Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-10-27
Where Poor Katie Dugan Met
Her Untimely Death.
THOUSANDS VIEW THE GROUND
Detectives Have Their Eye
Upon a Suspect.
An Arrest May be Made at Any Moments
Many People Visit the Place Where the
Unfortunate Girls Dead Body Was
Found--A Tree Stripped for Relies.

Eleventh WaTu SHOrlly DelOre noon lnuTS-
day.
An examination Of the body revealed
the fact that shocking double crime had
been committed during the night. Not
satisfied with having committed brutal
criminal assault the perpetrator of the in
famous crime added murder to his work.
THE GIRLS TERRIBLE STRUGGLE.
The throat was cut from ear to ear,
while the young girls eyes were black and
blue from beating. She made desperate
struggle for her honor, and was only over
come by the superior brute force of her
asSailaut.
The crime was evidently committed in
the darkness Wednesday night, as the girl
was probably waylayed while following
the foot-patl through the field.
1t was shortly before T. o'clock Thurs
day when the crime was revealed. Will
liam Il. GarSwell, the well known foot
ball player, was returning from his homo
at Elsmere, and crossed the field i'll which
the body was found, a short distance from
what is known as the new road and not
far from the grounds OF the Wilmington
Rod and Gun Club. Mr. Carswell kept to
the foot path and when he had reached a
spot near midlield the sight of the dead
woman met his gaze.
WHERE THE BODY LAY.
The object lay at some distance from the
fout-path. As Mr.. Garsweil approached
the spot the shocking deed was revealed to
him.
The body lay near small poplar tree.
The girl was prone on her back, the arms
at right angles with the body The face
was much distorted, while the head was
almost severed from the body.
A large Wostenholm razor lying near
the body told how the murder was COM
mitted. The weapon was besmeared with
blood and was half open. The razor was
close by.
There was every evidence of struggle
of the most desperate character, showing
that the Young girl fought with all the
strength possible Tor one Of her age.
As soon as the deed was discovered Mr..
Carswcll made his way to cornlield adj
joining where Michael Mcmahon and
Charles Segars, his colored man, were at
work. Although the dead body had lain
in the field during the entire morning and
but Il short distance from where Mr.. Me-
Mahon and the negro We're at work, it had
not been discovered, nor was the crime
made known until revealed by Mr.. Cars
well,
Mcmahon went at once TO the residence
Of J.. +. Bush and from that place tele-
| phone message was sent to police head
| quarters that the woman had probably
! committed suicide.
| The police sent word to the coroner, but
| up to l.3U o'clock neither the coroner nor
| u policeman appeared upon the scene of
| the arociouS crime
1t was subsequently learned that Coroner
| Sparks was attending to an urgent case at
| Fumhurst. He went to the scene of the
| murder shortly after o clock i'll the after
| noon. He was anticipated by Sergeant
| Ingram who arrived shortly before that
| hour.
Ihe crime is shrpuded in mystery, there
| being no possible clue to the perpetrator
Of the deed. Il Is believed, however, that
| the murder is the work of brutal negro,
| who encountered the girl crossing the
| iielG assaulted and murdered her.
| The girl WIS evidently a school girl.
| She %ils clad in \ blue waist, dark skirt,
| black stockings. button shoes and wore
brown straw hat She was quite good
| looking.
tue murder of Katie Dugan, whose life
/ less body was found in a vacant field in the
UuyA.wcsterH part ot tile city, Thursday
morning, is still enshrOudtd III deepest
mystery. The authorities working on
/ the case have struck q clue however, mich
| may ultimately lift the Veil surrounding
the mystery aud reveal the murderer Of
| the dead girl.
This clue has only been reached after
the most diligrnt efforts ol the officers of
| the law who believe it to be the only
plausible solution 10 the glIastly murder
At first the officers were entirely at sea
| over the tragedy. Scarcely single web
was revealed that woE!d IN any way aid
them in unraycling the mystery. They
have since ainclthcinfurmatio which
| has set them to work moro Hcalously than
before and Will the hopes of bringing the
| dead girls asSaiian to justice,
The murderer is believed 10 be a married
| man, whose intimacy with the girl was
| known nnlv to her nearest friends and
from thus source comes the intelligence
/ which may materially aid the officers in
| prublg Tie mystery, The statement is
| intt the person referred to is responsible
! for lhr murder of the deceased. Realizing
the result OF au exposure, which il is said
the girl HAD threatened. u is believed that
| he ltIrCd her To the spot where the body
was found nnd there sileneed her lips in
death.
il is a!go stated that Katie received
letter from her assaitant on the morning
| Of the day lhr deed was committed. This
rtter has not been found, and is believed
hy l.i2lic pugal, the dead girls sister and
| CnNtidaute, to nave been burned. Tho
| rtter found IN Il pocket Of katieS dress, in
| which the author Of the cpistle asked her
| ID !uCct him rat the same time and place."
MAS received by the girl Monday morning.
ii Is the second letter for which the
family arc hunting, and which they firmly
| believed to have been penned by the hand
| ut The murderer II is believed that the
assailanl chose this course of killing the
girl rather than face the inevitable result
OF her exposure.
The lAeL that clandcstine meetings had
been held between this man and the de-
| etttSei was known only 10 4 few. Her
sister, showing that something was wrong
last "Wednesday night, when Katie put ON
4er coat and sgnillca her intentions OF
,3jng uGt for a walS. asked permission to
accompany her. This permission was refused
and her sister now believes this to have
| Brru owing 70 the fact that the assailant
! Uattin his letter desired to meet her alone.
lie deceased WAS until several months
AGO. constant attendant at ST. Paul's II.
! :. Church where She attended confession.
Suddenly she stopped going to church and
.cun tins on It is believed that she had
rcen led from the path Of virtue by her
DrtFlyer.
] lht family declare that a short time ago
Inc girl attended the forty hours devo-
tiOnai exercises and afterwards made con-
IesSion to the parish priest In this con-
luSsion, il was said She uivulged the name
Of the young married man who, is said to
nave Kept company with her. 1t was
earned from the clergy of St. Paul's
| GAurch On saturday THAT no such con-
fession had beer made TO either of tho
priests there, nor had they seen the girl at
The services for several months.
IL was subsequently stated that the con-
tession had been made to the Rev. Father
bradford, but this assertion could not be-
verified. Notwithstanding this fact the
police believe they are on the right clue