Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-08-07
A SLEEPING CAR MYSTERY.
A PASSENGER SHOT IN HIS BERTH
AND NO ASSAILANT IN SIGHT
4 MOMENT AFTERWARDS.

a y.
1t is just about thousand yards by rail
from Waynesboro to Basic City. The Gin
cinnati Express makes a stop at night at
the former place and then goes on to the
latter, at no time reaching a high rate Of
speed between the two. On the Cincinnati
Express sleeper which stopped at Stanton
going East Friday morning at 1924, there
were eight gentlemen and two ladies; the
gentlemen were chiefly well known Rich
mond men. One of the ladies was Mrs. G.
B. Edwards of South Carolina, whose hus-
band was also on the car, and Miss Mar
shall of Portsmouth, whose father, Col.
Marshall, occupied berth near her. At
Staunton one passenger got on the sleeper
Mr.. Charles Bacharact of Philadelphia, a
commercial traveller well known here The
rear door OF the sleeper was not locked. The
train stopped at Waynesboro as usual, and
moment OIL two after it pulled out from
there, the curtain of Miss Marshalls berth
was pulled aside by thin man with mus
tache and goatee and wearinga soft hat. She
called out to her father and the man say
ing: sExcuse me Miss, am at the wrong
berth, - closed the curtain. In the adjoin-
ing berth was lying Mr.. d. T. Council of
Portsmouth, Ohio. gentleman OF family,
sixty-fve years of age, a citizen OF high
standing in his town and largely interested
in development matters in Craig county, Va
He was lying with his coat, vest and shoes
off. The curtain of his berth was next
drawn and the man, having revolver in
his hand then, said to him: 81 want your
money! Nh. Council thinking it was a
civil engineer that he knew, said: I've
got no money for you' and kicked at him.
The man at once fired On Mr.. Council, the
bullet entering at the groin passing through
and cutting the bowels.
The cry of Murder! some one has shot
me-, Immediately sounded through the cal.
EX-Judge Geo. L. Christian of Richmond,
leaped from his berth on the instant, but
saw no one near the berth from which the
cry had come. He saw a lady, Mrs. Ed
wards of South Carolina, standing at the
other end of the aisle drinking glass of
water which her husband had brought her.
She had seen no one come into the car.
Judge G. went to the berth and Mr.. Council
said: "a man was here just now and shot
me, and showed him the wound. The con-
ductor who was in the smoking room Of the
CAL looking over his trip book, then came
in, having been told by Mr.. Edwards that
some one was shot. By this time all the
passengers in the car were up. The train
j.. slowed up and entered Basic City. The
male passengers demanded to be searched
and were searched, but not q single pistol
was found OH any of them, nor was any
found in the car which was also hunted
over. DR.. Fox Of Waynesboro, was sent
for and pronouncing the wound one that
demanded attention, it was decided to take
Mr.. Council on to Charlottesville, and the
train proceeded, DE-. Fox accompanying
the wounded man. No one was seen to get
on the car at Waynesboro nor was any one
seen to leap off it as it approached Basic
City.
Arriving at Charlottesville a stretcheT
was procured and DR.. Fox had the wound
ed man conveyed to Wright's Hotel. MI.
Chas. E. FretWell of Staunton, who was IN
Charlottesville assisting Grand Master
Wheat at the instituting OF a new Odd
Fellows lodge, was at the depot and volun-
teered to assist at the stretcher. He says
Mr. Council was cool and collected, and gave
directions about bringing his clothing and
watch out of the car to be carried with him
to the hotel He seem to be chilled by the
shock of the wound and asked that a blan-
ket be wrapped around his feet. He gave
E statement of how he had been wounded
about Identical with that given above.
After the extent of Mr.. Connell's injury
was ascertained the operation Of laparoto-
my was performed as last resort. He
commenced sinking soon after, and died on
Wednesday evening. He was a member of
the Protestant Episcopal church and leave s
a wife and nine children. Three Of his SONS
are engaged in business at Craig City. MI.
Council was the founder of Craig City, and
with his partner, Col. J. G. Mcdonald
(who commanded the 22d Va. infan try dur
ing the wary built the railroad from there
to Eagle Mount. Vice President AXtell of
the G. & o. road was another partner of his
in the founding of the city. At his death
there were present his wife, his physician
Dr.. D. B. Cotton Of Portsmouth, Ohio, his
three sons from Craig City, Col. Melon
aid. John Overturf, Cashier of the Savings
Bank at Portsmouth. and E. Fl. Ball OF
that city. His latest statement in life re-
garding the assassin was that he had a light
complexion, seemed about thirty years old
and Of about 100 pounds weight and wore q
dark mustache. MI. Council thought I'M
til few minutes before his death that he
would recover from his wound. He made
his will Wednesday morning, leaving
bis property to his wife and children. In
his valise was found his revolver all five
chambers of which were loaded. 1t was
sealed up to lie sent to Staunton to the Com
monwealth's Attorney of Augusta, i'm which
county the crime took place.
A representative of the VIMDIcAToR
visited Waynesboro and Basic City, Mon
day, to see if inquiry could throw any adj
ditional light On the mysterious tragedy
No one could be found who could throw
the least light on it. Neither at Waynes-
boro nor at Basic City had there been seen
any one get on or off the sleeper. A high
embankment runs great part of the way
between the two towns, but nobody had
been able to discover any marks of foot
prints where any one had jumped off the
car. AtBasic City. w. A. Bowles, Man
ager of the Hotel Brandon, who was tax
ing the train there for Richmond. had
gotten on the car platform at Basic as
the train pulled in. but found the FROM