The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-17
THE MYSTERY UNsOLvED,
The Murdered Man q Resident of Wash
tDRton Instead OF Norfolk.

tDRton Instead OF Norfolk.
PETERSBURG, Pa, Oct. lG.-The mys-
terry as to who murdered Wm. May
Wood, who was found in an empty gon-
dola at q late hour last night with his
head horribly battered up, and who
died at an early hour this morning,
never having regained consciousness,
remains 90 deep after the coroner's in.
quest as 1t did before it was held. AS
the hour for the inquest arrived crowds
began to assemble on Courthouse
Square. Coroner Leigh decided not to
admit the public and only allowed ono
witness to appear before the jury at q
time.
The testimony failed to throw any
light upon the case. The members of
the train crow were examined, but mono
of them knew how the man got in the
car nor who assaulted him. 1t was
shown that number Of tramps had
been put off the train ct Jerico tank,
among whom were two sailors.
David M. Hess, OF Washington recog-
nized tho body as that of VIM. nj.
Wood, resident Of that city. He hold
q license as chief officer of an ocean
steamship, and during the summer no
sailed from Boston, Mass to points
near that city. The witness could not
understand why the man should ride in
freight car, as he could have gotten
money by asking for it.
At the conclusion OF the evidence the
Jury brought in verdict to the effect
that VIM. May Wood came to his death
from wounds on his head, infiic ted by
parties unknown.
ThN body was turned over by Coro-
ner Leigh to David M. Hess, who will
take the body to Washington on the
2:3O train to- morrow mOrninp
VIM. Brennan, Henry Turner and
Adolph Lyon, the frat two sailors and
the last German emigrant, were ar
rested tonight at the Union depot to-
night on the charge OF being implicated
in the murder Of Wood. Brennan hails
from Connecticut and claims TO be e.
sailor on tie cruiser Minneapolis. Tur.
ner 10 from st. Louis and says he be-.
longs aboard the Raleigh.
Both of these cruisers are at present
In Hampton Roads. Tho men are
dressed a in tho uniforms OF United
States marines. Lyons says he Is from
Germany and only met with Brennan
and Turner in Suffolk on Tuesday.
Brennan made n statement to an AS
ISOLATED Press reporter this evening.
lie says that he and Turner had gotten
leave OF absence from their ships for
three days and had oyerspent the time,
as they both had been on o spree and
hearing that their ships were going to
brooklyn to coal, they decided TO board
q freight train at Norfolk, come to this
city and steal ride on o northern
bound freight.
They boarded train at Norfolk on
Tuesday evening and at Suffolk we're
joined by LYON. When dark the train
went on siding, when a young looking
white man came to the gondola and
made them get off. He told the man
that they were sailors and that unless
they got to New York by Monday it
would go hard with them. The man re-
piled thse it was against the rules of
the company and insisted on them leav.
ing tho train.
They then went down the track and
when the train started boarded it again.
(This part OF Brennan's statement
bears out the testimony of Conductor
Harding before the ooroner's jury.)
They got off the train at Waveily and
spent the night in the woods by a camp
fire. They went to Waverly yesterday
and then walked to Disputauta. where
they boarded train and came to
Petersburg.
They remained on the outskirts OF the
city until late and started to walx in,
when they were arrested at the depot.
brennan says he did not SEQ anyone else
get on the train or off Tuesday night.
lie did not hear any struggle and never
saw or heard OF VIM. N. Wood.