The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-29

AIittle girl stretched upon the grass In
the last throes of death with her he'd
crushed almost to Jelly by cruel blows
from n Jagged piece Of rock was the spec
tacle which met Arthur Skirron's sight
as he hurried TO the northwest corner OF
the Rocky Point grounds at 4;30 yesterday
afternoon In response 70 piteous cries Tor
help.
The little girl was Margaret Scheffield.
he five year-old daughter OF Frank IL.
Sheffield of Westerly, aud her father was
her murderer
When the BAY Queen Of the Continen-
tai line was about 30 leave OH her = O'Clock
trip, ~ man As years OF age, leadinga little
girl by the hand, pissed over the gang
plank, aud after the boat sailed he began
10 act so queerly that some Of the passen-
gers took particular notice of the pair.
When the Bay Queen reached Silver
Spring the man started to 40 ashore, say
ing that he wished TO get shore dinner,
but being told that none could be served
to him there, he remained on board and
went to Rocky Point
Dinner Before Murder.
Soon after reaching there he took the
child TO the clam house, and the two had
a dinner, which both seemed to enjoy.
When they trad firished ri1e meal he
took her by the hand and walked across
the grounds and into the woods, which
liz between the point proper and the
railroad station on the Oakland Beach
railroad. They disappeared I'm the
woods. and that WAS the last seen OF her
alive.
About O'Clock man came out OF the
woods and went to the grounds OF the
Warwick club. Searching out Mr. New
that he had murdered his child and that
her body would be found in the woods
back OF Rocky Point.
Thought 1t Was Jcst.
At first he was thought TO be testing, but
as he repeated the story To others and APP
peared to be laboring under great mental
excitement it was deemed best to take
him to Rocky Point and make an investi-
CATION.
la the meantime Skirron had fouod
the little girls bleeding body and Sc {
for nssi>ta ce to Manager Harriugto or
Rocky Point. The messenger was met
by tue ma from the Warwick CLUB, I,
complny with the self-sccnsed murderer.
There was now no mistakIng wnat mad
happened. The man was detained aud
party went to the scene OF the tragedy.
TIE chld was found lying In u pool Of
blood. Her forehead aud right temple
had been crushed in with stone, and
her brains were ooz;ng from the terrible
wound.
Died In Twenty Minutes.
Tenderly the little one was cared for,
but, In few minutes. not more than
twenty having elapsed s nee the assA Ault
had been committed, she was dead. "he
man was the same one who brought the
child down on the Bay Queen, gave her n
dinner and then took her into the wo Ids
The murderer was very incoherenr In
his statements so that for some time II
was impossible to get any clue TO his
identity. At last he said he was FIR INK
Sheffield of Westerly aud that the little
girl was his daughter.
Sheffield Is a Methodist minister and n
well known temperance worker and agi-
tator. He married the sister OF the wife
OF Rev. George f. Brightman OF Atlle-
boro. He is forty-6ve years OF faxe, re-
sides In Westerly. X. l., and bis family
consisted OF a wife aud three children.
How He Got the Little Girl.
L. st Fridav litv'e Margic Sheffield went
with her grand parents to visit Rev Geo.
f. Bli0htr'an at Attleboro. Sunday
Sheffield left his home in Westerly say
ing he was going to transact some
business 1t is probable he took the first
train for this city aud then for Attleboro,
for @ arrived in that place about nooo.
He was very much excited, so much SO
that Rev. Mr.. Brightman advised him to
take = eep. He reste 1 for few hours
and then seemed calmer.
Yesterday however while the members