF most of his troubles, for he can tell a
story rivaling any ever told by Mum
chausen.. He is a lively fellow, and has
SHOWN me keenest interest in the reports
published about the murder in the daily
papers, His cell is full of them, and he
reads them again and again, seemingly to
fasten every word on his memory for flu
ture use.
About his dress Bran is somewhat of a
dude for he wears suit of black which
cost his father good months wages and
a hat of London make for which he saws
he paid $50 and which he smooths con-
tinually.
Confined in the prison with Bran are
Frank Ferguson, who is also suspected of
completely in the Richards tragedy; Stout,
negro, the alleged murderer of Farmer
Ditmore another colored man, who at
tempted the life of his father; Jimmy,
have been in Elkton Jail twenty years;
"Riley," who has been in the Jail nine
years, and "Hecky," lunatic, who has
been confined some six years.
To his prison companion Bran talks in
cessantly about the murder in a most dra-
matte style. Now and then he quotes lib
orally from Shakespeare and Byron and at
times, while in the middle Of a declaration
Will stop short to discuss the circumstances
of the murder.
In the presence of reporter he said :
"Gentlemen, | am innocent. God knows,
gentlemen, am and innocent man, and
lie VIII never see me convicted of crime
have a perfect abb in this case, and no
one of my hundreds Of friends believes me
guilty. Now will show you how limo
cent am, gentlemen"
'0n that Sunday afternoon went from |
my boarding place, at GAL Pierce street, TO
a fellow student named Hall, on Madison |
avenue, with whom | stopped for some
went direct to 10 Portland street, to see |
my girl, Miss Kimsborth. oh, yes, had |
a girl and she was nice girl.
We'll, she was sitting on the steps when |
] got there, and while was talking to her,
her father, brothers and sister went past
us into the house. wanted to spend the
evening with her III the house, but she
wanted to go to the salvation Army; she
consented to stay at home because / told
her l was going away on the following
day.
II left her house at about ii o'clock and
went direct to my home. The people had
gone to bed and had to wake them to get
in. never left the house until the follow
ing morning, when | took the train from
the Calvert street station for Rowlands-
vile. got home late in the afternoon,
and while walking up the creek fired
shot from my pistol into the water. was
awful glad to get home, | tell you, for
have the most lovely woman in the state
as my wife, and most beautiful baby.
ihink of them alone and me here in this
place the wonder is that | am not crazy.
why, gentlemen, when | was taken
1ut of my bed on Monday night BY the
officers was thunderstorm, but am in
hat.
But gentlemen, l tell you if am sem
enced to be hung for this, shall ask The
,ourt for one thing, and that is that may
lie in an open field in the presence of ali
he people of this place. want to put the
ope round my neck myself. and, if l can, ,,
o pull the bolt for | anu not afraid to die"
3ram repeated this story at least dozen
lines in the presence Of the reporter, never
arying hardly word. After he had done !
alking he got up from the chair and .
walked into his cell, and in few minutes
e was heard praying that God would set /
i'm right before the world. :
Emerging again into the corridor, his y
yes glistening and his slight frame shak- y
lg with emotion. he said ooh, if the !
nam or men who did that thing were only
ere; they would not live five minutes if
'as sure they had done it," Then he
cyan to sing i'll a low voice and in min :,
te or two the prison rang with some old /,
lshioned hymn. \
Frank Ferguson, the other suspect, is d
nall dark man with maleformed feet He h
'ldom speaks to any one of his partners n
! misery, but listened to them very care Il
lily. He walked up and down the corri- h
prs slowly, biting his finger nails and u
uttering to himself. If the talk turned =
the chances of escaping from the Jail he q
nd the strictest attention. He would not a,
lk,. however, but repeatedly said that he p
ItnTnRnnt otnA 1,. B..I
urder was committed Sheriff Boyd says II
e two men are model prisoners in every ~
spect and give him no trouble whatever Ri
hey have liberty to go into the yard of m
{. prison, play quoits the whole day long, 80
I'd the men evidently appreciate the
ndness granted to them.
ELkToN, MD, April 23.--The hearing of tn
r. George A. Bran and Frank Ferguson, RI
spected of numbering Mrs. Lizzie ]. fiji
chards and shooting her husband In nt
cir lonely farmhouse near Porter's su
1dge, this county, at midnight on Sun ur
Y, April 18th, has been set for Saturday hi
xt. The hearing will take place in the an
criff's office before Magistrate Andrew W
Scott ON
| he general opinion is that no clue has tn
been found to fasten the crime on either is
am or Ferguson. Still the residents of OK
neighhorhood where the murder was
nmitted are strong in their belief that
prominent man from the Sixth district mr.,
,terday said that if he was released from ccb
he would be lynched H.
3ram $ alibi was strengthened to-day. G. SCI
Crothers, his counsel, received a letter de,
m y. Hixon, who is employed as ne,
rk in Iilyard's drug store, Baltimore, pfr,
% says he is ready to swear that Bran Eta
S in the store on the evening Of the mr.
rider and that he was talking to him. 20,
tiers were also received from John sny
chtor and Charles Keath, who say that
y were talking to Bran at Beckboth's