Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-23
MYSTERIOUS BUGGY
No Explanation Of the Dead Horse
Found at Wheaton.
ANIMAL HAD BEEN SHOT
Scraps Of Paper in the Abandoned
'' Vehicle.
THERE is NO CLUE YET

The mystery surrounding the finding of
the buggy and dead horse In the woods in
Montgomery county some distance above
Wheaton, as published in yesterdays Star,
has by no means been cleared away. As
the investigation progresses the mystery
orly deepens. and the county officials as
well as the local officers, are unable to give
any idea of the circumstances leading to
the killing of the horse and abandoning of
the buggy. Yesterday afternoon Detective
Rhodes went out with Deputy Sheriff Sam
uel Jones to assist in the investigation. He
had been there only a short time when he
discovered that q pistol shot had ended the
animals life With the county official De-
tective Rhodes made thorough search of
the vehicle examined the horse and gained
Information which may eventually lead to
the owner of the team.
Detective Rhodes, who is well versed in
the qualities of animals. says that the dead
horse was undoubtedly a good animal and
was about six or seven years old and fifteen
or sixteen hands high. Where the animal
was found was In a thicket, and In order to
reach the particularly secluded spot 1t was
necessary to drive over and through thick
III dergrowth. When the underground be-
came impossible the animal stopped and
was then detached from the vehicle and led
few feet away to be killed. Blood on a
tree shows almost the exact position Of the
horse when the shot ives fired. In its
agony the mare had managed to move
about ten feet. when death relieved its suf-
ferings.
The mare was a dark bay, with a black
name and tail and three white feet. On Its
front feet were comparatively new shoes.
which Detective Rhodes thinks were put on
in a city blacksmith shop. while enc of the
back feet had no shoe. and had been worn
almost to the frog. On the other hind foot
there was only a piece of the shoe left.
The animal had, no doubt, been driven a
long while since its hind feet had been
shod. Whether or not II was driven almost
to death before II was shot Is not known,
hut the officers are inclined to think 1t was
not, for a citizen living some distance up
the road is certain that he saw this partic-
ular horse and buggy pass his house one
morning about a week ago just at day.
break A heavily built man, with a round
face, was seated in the vehicle, and the
horse was moving along in slow trot. 1t
was an unusual thing to see such an outfit
at so early an hour, and that was why 1t
attracted this citizens attention;
Having made a full examination of the
horse. Detective Rhodes then searched the
buggy. He saw in the vehicle in rear Of
the seat the bag containing wheat for the
horses feed, and then he found an empty
smell of 32-caliber cartridge. This was
probably the empty shell taken from the
weapon after the horse was killed. There
was also in the buggy piece of paper. on
which was written -. F. Taylor, Elkton
Virginia"
Then there was the lap robe mentioned in
yesterdays Star. As stated yesterday,
there was a hole in the robe indicating that
a monogram had been cut out, and the robe
had also been patched.
On the ground near the buggy the officer
fourd a piece of paper on which was writ
ten the names George Bartlett" and &C.
Cothers"
Scattered on the ground were pieces of a
telegram, which had been SO completely de-
| stroyed that the fragments could not be put
together by the officers so that they could
q M he
These pieces of paper the officers are GER
tain were put there by the occupant or &C.
cupants of the buggy. for the thicket is an
out-of-the-way place, where no one would
ever go in search of a horse or even wild
flowers.
Had it not been for the appearance Of
buzzards and strong odor from the de-
caying horsehesh the horse and buggy
would probably not have been found for
some time. Mr.. Lincoln, whose house is
not far from the spot where the horse was
dictated.
In looking through the woods yesterday
afternoon Detective Rhodes said he smelled
an odor not unlike that of a decayed human
body, but on account of the thickness of the
underground he was unable to pursue the
investigation last evening. Arrangements
were made last night to have the county
in that particular neighborhood thoroughly
searched. and the searching party started
out today.
The officials are inclined to believe that ].
Il. Taylor, whose name appeared on the
newspaper slip found in the buggy, may be
able to tell the story Of the drive into the
woods and the shooting Of the horse As
stated above. his address on the paper is
given as Elkton, Va This place is in
Rockingham county. on the Norfolk and
Western railroad, about eighty miles from
Shenandoah junction, where the Norfolk
and Western and Baltimore and Ohio roads
connect Elkton Is a small town and is said
to be favorite summer resort. Inquiry
among railroad men here this afternoon
failed to elicit any Information concerning
the identity of Taylor. 1t is probable that
the animal was driven to Wheaton from
the Virginia town, the officials think,
but they have no idea of the motive of the
person in killing the animal If the animal
had been stolen the thief would hardly
have killed it, the officers think, and IL the
owner wanted to follow the example of
Philip Haviland. the miller. and disappear
he could not have expected to cover his
tracks by killing the horse.
1t is probable, so the officers think, that
woman may have figured in the case
Probably an clipping couple drove there and
abandoned the horse and buggy, although
this theory seems incredible, because the
spot where the team was abandoned is
too far from the railroad for them to have
walked to the train.
The torn telegram, II Is thought may
have played an important part In the affair
had it not been SO completely destroyed
1t is possible that the officers may COM
nunicate with the authorities at Elkton
and ascertain what they can about the man
mentioned.