The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-11
motive FOR MURDER
Appears to Be Lacking In the Mccarthy
Case.
TIE MYSTERY As DEEP As EVER
Police Think They Have Found the Fatal
wsapon-ssverai Clues Being Quietly
worked Up That May Lead tn De-
aired Resuit-The Club Did the Work.

NORTH ATTLED0Ro, Mass, July H.
From whatever point IL Is viewed the
Mccarthy murder is an impenetrable
mystery. The more the case is looked
into and the more clues that are followed
up. the thicker the cloud Of mystery be-
comes. While the officials would like to
think It is something beside murder, 1t is
impossible to do SO with the information
ot hand
But at the same time not the least mo-
tive for the crime has been discovered
The local police have been hard at work all
day, but the result of their work has
shown nothing OF value.
O6losr Freeman has run down rumor
after rumor and clue after clue, only to
11nd himself as deep in the mystery as be-
fore. The officials are working as sys-
tematically as they can, considering that
mono Of them have handled case OF this
magnitude before
While the officials have had several clues
that looked to be important at first, they
have run them down and found they had
no connection with the case whatever.
Soon after the body was found Con-
stable Crossley made discovery of what
may be
An Important Clue.
Floating on the water near where the body
was taken he found stick Of small tim
ber abont three feet long. 1t was about
three inches wide and a half inch thick,
with the side at one end coming to an
edge.
Near one end vas . bent nail, around
which were some hairs II there had been
any blood on the stick it had been washed
on BY the water. This stick was produced
at the autopsy and at the conclusion was
carried away by the medical examiner. II
Is evident that the officials attach consid-
erable weight to It,
It Is the opinion Of the authorities that
the wounds could have been made by the
use Of that piece of wood. 1t is . quite
heavy piece of chestnut with sharp edge,
which is sufficiently sharp to make a cut
almost as clean as that with knife The
side of the head has the appearance of
having received a downward blow, such as
could have been made by the use of this
piece of wood.
Along the top Of the scalp, Just where
the forehead begins, Is a long mark or
scratch which could have been made by the
nail In the edge Of the stick. In the down
ward course when the blow was struck.
When the skin was removed from the
1hce and scalp on the right side there was
seen much discoloration, showing that
A Number OF Heavy Blows
had been dealt upon the old mans head
A wound that Is especially puzzling is the
one Just hack of and above the right ear.
which consists of well defined hole as
large as a silver dollar.
How this could have been inflicted no
one pretsnds to know. 1t Is quite evident
that all tho wounds but this could have
been made with the stick.
In view of this it has been suggested
that hafchet may have been used: that
the other wounds might have been made
with the blade and the hole might have
been inflicted by powerful blow from
the back part Of the head OF the hatchet.
On the other hand. 1t Is thought that the
cuts around the ear were not clear enough
70 have been made with q hatchet unless
it was . very dull one. Again it has been
suggested that two weapons might have
been used, but this Is thought hardly
probable
A Curious Fact
noticed at the autopsy was that no blood
was found on any part of the dead mans
clothing, and this notwithstanding that
tho whole side of his face was mass of
lacerated hesh and the jugular vein had
been torn open. This fact is puzzling the
officers great deal
The officials are Of the opinion that the
murder was committed some distance
from the pond; that it was done in the
daylight, the body being secreted until
they had an opportunity to take it to the
pond. The road to the pond is deserted