Evening star., 1897-05-17
PROBING A MYSTERY
Death Of a Child at Emory Grove E1-
cites Suspicion.
INFANTICIDE OPENLY CHARGED
Action of the States Attorney
Strongly Criticised.
CITIZENS ARE AROUSED

Many of the most prominent residents
of Gaithersburg, Md, and nearly the en-
tire population of Emory Grove, hamlet
about a mile from that town, are greatly
agitated on account of the alleged sitting
by States Attorney Kilgore of an investi-
cation of the mysterious death May 1, or
the night previous. of a two-months-old
child at Emery Grove.
The investigation was started by Justice
of the Peace Baughman and Deputy Sheriff
Horton Thompson, and promised, so those
officials told Star reporter, to clear up all
doubts in the case. The states attorney
appeared at the preliminary hearing before
Justice Baughman, however, and announced:
that he would not recommend the payment
of any expense incurred in making the in
quiry, and the proceedings were a little
later brought to a close.
The mother of the child in the case was
a girl named Bessie Sellman. aged fifteen
or sixteen years, who lives with her uncle,
Henry Mason, at Emory Grove, and who
has been 4 member of Masons family ever
since her mother died, some six years ago.
According to the statements made by
various parties, claiming to be conversant
with the facts, Bessie gave birth to child
about ten weeks ago.
No Physician Called.
There was no physician present, and
Mrs. Martha Taylor, a well-known and
highly respectable colored woman, officiat-
ed as midwife No one outside of Mason S
immediate family was informed of what
had TRANSFERRED and every effort was made
to keep the knowledge of the event from
becoming known in the neighborhood.
Mrs. Taylor told The Star reporter that
the baby was as strong and healthy as
children of such tender age usually are,
and that, after seeing 1t some half a dozen
times, at intervals of probably a week, she
predicted that it would grow up and help
take care of its mother.
She was, therefore, Mortified to be told
on the evening of May ) that a notice was
that day found tackled on a tree near the
Emory Grove Church, which stated, Mrs.
Taylor said, that BESSIE Sellmans baby
was dead, and that Henry Mason had
buried it In Stevens lot.
Continuing, Mrs. Taylor said:
LAS soon as 1 heard about that notice, I
went UP to Henry Mason's house, where
met him on the porch. 1 said to him:
" Henry Mason, what in the name Of the
Lord have you done?
He replied Done what?
Il said: Henry, they tell me that Bessies
baby is dead, and that you have buried it.
Henry. in the name of the Lord, that baby
was two months old, and Brother Bailey
Uhe pastor of the church at Emory Grove
passed every day, and yet you did not have
it christened. 1t was an awful thing to put
that baby away So
Yes, he replied, it is dead, and whose
business is it?
Il answered: That notice on the tree said
that you buried it
BY this time Mason was In a rage, ard
he said: Whoever wrote that notice or
says i buried BeSSie's baby is a, Cd -
BY this time Mrs. Mason put her head
out of window and said to me: L don't
see What people want to bother In Is and
Henry's business.
.Resuming his remarks to me, Mason
said, with an cath: Look here, Aunt Mar
tha, you and 1 have always been friends
haven't we?'
Il replied Yes
Then, he said, you get out; get off Of
As 1 went out of the gate of Masons
yard. l said: 'Ah, Henry, you have done a
big thing; you have done a big thing with
out knowing it
Suspicion Aroused
The actions and language used nv
mason led me to believe IL at something
interesting might be expected to occur
soon and l determined to watch for them
Belng, however. afraid that If Mason dis
covered me alone, he might shoot me
got Tom Davis and Eliza Dorsey to watch
with me.
1t was now just dusk and Eliza Dorsey
Tom Davis and / secreted ourselves in
some bushes near Mason's house. and not
lar from where it was reported the baby
was buried, and awaited deveIopments In
a little while, after nightfall, we saw Lum
Warfield, Henry Mason's father-in-Jaw
come out of Mason's house. carrying a
snoVel or spade, and go to the place said
to be grave. After digging for some time
ne brought out box shaped like a coffjn
ana which was covered with somethinp
Whlte. lte. Ihis he carried to the yard of
Masons house passed around it, and. as
we afterward learned, buried the body in
Masons yard. BY this time 1 concluded
that 1t was my duty to report the matter
to Justice Baughman and Deputy Sheriff
thompson, at Gaithersburg. and did So"
Clarence Ennis, young colored ma,
living at Emory Grove, said that he was
present when Lum Warfield dug the grave
from which the coffin was subsequently
taken, and that he asked Warfield what he
was digging the grave for WarfieId he
sad told him he had been asked to do SO
notion in his head" Aooii
Justlce Baughman told The Star reporter
that MS attention was called to the coss
carry In the present month and that he
AT once decided that the rumors I'm circu
lation ought to be investigated. He then
smI,in ~ I.9ckVliie, Tor the purpose of con-
Yer Inc judge being absent from town
ne concluded to confer with States Attor
hey Niisore as to what steps ought 10 he
Arrests Ordered.
After hearing Justice Baughman's state
meht the states attorney Is reported to
have said: Il want you, as soon as YOU go
pack to Gaithersburg, to issue warrants
Tor the arrest of everybody who is sus
pected of having anything to do with this
affair, and commit them to the Rockville
JAIL
Justice Baughman then left Mr.. Kilgore.
and what followed can best be told in his
own words
"On my way back to Gaithersburg." said
the magistrate, II got to thinking over the
states attorneys Instructions and, after
giving the subject much consideration.
reached the conclusion that / would not be
justified In making arrests by wholesale,
as seemed to be the intention of Mr. XII
gore, and after consultation with Deputy
Sheriff Horton Thompson, 1 concluded to
issue warrant for the arrest of Bessie
Sellman, the mother of the child. The ac-
cused was taken into custody Tuesday and
committed to Jail for a hearing on the fol-
lowing Monday.
AT this point Deputy Sheriff Thompson
took especial charge of the collection of
evidence in the case. He ascertained, In
addition to what, as above mentioned was
learned by the representative of The Star
from the persons whose names were given,
that from the birth of the baby up to the
in