The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-12-29
FOURTH EDITION
TIE SElAVAiE lily MISERY.
A Man Was Murdered But Some
Doubt Exists as to Who 1t was-The

child tnat has not theory In regard
to IL.
The investigation has proceeded far
enough to show that II the headless
body found is that of Noah Benson
thore Is woman mixed up In the case.
The most tangible evidence SO far
shows that Noah Benson, who worked
for William Beck. and Edward VII.
llams, who worked for Llverymau jess
ter, were In love with the same girl,
Ellen King.
Williams admitted that he Ind lived
with the girl, but that they quairslled
andle left her and she afterwards
took up with Benson. A report that
the two men had quarrelled over the
girl led detective MeVey to arrest
Villains and lock him up until he was
wanted by the coroner's Jury.
Yesterday morning q post.mortem
examination was held over the body
by the Coroner's Physicians, DIR. j. II.
Smith and DIR. H. W. Jacobs when in
addition to the stabs on the body pre-.
vlously reported 1t was found that
the back was broken. An exanIlna-
ton OF the lungs disclosed the
tact thut the man had been killed
before he was thrown into the canal,
as no water was found In the lungs.
AS soon as the examination was over
DIR. Smith returned to Wilmington but
DR.. jacobs detailed The facts discover
ed to the corners jury. After thepost-
mortem was completed the remains
OF the murdered man were buried in Il
colored burying ground.
lie coroners jury met at the Della
ware City Hotel ut 1880 O'Clock.
DR.. Jacobs wont into minute de-
tniI nf the xynundc fnnnd a., fhf h,1,t
At least either of tho three of them
would havo caused death. Tho wounds
could have been made by any blunt
instrument either before or after death.
The wound on the leg below the calf
could have been made by wagon rum
ming overit. The back was broken ut
the seventh vertebrae and the head
wis cut of by some heavy instrument,
but whether the head had been cut of
before or after death he could not tell.
Lemuei Pennington told about the
finding of the body In the canal on
| Christmas morning.
William Beck by whom Benson was
employed. gave description OF the
missing man. Benson had lived with
him year and the day no left he wore
plain ring. There was some clothing
at his house and some money belong
ing to Benson. Mr.. Beck said a white
girl named Townsend lived with him
until the Saturday after Thanksgiving
when she left. When Mr.. Beck put the
girl on the boat, the captain asked him
II he knew where Noah Benson was, as
he had engaged passage with him.
Mr.. Beck did not know where he was.
Stewart Book, son of William, testi-
fled that he saw a ring on Benson's
finger. He saw Benson come out OF Il
house In which a family named Caus-
land lived, and heard him say that
MRS. Causlnnd was a pretty dirty
kind OF woman" On the evening
before Thanksgiving Ellen King cali.
ed to sec him as she had often done.
When Benson left they thought he left
to avoid arrest for breaking a car
rage.
Ellen King testified that she last saw
Benson at Beck's the night before
Thanksgiving. He walked short
distance down the road with her and
thon turned back. On Thanksgiving
night she was at the house of Sarah
Fields. Edward Williams was there
and went out at O'clock. saying he
was going TO the supper. Henry
Fields wife and Philip Sadler We're
also there; Sadler and Williams went
out together: heard Williams say the
day, after Thanksgiving Qiiday) that
no drove over the town after doctor
for the colored preacher cut at the fes.
tiyal; Henson told how he was going
to his brothers before long.
In relation to the ring Benson wore.
she said she gave him the ring, a brass
ring once plated with gold, and he
wore IL on the right hand. The ring
taken from the hand OF the corpee
was shown her but she said that was
not her ring, it was not as wilde nor as
large. The witness tried the ring but
1t would not go on her finger Being
asked how else she could tell the ring
was not hers she said the ring she gave
Benson. had two teeth marks upon it
which Noah made one night trying to
bite 1t In two She never heard that
Noah had an enemy, but Ned Williams
did not like him much because he
went with her, she thought there was
jealousy between the two.
The Jury took recess and met again
at l.30 p. IN.
Elias Hickman testified that he had
some clothes left by Benson to be
washed and called for the Saturday be
fore Thanksgiving.
William Benson, son of the missing
man gave evidence which upset all
previous calculations. He saw his
father about three months ago. He
said he had ''gal' named Ellen King.
lie stated that his father had been stab.
bod in the shoulder and muscle of the
arm and there was bulletin his hand
did not know Ned Williams
Aftsr the taking OF much moreirrele.
want testimony the jury adjourned
until 10 o'clock this morning.
After the adjournment the headless
body was resHrrected to give young
Benson chance to say whether IL was
that Of his father. After examining il
and not finding any old scars nor the
bullet IN the hnnd, young Benson said
the body was not that of his father. The
people OF Delaware City arc still In a
quandary. On Thanksgiving day a
warrant WAS placed In tho hands of
| Constable Clark for the arrest of BEN
son for running into the wagon of
| Robert Gross near Delaware CITY and
damaging 1t. Benson knew that this
warrant was TO be issued, and IL Is be-
lieyed by many that he lied to escape
arrest.
1t s now believed he will soon re.
| turn.
Detective Meyey last evening dis
charged Edward Williams from GUS
| toby.
a white man says that while fishing
| last week he brought up some cloth.
ing. but thinking tho matter of no i'm.
portance threw IL in ugain. IL is now
| believed that the head is not far from
the clothing. A party OF men with
| Coroner Sparks dragged for the cloth
ing last evening and commenced this
morning again.
The jury met this morning and
after due consultation returned n yar.