Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-27
A CASE OF SUICIDE.

II TO WahhtuEtOn~-A hybteriOus vase. ~
Just as day was breaking Friday morn
ing the dead body of a man was found
lying in the foot-path along the cause
way leading to New Castle, and about
300 yards beyond the New Castle cut
off OF the Philadelphia, Wilmington &
Baltimore railroad. The body lay on
It's left side, with the feet toward New
Castle and the head in the direction OF
Market street bridge. The hat lay near
the head, about two feet distant
As James Gregg, who lives on one OF
the New Castle Commons farms, was
driving along the causeway to Whining
ton, with wagon load Of truck, he no.
ticed the body Of the stranger lying
along the right side of the road, and
thinking the man was intoxicated he
began to yell at him to wake him up.
The man, who was already a corpse,
lay still upon the roadway, and still
thinking he was under the influence of |
liquor Mr.. Gregg drove on in to Eighth |
street market with his load of produce.
He had not driven more than 800 |
yards from the spot where the body lay
when he met four or five colored men
going in the direction of New Castle.
These men proved TO be threshmen on
tutlI way W bue lhIul VI MI. w nitcf
near the New Castle road. Mr.. Gregg
passed the colored men and drove on
In the direction of Wilmington.
When the negroes reached the spot
where the man lay they stopped and
wide open and had wild stare which
almost impressed the negroes with the
belief that the man was still living,
fkA,. al \, iN0 ,r,f al
right about his appearance as he lay on
the foot path, the men began to call him
and attempted TO arouse him from
supposed stupor. Then they called
again, but the body, cold and limp in
death, did not bulge.
One Of the negroes caught hold of him
and attempted to roll the man over 1t
was now fast becoming day, and as the
negro turned the body over so that the
left side was visible CHASTITY sight met
the view Of his companions. just over
the region of the heart and two inches
from the nipple was great gaping
wound, which rent the mans clothing
aud caused the blood to trickle down
over his vest and form pool on the
footpath under the body.
The negroes, who were at once seized
with the horrible thought that murder
had been done, left the scene of the
tragedy Immediately. Three of them
pushed on towards the farm of Mr..
White to engage with the steam thresh-
ing machine, while Elijah Furchus and
Charles Saunders, the other two work
men, came back into Wilmington and
notified the coroner, shortly after
o'clock.
Coroner Sparks and Undertaken
Palmer drove at once 10 the spot where
the many's body lay, and made hasty
= Examination of the surroundings to
ascertain whether the man was MUIR
dered or had taken his life by his own
hand. A search was made of his cloth
ing, and $2.03 in money was found; also
gold ring on his left hand, turtle
shell penknife, a silver watch and chain
and i've 89.calibre cartridges, which
were laying loose In his pocket, He also
had bunch of five keys, and on the in.
side Of the silver ring which held the
keys, was the name ~. b. Williams,
in plain letters nicely engraved.
A search was made for the weapon
with which the deed was perpetrated
but 1t could not be found. The absence
Of the revolver, which was evidently Of
3S-calibre pattern, at once advanced
the theory that the man had been muir
derod, and these reports spread rapidly
about the city and the greatest excite
ment prevailed. Scores Of citizens wer,
soon upon the scene endeavoring to un
ravel the mystery and advancing many
theories Of suicide and murder.
Many of those who visited the seen,
of the tragedy were impressed with tn
theory of murder. The ball piercinl
the heart produced death instanta
neously was the belief of the maiorit,
Of those who visited the spot, and the,
were not inclined to believe that afte
the man had shot himself, If he did d
such a thing, he would have strength
enough left to hurl the revolver to sue
distance that II could not be found
Those who know best state that when
man commits suicide and death follow
instantaneously, as it surely did in thi
case, the heart being pierced by tn
ball the suicide invariably clutches th
weapon in a tight grasp, and it eithe
falls near the body or is afterward
found in the suicides hand Tight
clutched.
The spot where the mans body WIS
found is fully mile from Market stree
bridge, on the causeway. The bod
lay under the seventh maple tree frol
the Edge Moor cutoff on the east sid
of the causeway. The nearest house
the spot where the man was foun,
which is the old Rodgers property,
about one-eighth of mile distant III
body lay under this maple tree fully
feet distant from the ditch or stagnal
channel of water lying along the roa
Those who were inclined 10 the suiciC
t1f ~ 49,. Al. Al
weapon which is missing was hurled
distance Of IL feet into the ditch by Il
suicide, after he had shot himse
through the heart, but this seems il
credible. Those who believe that Il
man was murdered are slow TO adm
that the man would have been able,
he had committed suicide, with the bs
passing through his heart, to hurl Il
weapon such distance and then fl
down dead. The man never struggle
He dropped In his tracks corpse. Tn
statement made by James Gregg, wi
was the first man TO see the body, seel
TO strengthen the belief Of many i
clined to the murder theory.
Mr.. Gregg stated that when he W
coming along tho New Castle rof
about a half-mile from the spot whe
the body lay, he was accosted by
stranger who inquired of him the W
to New Castle. He gave him the desii
information and the man pushed rapiC
on. Mr.. Gregg said the strnnger wa
rough-looking fellow, shabbily dress
and wearing dark SLOUGH hat
was a man Of middle age. The m
did not impress him very favorably
appearance and he drove on.
The lack Of motive, however. If
man was murdered, is strong point