The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-11-24
SUSPICION or,Iurdar.

Yesterday morning about O'Clock a
coloreu man reported to Justice Rut-
ter that he had seen the body of col
ored woman lying between the e and
f track In the Seabord freight yard. on
king street, between Pearl and Cooke
streets. and that she looked like she
mad been run over by u train. The JUS
tice at Once proceeded to the place and
found the woman just where the man
had stated and n pool of blood nearby
Uuon further investigation 1t was
found that blood could be tracked back
for several hundred yards in fact. al
most In the city limits. Suspicious were
at once aroused and 1t was thought
that the woman had been foully dealt
with and that she had afterwards been
laid on the track and IL car pushed on
her head to hide the crime. The Jus
tice at once summoned a jury COM
posed of Messrs. John G. Niemeyer. c..
II. Howard. C. j. Andrews, j. Plumner,
j. II. Hitchings and AK. Wingo. who,
UPON examination, learned that the
womans name was Polly Evans. By
this time daughter of the dead woman
and hundreds of other colored people
had gathered around them, news having
spread very rapidly. DR.. V. q. Culpep-
per having been summonde, appeared
and the examination Of witnesses began.
Capt. Clarence Cooper, yard master
for the Seaboard Air Line. was exam
med and stated that trains had been
switched from one track to anothed all
night long, but he could not state posi-
lively whether the thrain near where
the woman was found had been put
there or not during the night. He saw
no woman around; neither did he hear
any cutlery: would not have noticed
her specially had he seen her as they
are passing around all hours of the
night.
Mary Gillian. a daughter of the de-
ceased, was examined and said that her
mother lived with Miss Lester. 1T the
corner of South and Green streets, and
that she came to her home from Mrs.
Testers about G:30 O'Clock. but a little
later went out and she~nevcr saw her
again until when she SAW her dead.
Mr.. Plumer stated that the woman
was in his store. on Goodwin street. at
I! o'clock that night. She had been
drinking. The woman had 81 wound In
the right side of her head and the side of
her face and neck was crushed. which
showed that Il car wheel had mashed
1t. but that 1t could not have passed
over her head, else it would have cut
1t off.
DR.. Culpeper after examining the
wounds. said that the wheel did not
pass over her head. but had struck her
with sufficient force to crush her skull
and that the wound on the head might
have been produced thus. There was no
evidence of murder, but that the wound
on the head was sufficient to have
caused concussion of the brain.
The jury, after considering the case,
rendered verdict that the decnn sed
came to her death from causes unknown
to them.
In conversation with some of them
they expressed the opinion that they
,,no"Sht that the woman might have
had hcmorrhage. which caused her 10
SPIT blood. as there was none on her
clothes and the blood spatters looked
like they had come from the mouth
Ihc remains were turned over To her
daughter for interment The woman
had 70 cents and q bunch of keys. which
We're lying beside her when she was
found.