The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-09-24
MURDER OR SUICIDE ?

Frledly Took lie Own Llfs-EViuSnqOS
of Foul Play Thought 10 Have Bssn
Arranged by FFludly Himself.
Special Dap1!ch 10 The iRtelliGsHetrs
PHILIPPL W, Va, Sept, 2S.-Barbour
county comes to tho front again with
another shocking suicide. Herbert
Wolf, boy ten years old. made hSE'
riblo discovery yesterday morning
whilO gathering chsstnuts on the banks
OF the historic TygRrLs Valley rlYsE,at
a point ons miie below town, About 8
o'clock in the morning he obiaEyed
some suspicious locking object IN the
river that seemed to be lodged, ,againAt
a rock that protTudsd from tile suEtncB
Of the water, and with q companion hs
went out in skiR to investigate, aud
was Mortified to find that 1t was the
body OF a man. Tho waves made by
the skin started the body TO aoat away
from the rock, but 1t lodged again
against some willows along the bank
Of the river short distance below and
close 10 tho track Of the Grafton 4 Bel
lngtOn railroad.
Justice Q. Q. Hovatter, acting coro-
nsr, was notified and went down, along
with Melville Peck, states attorney.
Special Constable S. W. Hoyalter sum.
moned a Jury and the body was ro-
moved from th0 water and carried upon
tho bank. 1t proved to be the body OF
Columbus Freddy, prominent farmer,
who had lived about two milea from
tho river, aud who left his home under
rather strange circumstances last Tues
day morning. 4 large log chain was
fastened around his body diagonally,
and tho rein Of bride was tied around
him at the waisibaud. A part Of com.
mon mill sack was pulled down over his
head aud then tied with u cord around
the neck.
lie was identified by friends and rsla.
tivos by tho clothing and day book
which was found on his petson. There
was nothing 0lsd in his pockets but
copper cent and q penknlfe. His tea-
lures wsre horribly blackened and dis
toried and it would have been impos-
sible TO recognize him except as above.
The jury, after hearing the statement
OF DR.. J. ". BoIworth, and the evidence
Of Henry Bennett and Dowdsn Bowles,
adjourned to Justice HovRtter's office to
prepare verdict, and preparations
were made to bury the corpse last even
ing in the rLilippi cemetery; but the
jury learned before they had their vsr-
dict ready tina, Fried!y's hat had just
been found on the river bank,
short distance above where the
body had been found, and
that the crown OF tue hat,
which was stiff one. had been
crushed and the rim partly broken of.
The jury went to the cemetery, and alter
the coffin had been placed in the grave
they decided to nave II complete post
moItem examination made. The
coffin was taken out OF the grave aud
removed 10 the PhiIippi Iron Foundry
where DR.. BOsworth, assisted by DR.. Q.
B. WilIiamI, made thorough autopsy,
but discovered no marks OF violence,
and at eleven o'clock this forenoon the
jury rendered a verdict TO the effect
that Columbus Freddy committed
suicide by drowning. The interment
then took place at once.
Mira William Moussr, who lives on
the river bank near whore Freddy was
found, said that some men crossed the
river a: tha point where Freidlys hat
was found on Thursday night. aud also
on Friday night she heard sounds OF
spIashng water alIthe same place, like
man wading in the water. Both
chains found on the body wers iden.
tilted az belonging to Freddy.
Frisdly was single man, about
thirty.seven years old, sober, honest
4 l,v,.
nave any ouemios. lie lived with his
two sisters, aud on Tuesday morning he
started to Philippi, but returned to the
house in short time, not coming to
town. Ho turned out hiI horse aud in
quired aS to the time OF day. and then
walked across the fields and out Of
sight Of the house. Not returning that
night or the next day. his sisters be.
came uneasy and notified the neigh
bors, who organized and searched a
large scope Of territory since Thursday
morning and were preparing for more
extended search when he was found
Yesterday morning. One oil his sisters,
who IS very Ill, heard what slru thought
was tho familiar walk OF her brother in
tho yard Tuesday night, aad heard some
one 20 to the smokehouse, where the
chains and sack were kept, and henco 1t
il supposed he stayed in tho woods on
his farm during the day, and at night
returned and got the above named asti-
clos, and went over TO the river and end.
cd his existence as above related.
This makes the fourth suicide in this
county within the last nine months, the
most prominent Of the others being the
vOrv tragic suicide Of eE.Sherill will.
hanson, ono Ui the loading men Of tho
county, aud which occurred at Boling-
ton last January.