Evening star., 1896-08-04
WIFE SUSPECTED
Investigating the Murder Of James
Irwin Near La Plata.
MRS. IRWIN UNABLE TO APPEAR
Her Alleged Lover Denies All
knowledge Of the Crime.
THE VICTIMS FUNERAL

August 4.-There was no outward demon
| stration here last night which would in
| any way indicate that there was any ex-
| citement caused by Sunday nights tragedy.
but there a dangerous undercurrent
and this the jurors who had been sworn
| to investigate the case made every effort
| to check. The coroner's investigation,
which was begun al an early hour yester-
| day, was held behind closed DOORS and al
| though George Matthews was really ar
rested as a principal, the members Of the
| jury gave it out to the public that he was
held merely a witness, beng held in
Jail to give evidence in the case. This
! had the desired effect, If there was really
| any move on foot to rid the county of the
suspected slayer of Jim Irwin. for citizens
| of the county, talking about the case last
| night, invariably said I'VE not sure
| that he's the man" But it is an open
| secret that the circumstantal evidence
| against him is strong, and he may have to
prove an alibi in order to square himself
| and gain his liberty. This. it is thought he
| will not be able to do, and it is more than
likely that later in the day the ury will
| find verdict holding the prisoner-witness
| to answer for the crime of murder. Then,
too, the dead mans widow finds herself in
| an exceedingly uncomfortable position, for
all last night she closely watched by
two constables. The inquest, which was
| commenced yesterday; was adjourned until
IL o'clock this morning, when the hearing
| was resumed, the principal witnesses for
the day being Mrs. Irwin, who was made
! widow by the recent tragedy, and George
Matthews, who is under suspicion.
| Domestic Troubles.
The crime which is now under investiga-
| ton, and which the coroner's jury will in
all probability solve, was one of the most
| brutal, in detail of all the crimes COM
| mitted in this county since the state be
| came part of the Union, and was the
| suit of premeditation and alleged
! sp.racy. James Jim Irwin, he was
| better known. was young man of good
character, being d member of the Newport
| Catholic Church. of which the Rev. Father
| Wade is pastor. The latter speaks very
highly of the deceased a regular COM
! muncant who attended his duties regular
\ ly. His wife not communicant at
the same church. The deceased was a
| small but well-built man. He was good
| looking, and although not man of much
| education, he was highly respected as son
| Of John Irwin, who had been the village
| blacksmith at Aliens Fresh for many
| years. Jim and his brother John, had
| succeeded the father in business. and only
| a few months ago his shop was destroyed
| by fire. But this was nothing of burden
compared with his domestic troubles. He
| had not had the greatest confidence in the
| world in his wife, and number of inter
cepted letters made him feel that his wife
| no longer 2 wife. Still he loved her.
and according to her statements in the al
| legged intercepted letters she informed Mat
thews that he kind to her. But with
all his kindness she referred to her mar
| red life as burden, of which, in his al
| legged letter. she was told she need not
worry, for she would soon be over it.
| Emma Irwin, nee Jackson, the wife, is
| about as we'll educated was her husband,
| and the wording of her letters show that
| her spelling lessons were sadly neglected.
| She is about the age of her husband, and is
really 4 good looking and attractive wo-
man.
The Suspected Man.
| George Matthews whom is it alleged
played so important part in the tragedy,
is also a young man, about whose ante
| cedents very little is known. He has been
| in the county a number of years, having
| come here when he was quite boy. Like
| the dead man. he did a little farming, in
| addition to fishing in summer and oystering
in winter. His statement when he came
here was that ne was an orphan boy from
| New York, and he has lived most of the
| time near Rock Point, the well-known
fishing shore. Rock Point is more than a
| dozen miles from Aliens Fresh, the head of
| the Wicomico river, and not great way
from Lower Cedar Point, the favorite eX-
Cursion resort.
The excitement of Sunday night and yes
| terday had died away last night, and at AL
| lens Fresh all was quiet when The Star cor
respondent visited the scene of the murder.
Irwin $ DOQy ndQ Deen removed from the
| bed room since the coroner's jury had
viewed it, and a dim light, which shone
| through the window shutters, indicated
that some friends were on guard with the
corpse. There were relatives and friends
of the dead man in the house. and all of
| them denounced the crime the most foul
murder that had been committed in the
county in years, and al the same time
| had borne and the love he had shown for
/ his wife aid the children of which Mrs.
| Irwin was mother. Undertaken P. w. Ro-
| bey of this place had prepared the body for
| burial, and the dead mans face looked
| it had in life, with the exception that it
| was very much discolored.
In the house of Dick Swami, a colored
man, only short distance away, was Mrs.
| Irwin, who had been made a widow only
| one night before, and she was we'll guarded
| by Constabes Fisher and Freeman, who
| had been given instructions to allow no one
! to talk to her. And they were loyal to their
! orders, for no one was admitted not even
| relatives for the authorities insisted that
| no one should speak to her and give her
any advice until she had completed her
| unfinished story told to the jury.
The Fatal Day.
| Sunday morning Jim Irwin and his wife
and children left their modest but comfort
able home near the head of the Wicomico
| river and went to Lower Cedar Point to
| spend the day, where they would see the
! excursionists from Washington. While
| there a young man from Washington was
drowned, but death in this way did not
| seem to make any impression on the wo-
| man, for if she was in the alleged conspr-
acy to murder her husband she did not
| change her plans. John jackson, father of
| Mrs. Irwin, lives at Harris Lot, a short
distance below Cedar Point but she did
| not go to see him. On the way home how
ever, they stopped at the home of Mrs. Ir-
wins brother, Lorenzo Jackson, at Way
side, and had supper
| 1t was about sundown when Jim got
.eady to leave, and his brother-in-law ask
| ed If he would not remain over night
Jim was perfectly willing to do so, and
had he remained he would, in all probabiii-
ty, not have been killed, but his execution
would have been postponed. From Way
side to Aliens Fresh is more than eight
miles, but there was no hurry in getting
home. and SO jim drove leisurely along
| the road. When the family drove along
the road between the house and the sheet
of salt water where the sound of the frogs
was the only indication of life the clock in
a neighboring house was heard to toll the
hour of g. few minutes later the horse
Continued on Ninth Page)