Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-04-15


| Witness, on the Friday following tho
tragedy, in company with Detective
Witsil. landed at this point and die
covered tracks in the sand which led
out toward Shnllopman's path. They
crossed the path. going apparently
toward the county road. Near the
road other tracks were found, which
measured exactly like those seen Mt tho
shore. On GROSS examination by Mr..
Richards the Witness said the tide was
running out the river at the time tho
body was found. Tho tracks they saw
did not go down the sailors path, but
up through Blach's shipyard toward
| the main road.
William McGee, the next witness.
was the fisherman who was with
| Robinson when the body was found.
lie and Robinson were shad fishing on
| March 18th and discovered the body
between 2 and 6 o'clock in the after
noon. The body was standing upright
In the mud, With the Top of The lead
| just above water and the hair floating
on top Of the water. They towed the
BODY up the creek to Wilson'S under
taking establishment at Milton. He
had often gone across from Otter banks
TO Shallopman's path at low water, but
| 1t could not BIO done at high water.
| Ever at low water he would neces.
sarily go through mud knee deep. He
| identified the clothing taken from the
body of the woman. His testimony
was corroborative OF that Of Robinson
regarding tho position and condition of
the tody and the cuts on the head. lie
found the broken oar blade near
Carpy's landing and the hat near the
| oar. Each OF these he identified. A
glove was on tho right hand of the
woman, but mono ON the left. The
rise and fall OF the tide varies from
two to four feet. He also discovered
tracks leading from Otter banks to
Shallopman' path, but did not follow
them up. On cross examination the
witness said he frat saw the object
which proved TO be the dead body,
| about ~ O'Clock on March 18th, but
| did not investigate ut the time, as he
thought IL simply bundle OF rags. 1t
would take perhaps half an hour to
| row from Vaughan's wharf to where
| the body was found, with the tide,
and nearly twice as long against the
| tide. Il t4
Samuel j. Wilson, the Milton under
taSer who had charge OF the body,
testified to tho body being brought to
his establishment by Robinson and
MeGee about $50 O'Clock ON March
18th. He had charge of the body from
| that time until 1t was buried. No
wounds were found upon tho body.
Only scar upon the right shoulder
and one upon the left hreast, which
had long been healed, were visible.
| The postmortem examination was held
ON Friday by Drs. Hopkins and Wilson.
The witness identified the clothing,
also the pieces OF oar. He found on
the oar blade hair very much the
color of tho hair of the dead woman.
The distance from Milford TO Vaughan's
landing is about II miles. MIR. White
asked how long would It require to
drive from Milford to Vaugban's land
ing. Tbs question was objected to by
Mr.. Richards and the objection aus-
tanned. On cross examination the wit
ness said the body looked perfectly
natural and peaceful.
Mrs. Martha j. Wilson, wife OF the
previous witness. Huhstantiated much
of his testimony. She also identified
dress goods like that of tho bodice
found in box among the effects
directed to James M. Gordy, which
Mr.. Wilson has in his charge.
Dr. Robert b. Hopkins was called,
and gave the most important testimony
thus far adduced. He stated that he
10 a graduate Of jefferson Medical Col
lege. and has prscticed his profession
ID Milton 10 years. He held a post
norton examination on the body of
the dead woman, together with DR..
Wilson, on Friday, March 18th, at
Wilson'S undertaking establishment.
He produced drawing made by him
self Of the woman's head, illustrating
the wounds found upon it. There were
four wounds. The first was bruise
over tho left eye. 1t was made with
some blunt instrument and would have
produced death, as blood clot was
found on the tlrain immediately under
the bruise.
Continuing Or. HOPKINS said The
eliot found On the brain under Tire
bruise over the eye would inevitably
have caused death bur tho victim
might have lived an hour or not more
than few minutes. The two half
moon shaped cuts on tho back OF tho
head the upper one four inches and the
lower ono two inches in length and tho
thresinch cut over the right ear were
caused by some blunt instrument
because the edges OF the wounds were
ragged and there were no marks on the
skull. Any one Of fhe four wounds
would have been fatal but IL death was
caused by the blow over the eye the
direct canse was conclusion OF the
brain. III by any or all of the others
death was due to shock and loss of
blood. The witness swore positively
that death was not from drowning and
based the opinion entirely upon the
fact that the lunga contained no water
Mr.. Richards asked the witness to tell
exactly how no thought the woman
came to her death. "Do you mean for
me to explain my theory?Y' asked Dr.
Hopkins. Eyes sir'' replied Mr..
Richards. Witness then stated that he
thought the blow over the eve was
given before the body was placed in
the water and prnduced insensihility
but not immediate death although il
would have proved fatal. Then when
the body was pfeuipitatad intD the
water it revived somewhat SO that the
murderer to make assurance doubly
sure inflicted tho blows upon the back
of the head with the oar. He was
confident the three blows on the back
OF the head were inflicted after the
body was in the water because neces-
sarily blood flowed from them and
would have 80 saturated tho clothing
that the water could not have washed