Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-01-31
JOHN JONES NOT MURDERED.
The Jury Finds That His Death
Was Due to Accident.
a Thorough Investigation of All the Cir

Driving While Both Parties Were ln-
Observation-Disclosures of the Inquest.
The body of John Jones, Is years old,
who lived with his father on the Home
wood farm, near Newark was found in
the bottom of "A shallow pool by the road
side near Glasgow, Saturday morning and
| there is suspicion that he may have been
murdered. Joseph w. Poore, an uncle of
the boy, is detained. at the police station
here as witness. Young Jones was last
seen in the company of Poore, Friday
night
The boys father says that Poore and
his son left the Homewood farm, Friday
evening, to drive to Elkton. Jones had
expected to call on young lady and Poore
went along to keep him company. They
had quart of whisky in the buggy. When
the couple reached Elkton. Poore says the
young man discovered that the girl had
moved to Middletown, and they resolved
| to drive on to Middletown to see her.
Poore says that he told his nephew he was
not familiar with the roud to Middletown,
but young Jones assured him he knew
every foot of the way. They warmed
| themselves with frequent draughts of
liquor until they began to get intoxicated.
Poore says that at a certain point in the
road between Elkton and Middletown
I carriage tried TO pass them, when Jones
pulled out his whip and lashed the horse
into gallop. He did not recollect what
knew he was picking himself up out of the
road. He had fallen from the buggy and
the hard knock he received by striking the
road bed sobered him up. He went To the
house of Herman Dayett, nearby, with
whom he remained all night.
The next morning he could find no trace
of the boy, and the horse and buggy were
also missing Poore says his first impress
sion was that Jones had driven off home
and left him. He took the morning train
and went to ElktOn, not knowing what
had happened his nephew until informed
of his death on Sunday. Then he recol-
lected the drunken carousal, but does not
know how the young man met his death:
While people living i'll the neghborhood
where the body was found are inclined to
believe that murder was committed, the
most plausible theory is that the boy fell
from the wagon while in drunken stlpor,
and afterwards either stumbled or walked
into the pool of water by the roadside
where he was found. He may have been
dazed by the fall from the wagon and
walked into the water, or he may have
been hurled into the stream from his posi-
tion i'll the carriage.
The strongest evidence in support of the
accident theory is the absence of any
possible motive Poore could have had for
the murder of his nephew. So far as
known, only the kindliest relations eX-
listed between them, and people who knew
them are not inclined TO believe that the
boy met his death in any other manner
than that described. A colored woman
living at Glasgow claims to have seen the
couple driving along the road in the early
morning. She says they were quarrelina
. and that the boy wanted the reins, which
r were in the hands OF his uncle If the
+ murder theory is to be believed, the only
motive that could be advanced is that
during a quarrel young Jones may hav,
, been thrown from the wagon and killed
But this theory is not generally credited.
, When young Jones did not return home
, Saturday morning, his father hitched up
his horse and started to hunt for him
1 fearing that something had happened hi
: son. He had not driven far from tht
Homewood farm when he found the horsI
3 and wagon. The horse had evidently
J vaulted fence by the roadside in its Ell
deavors to get over into the field. The ami
: NAL was standing on one side of the tcnci
e anu the hindwheels OF the carriage on til,
: other side, which looked as though tn,
horse had tried. to jump over the fence
! but was held fast by The wagon in th
! position described. One of the wheels wa
! off the wagon. When Mr.. Jones discovered
i the wagon in this condition his fears TO
c the safety of his son were aroused. IL
/: drove OH to Glasgow, where he met MIR
= Dayett who informed him of the violen
!, death OF his son. The father was distractel
|
Q WAS brought to Newark Saturday after
S noon and afterwards removed 10 the boy
late home on the Homewood farm.
: As soon as Detective Witsil learned oi
4 the mysterious case Saturday night hi
took train and went to Newark, from
, which place he set out to learn the facts il
n the case. From what he learned h,
deemed it advisable toStake the uncle o
the young man in custody. Delectiv
d Witsil returned to Wilmington about mid
night Saturday. On Sunday morning h
learned Poore was in Elkton. He wen
there for him only to find that he had Sc
out for Newark. Detective Wilsil fount
him at the last named place and brough
IS him to the police station and locked him up
d The only feature of the case which give
s any color to the story that Poore ma.
r have had anything TO do with the youn.
e mans death is the fact that he did not tel
Q any one anything about the mishap aoni
6 the road or notify the parents that thei
II boy had met with an accident. But then
Y Poore says that he did not know anything
e had happened to his nephew, and furthe
o he did not care to say anything about hi
IS being thrown out for the reason that h
e did not want peopleto know he had becl
g on batter" with his nephew.
n Detective Witsil, who saw the body o
young Jones. says there was smile on tn
young mans face, which led HIM I
believe that while in state of jubilatio
" caused by intoNicaLion he was thrown Oh
~ of the wagon and killed.
rt matter which the detectives will hay
,r to clear up, however, is the action of Poor
70 Saturday morning. 1t is said that his ha
v was picked mp near the spot where tn
il dead boy was found. Puore went to Elkto
Ie and going to the store of Frank p. Price
II on Main street, purchased new hat an
J.. left the one he had been wearing with MI
= Price. He then went to the barber sho
II of Alexander E. Sewers ON Main stree
and had his hair cut. His clothing wa
bespattered with mud. He spent Saturda
night at the house of Williasn Tippetl
t. The hat which Poore discarded at tn
!, store of Mr.. Price in Elkton has sine
al been identified as the one worn by Jone
4 the night he left nome.
N The coroner's jury empaneled on tn
le case of John Jones, whose body was foun
d. in pool of water by the roadside nea
N Belletown bridge Saturday morning, cam
TO the conclusion Monday that he was nC
u murdered. The jury decided that deaf
u was due to concus5On of the brain causei
by an accidental fall frnm wagon. Jo,
W. roore, uncle of the dead boy, who wa
N detained to await the jurys verdict, wa
o. released from custody. The jury was setil
Is fed that murder had not been committee
r. Deputy Coroner Chandler, accompanie
Id by Drs. NJ, j. Hughes and James Wake
y, went down to Newark Monday afternOo
id and drove out to the Homewood farm
:, where the dead boy resided. Poore th
le prisoner, was taken to the inquest b
y. Detective Walter l.. Witsil An autops
was held and then the jury was sworn i
with ex-Representative William Cooch .
foreman and W. II. Walker as secretar,
ef Sherman Dayett, a farmer living nea
he Glasgow, was the first witness called. II
ne testified that Poore came to his house abol