The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-06-26

IS the farm of William Hays, another col
n ored man, at Kettle Run, on the roac
is from Marlton to Berlin. Plummer i:
J. about sixty years old and his victim was g
/ colored boy, about eleven years Old
S named Harry Richardson.
r Hays, who owned the farm, was away
: from home, and Plummer had charge Of
n the place. and, with Mrs. Hays and the
: boy, occupied the house on the farm
+ For some reason, Plummer took dislike
i to the boy, and frequently punished him.
= Mrs. Hays having given him permission
r to do So This privilege seems to have
! been utilized to its fullest extent, and the
D corrections administered to the boy by
, Plummer were brutal, and the last one
s resulted fatally.
: According TO the prisoners own story,
. the lad, on Monday of last week, lost a
= rake, for which offence he was unmerci-
2 fully beaten with switches on mis- bare
t body. Plummer says that Richardson
, then ran to the creek, or ran, and jumped
? in and drowned himself. The testimony
| indicates, however, that after beating the
f boy, till there was no life in him, the
brutal colored man carried the body to
J the bank of the stream, where he laid 1t
T down and covered it with canvas.
Then Plummer telegraphed to the owner
of the farm that the boy was dead, after
which he went to Marlton, and told Con-
, stable Mckinney of the case, and sur
rendered himself Prosecutor Budd and
Coroner Horner were notified, and Drs.
William p. Melcher, of Mount Holly, and
Joseph A. Van Mort, of Palmyra, held a
post mOrtem examination.
The coroner held an inquest, Wednes-
day afternoon. The following gentlemen
were on the jury: Charles B. Chew,
II Rripl (NanrOa ~
Cline Henry Venable, Charles E. AL
bright, Charles w. Jones, Benjamin F.
Sharp, John ]. Mitchell, Edward NJ. Soby,
Charles E. p. Mayhel, Samuel Lippin-
colt, Joseph X. Evans.
Dr. W. P. Melcher was first sworn a Witness and
testified as follows Il reside at Mount Holly, and
am As years age, and practiciDg physician Of
Is years standing. 1 was called here by order
of Prosecutor Budd to make a post norton
examination of the body of Henry Richardson,
and made such examination. 1 found the sub
ject a boy about 10 or twelve years Of age, well
developed. On inspection of the exterior Of the
body found mass of bruises, large one over
the breast covering an area OF six inches On limbs
and body found other marks of violence, such as
Commissions or bruises large wets and cts and some
abrasons all over the BOD On both arms there
were marks above the elbow encircling the arm,
showing that the boy had been tied up with cord Oh
something of that kind. should say the child was
naked when the injuries were inflicted. noticed no
other external INJURIES that l now recall. l then
proceeded to open the chest and found the lungs
and heart in a normal and healthy condition.
opened the abdomen and found the liver, stomach
ntestines kidneys, bladder all normal and healthy
next opened the brain, first laying back the scalp.
On the interior of the scalp particularly the right
frontal region, found extensive extranasations of
blood. Removed the skull cap, exposed the mem
branes and brain. Found membranes in highly con-
gested cond ton. Examined the brain substance
carefully by thin sections and found an extreme
CONJUNCTION of its entire substances. We next
opened the neck posterially to determine if there
was any trouble with the spinal column either pos
ture dislocation; found neither. That completed
I the examination. There was no water Whatever IN
! the lungs They contained the normal quantity OF
air III he had breathed while under the water water
won Id have been found in his lungs. II submerged
in water and not breathing no water would be found
in the lungs In my opinion it would have been i'm
possible his lungs to have been in the condition in
! which found him had he been drowned. 1 found
no missions the scalp of any kind. These wounds
were caused by violence probably produced by some
heavy instrument from the fact that there cut
on the scalp. fracture on the skull. The blows
must have been delivered with great force to have
caused this conclusion. In my Judgment death was
by conclusion OF the brain, producing fatal
congestion.
ness and testified ollows II reside at Palmyra,
and am practising physician. Have been in prae-
to make a post norton examination Of the body of
Henry Richardson, and assisted in doing so. fully
concur in the testimony Of my associate. DR.. W. p
Mecher to the nature of the injuries and also to
the fact that death caused by conclusion of the
brain the result of blows the head.
Louisa Hays, colored, was sworn as a witness, and
testified as follows: 81 live at Kettle Run. run
farm there and have this man Mr.. Plummer to at
tend to the place for us This boy, Harry Richard
SON was living with us. The boy given to me
by his grand parents in Philadelphia TO take care Of
They gave him to me to raise and use as my own to
do what could with him.
He came TO live with me about the first of March
last He used to live with first in Philadelphia
at place where worked He has stayed with me
ever since moved here He helped to work around
the place and wait on me in the house. He was
eleven years old, so his uncle told me- He wouldn't
mind me all the time; he child that was DISC
bedient aud had habit of wetting the bed. This
occurred almost daily He slept in the house with
me- and had his bed on the floor until towards the
last when 1 said to Plummer that didn't know what
do with him, as he made so much trouble Tor me-
said I'd put him out in the little house to sleep
Just said that to brighten him more than anything
else Piummer made something for him to sleep on,
so put the boy ont one night He made a frame out
of boards, and put bed on that and some bed |
clothes / filled tick with straw for him to sleep on
He begged me to come in the house. and promised to
be good SO / took him in the house. l locked the
door outside because Mr.. Plummer told me to; was
locked him in there two nights-no more than
that The last night however, let him out when he
begged so hard Once Plummer told me to put him |
in and lock the door, The chickens roost in the same
building in which put the boy. Every time put
the boy in there Mr.. Plummer told me to do so.
didn't any force, didn't want TO hurt the boy |
He didn't resist me- liked the boy as MS granaiat
or wasmy class leader the Bethel church In Phila-
delphia. He good boy anyhow. The boy was
given to do as wanted; that's the reason put
him in the chicken coop; Just did 1t to punish him.
Plummer told me the boy wouldn't mind because l
was too easy with him, and that he (Plummer) could
manage him better so let Plummer have charge of
him. My husband away and felt shy. didn't
tell Plummer to whip the boy; told him to speak TO
him and correct him. 1 didn't hear the boy halloa
when Plummer whipped him. The windows were
down and the wind was blowing. 1 was washing at
the time. One window was open at the top. didn't
hear any whipping done, and don't know where 1t
done
Plummer came into the house after piece OF garden
rope. He asked me to get him the garden rope, so
went and got it for him out of the cellar he dldn
tell me what he was going to do with it, and was
busy and didn't take notice Of what he was doing:
Plunmer had been out digging in the garden.
don't know what he was going to plant. think he
was hoeipo corn The rope was about the thickness
of clothes line. There was no small cord attached
to it. After gave him the rope he went out IN tne
lot This was about eleven o'clock l don't know |
where the rope is the boy come across the
road with the rake in his hand. Pummer was be
hind him. but didn't any brush in his hand he
had something that looked like small twig. was
busy and paid attention to 1t, as didn't know /
ANYTHING was going to happen. didn't see the boy /
RIM To the creek II l had known he going to |
get hurt would have in erfered. told Plummer
not to hurt the boy, as he wasn't nay boy. Inc
boy was safraid of him. and would run away |
from him Plummor wanted me to go out once |
and see how comfortable the boy was fixed, but
didn't go. 1 supposed he going to punish him,
but he didn't say 80 then He said he was gong TO
punish him some time for what he had done ADont
leaving the rake in the woods know about that |
The hoy had the rake and lost II somewhere IN the
woods Pummer said he hadn't it so he sent the boy
out in the woods to hunt for it. few minutes later
1 saw Plummer going in the bushes in front OF the
door across the road, near the woods Then didnt
see i'm until he came out and went to the chicken
coop. This Monday morning. didn't see
Il
Plummer going toward the chicken coop. II Plum
mer had whipped the boy there by Kettle Run
would have known it, Plrmmer slept at his own
house up the road where he lived. He didn't sleep at
my house at time. My husband comes home
about once q month, sometimes oftener IL he can.
Plummer once whipped the boy for running away. |
This was about four months ago. lady brought |
the boy back from Berlin. He was gone one night |
and day He said that was kind to him, and that
he wouldn't run away anymore.
eidnt tell MIR. Plummer to whip him or hurt him.
An he had TO do to speak to him and he'd run.
Plummer blamed me for being too easy with the boy |
but couldn't help it. L couldn't bear to treat him
rough. Plummer would punish him At times
never saw Plummer bury the boy up to his neck in
the sand and threaten to cut his head of with hoe,
but there people here who say they saw it, Their
names Anderson. Ike Anderson told me so this
morning don't know the names of the rest of the
family Isaac Anderson said he saw IL himself.
was afraid of Mr.. Plummer because he found fault
with me for taking the boys part. Once saw him
elap the boy the head with his hand, but 1t didn't
hurt him much. The boy afraid of him because |
he spoke roughly to him. don't know what Plum
mer did when ! away. The boy wouldn't COM |
plain to me OF being abused. He had scratch on
his face month ago but he sa id he got that in the
bushes while gathering leaves. The door was open
on monday when this affair occurred. saw Plum
mer and the boy cross the road.
They did not appear to be talking together Henry
didn't come in at dinner time, and Plummer said
Harry wasn't to have any dinner; that he was going
to punish him for leaving the rake out IN the woods
on Saturday / don Z know where Harry was when
plummer in after the rope. He didn't say where
the boy was at dinner time. didn't mind having
Plumner the child, but didn't want him pun
1 isbed: was afraid he might hurt him severely /
never saw him strike with anything but his hand on
one oc aston. After dinner Pummer went out and
vent TO h cling corn didn't learn Harry was killed
until about ] O'Clock when Pummer came up ana
said. 9eIlarry's Ropep ''Cone whereof said. He's
/ dead ~ he replied HE away and drowned him
self Then fell down on the floor and cried until
( / was exhausted. j thought Plummer had chased
Mn, into the run Later Plummer took me by the
hand said:'.You say he's drowned and there1 be no