The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-04-18
\ DASTARDLY CRIME

A Wife Murdered and a Husband Danger
OuSly Wounded for $50, a Gold Watch
and a Few Spoons.
MEAGRE CLUES AS YET.
Detailed Facts of the Burglary OF Mr. D.
Granville Richards House at Porter
Bridge and the Killing of Mrs. Richards
The Inquest. Mrs. Richards Funeral.
Arrest of a Suspected Man. MIR. Rich
ards Condition.
The shadow of another revolving crime
has fallen upon our county. ere the nor
rible details of a recent murderous as
sault upon an aged couple i'll southern
portion of it have faded from the public
mind. Early on Monday morning, intel
ligence reached Elkton, that the dwell
ing of J. Granville Richards well known
citizen of the Sixth district had been in-
vaded by burglars, at whose hands his
estimable wife had received her death,
aud that Mr.. Richards in a heroic at
tempt to defend his household, bad him
self been desperately wounded. The cou-
veyance to our readers of the unvarnished
| facts of this latest outrage upon the
sanctity of the household, needs no SEN
sational pen, since the crime in all its de-
tails stands unparelled in the criminal
annals of Cecil county.
THE LOCALITY.
If any one of our readers had accom-
panied the reporter of the WING on Mon
day to the scene of this tragedy, he
could scarcely have imagined, that man S
lnhumauity to man could visit upon 50
peaceful and beautiful locality, SO pro-
nounced an evidence of his total de-
pravity. Clad in their fresh verdure OF
early Spring, the beautiful OctorarO hills
spread their living carpets of green.
Three miles directly West of Rising Sun
on the old Post Road and almost under
the shadow of the famous Richards Oak
venerable land mark i'll that section,
the Richards homestead is located. 1t Is
a comfortable and substantial double
dwelling of stone, suggestive OF Colonial
days, two stories in height, located on
the slope of the hill side, its front facing
the South. Here assembled on last Sun
day evening were Mr.. Richards a man
not vet entered in the forties and his
family, consisting of his wife few years
his senior, bright, vivacious and devoted
mother, with four children, Willie the
oldest a youth about seventeen, Harry
the second son lad of fifteen, Joseph
aged eleven, and Hampden the youngest
! a child of six. Mrs. Randolph Langdoa a
sister-iu. law of Mrs. Richards was visit
ing the family, her husband being a
| younger brother of Mrs. Richards, and
who had come from Oxford, Pa, on Sat-
urday to close the personal estate OF
Hampton Langdon, deceased, by public
sale on Tuesday. These with cDlored
woman Florence Boldly constituted the
household. We caGnot call them
PRESENTMENTs
of impending trouble, but as the family
sat chatting by the fire side, little dream
| ing of the blow about to fall upon them,
Mrs. Langdon thought she heard foot
steps upon the front porch. Mr.. Richards
! oueerfulIy assured he? that her fears
were groundless, and when later she
thought she heard footsteps in the cellar,
laughngly replied that the old home
stead was a grand old refuge for rats and
nothing worse. As Mr.. Richards bust
ness as Customs Examiner at Baltimore
required him to start early in the morn.
ing, the family party broke up early. The
three oldest boys went to bed in their room
| next their parents about nine O'Clock,
| Mr.. aud Mrs. Richards following them "a
few minutes later to their room in the
| Southwest corner of the house, and TAX
ing with them little IIampdeu. Mrs.
ately back of Mr.. and Mrs. Richards
room and separated from it by a narrow
hail. The moon which had shown fit
fully up to about eleven O'Clock had set,
and the entire household was wrapt in
slumber, there being no light in any
room of the house.
THE DEADLY SHOT.
| A little after midnight Mrs. Richards
who was sleeping upon the outer edge OF
the bed, the latter standing in the corner
of the room, and little Hampden sleep.
ing between her and Mr.. Richards, was
awakened as from troubled dream, by
a rustling sound in their room, and rails
| ing ND upon her elbow, touched her hus
band, saying to him TREMENDOUSLY that
| there was some one in the room. Mr.
Richards instantly rose up and seeing
dimly the outline of a man III the
room Ieached for his pistol which laId OF
the window sill to his right, and called
out quickly who's there, speak or II
shoot" Instantly his challenge was an
swered from the darkness by the flash o
a pistol, and the bullet from which wen
| ls,
tering her head Immediately owe
and little back of her right ear
She fell back unconscious, being fatally
struck. Mr.. Richards returning the firt
without effect, spraug from the bed, fol
lowing the murderer into the ball. Again
he saw IN the darkness the dim outlin,
that his eldest son had been aroused b,
the reports OF the two shots, he callet
out willie is that you? ~ The only re
ply was the echo of a third shot, the bull
let from which Mr.. Richards received il
his left side. Instantly he returned tn
fire but without effect, while his mul
derous assailant closed upon him in
! death struggle, at the head of the stairs
during which Mr.. Richards was almos
disarmed by blow with heavy iro
missile which afterwards proved to be
rock drill about two feet long, used b
suarrymen for drilling with hand ma
let. Disabled as he was he still fired al
other shot, and falling down the stair
closely followed his assailant he Shove
the stuff he was made of, and bravel
! fought his unknown foe, receiving a seq