Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-07-19
M.oo1nor nlsnuARaEp.
No Evidence to Prove That lie an
Heintzlsman We're Guilty of Murdorin
.IahF ANtiIfe

| supposed murdered man, which was
buried at Hickory Grove cemetery. The
remains were found In badly decom-
| posed state, and 1t was with some diff
Guilty that the county physicians were
able to hold a post norton.
The physicians and Deputy Coroner
| Palmer made known the result of the
autopsy to Deputy Attorney General
Branch H. Giles, Friday afternoon, who
does not deem 1t advisable TO make it
public at this time. 1t is reported that
no marks of violence were found on the
head, but whether or not any water was
found in the lungs is not known. Upon
this point and the evidence of strangu-
lation the authorities hope to establish
link in the chain of evidence against the
accused men.
John McCollom, one of the sturgeon
fishermen charged with the murder,
was given hearing before Justice
Charles II. McWhorter yesterday.
Deputy Attorney General Branch II.
Giles was present in behalf of the State,
while Howell S. England represented
the prisoner. All the evidence at the
disposal of the State was produced at
the hearing, but it was insufficient to
warrant the holding of the prisoner for
court, and Mr.. Giles asked that McCol-
lon be set free.
During the trial McCollom occupied
seat facing the justice, just outside the
railing, and frequently he turned ncrv-
ously about in his chair as the proceed
ings progressed. He is about 40 years
old, with blue eyes and wears heavy
sandy moustache and beard of weeks
growth. There was nothing in his man.
ner that could be construed as the
actions of guilty man during the trial.
The first witness called was Simeon
e. Lord, who owns hotel at Port Penn.
He testified that Willis came to his hos
telry June Goth, about noon, and pur-
chased quart and u pint of whisky for
Charles Shubert, the owner of the fish
ing skiif. Heintzelman was with him
while McCollom was drunk down at the
wharf. Willis took the whisky down
to the the boat, which was tied up to
the wharf. McCollom was lying on the
wharf and when he went to get into the
boat he fell. Willis assisted him into the
boat.
Samuel Yearsley, the next witness,
testified that he went with Willis and
IIeintzelman down to the boat. They
found McCollom lying drunk on the
wharf. Willis and Ycarsley assisted
him into the boat McCollom was so
drunk he was unable to stand up and
fell in the boat. McCollom then cursed
Willis and told him to 90 out on the
wharf and he would slick" him. Willis
said "all right" but at the same time he
knew the man was 100 drunk to know
what he was saying, and taking an oar
| In alnA 1,a To-, he
Yearsley also testified that he saw the
body after it was found lying face down
ward in the sand. The face and neck
were discolored, while the tongue was
protruding from the mouth. Yearsley
said that the water in which he saw the
boat when it was sailing away was
about three fathoms deep. When the
boat moved away from the wharf on its
course down the river, the witness said
Heintzelman was in the bow, while
Willis and McCollom were sitting amid.
ships.
On redirect examination 4earsley
; said that when he saw. the body in the
sand the tongue was Swelling" out OF
the mouth, and that the discoloration
did not extend further than the face and
neck. At the point where the body was
| found, he said, there was no water. II
. looked as if the body had ridden in on
. . the tide, and the water receding left il
/ or the sand. The witness said for dis
lance of 200 yards out in the river from
where the body lay the water did moi
exceed three feet in depth.
; Joseph Vandegrlft testified that hi
: was present when the body was found
400 yards below his house. 1t lay il
the sand face downward, and with the
hands at an angle with the body. i
had come in with the tide. The face
! and neck were discolored and The
tongue was protrudiug. The witnes!
said at this point person could wadt
out into the river for half mile.
Mrs. Laura Vandegrift, wife of thu
. previous witness, testified that on tint
day Willis is supposed to have beer
drowned her attention was called to &
skif sailing down the river opposit,
her home. There were three men il
t the boat and it looked to her as if they
were trying to get to shore. She paic
little attention to them and die no
+ know who the men were. After sht
heard that Willis had been drowned
1 she recalled the fact that she had seel
Q the skitf with the three men in it. Thi
3 was about 4.30 o'clock in the afternoon
The witness said the men seemed to b.
! drifting about in their efforts to get Il
; shore The boat was then below thu
lighthouse.
! Charles Shubert, the owner of thu
! skitf, testified that he gave Willis on TIL
1 morning of June 29th $3.50 with whicj
: to purchase quart of whisky. He 60
D the whisky from Heintzelman about
o'clock in the afternoon. He lives
half mile from the shanty of the tire
fishermen. He said he saw that the boa
D had come III and went 10 the cabin u
get the whisky. He found McCollon
i very drunk in the cabin. Heint2elmaI
said to him as soon as he entered til,
: cabin: 1--WE lost Willis" Shuber
: asked how they had lost him and Heint
: zelman replied that he didn't know. IL
! said he had fallen out of the boat ant
c drowned, but he didu't know how.
+ At this juncture Simeon Lord was re
: called and testified to the statement
u made by Heintzeman and McCollom a
{ the inquest over the remains of the de
8 ceased. The statements developed III
u material new evidence.
The most sensational evidence durinj
. the hearing was given by Waite
!. Bender, who is clerk in store at Por
{ Penn. He swore that the next morning
: after Willis was lost McCollom an,
" Heintzelman came to the store AM
asked permission to use the telephone
9 stating tina! they wanted to call u
Q Mayor Reybold of Delaware City an
!, inform him of the disappearance q
n Willis. While they were in the stor
c McCollom said he would like to have
new nair of shoes and said. ~ exnec