Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1897-12-14
A Negro villains Daring Scheme.
Miss katherine Berry, Forme'. Pupil o.
.stephenson Seminary, Na,ro,Oly Escapes
a Horrible Fate

Miss Katherine Berry, daugnter OF inc
late Chas. ]. BERRY of this county, also a
former pupil of Stephenson Seminary, and
a cousin of the Misses Timberlake of this
place, whom she recently visited, as
will be seen by the following from the
Philadelphia Record of Saturday last,
made very narrow escape from becom-
ing the victim of the hellish plot of ne
gro f1end and murderer. near that city
The Record says:
With a warrant issued by United States
Commissioner Morgan, Chief of Police
of Merchantville, was search
ing last night forFrancis Lingo, the Match
town negro, who narrowly escaped hang
ing for two of the most atrocious murders
recorded in New Jerseys history. The
technical charge against Lingo is a use
of The United States Mail to aid GRIM
inal object. The real facts seem to indi-
cate that he had made careful plans to en-
tice Philadelphia young woman out to
a lonely section not far from the scenes
of the two murders for purposes known
only to himself. That his plans miscar-
ried is due to lurking suspicion in the
breast of the intended victim.
Three weeks ago Miss Katherine Berry,
of No. oo44 North Twelfth street, this
city, advertised in a news paper for aPosi-
ton as companion to an aged lady or
invalid She received one reply, pur-
porting to be from Mrs Mable Cooper,
of Merchantville. The letter was filled
with grammatical errors and pleaded as
an excuse for chirography the writer's i'll
ness. Miss Berry was invited to call upon
Mrs. Cooper, who lived two miles from
Pensaullen station, and was told that a
colored man servant would meet her.
Miss Berry replied and named last
Tuesday for the proposed call. On
Monday colored man called at her
home and said Mrs Cooper desired the
visit postponed. Miss Berry became
suspicious and told her brother, Robert
Berry, of the matter. On Wednesday he
went to Merchantville to look for Mrs.
Cooper. He was unable to find her, and
inquired of Chief of Police Linderman
if that official knew the name.
As the chief knew of no such person he
took Berry to the post Office, where they
learned that Francis Lingo had presented
an order signed by Mrs. Cooper, instruct
ing the postmaster to deliver to him her
mail. Lingo gave a receipt for the let
ter, which Miss Berry had sent. The re-
ceipt and order when compared, showed
plainly that they were written by the
same person.
1lnUGlllldIl lllllllCululClN DCCstillS SliS-
picious that Mrs. Cooper was myth,
and instructing the postmaster to
keep the matter Il secret he ar
ranged with the brother to visit Miss
Berry on the following day. He secured
photograph of Lingo and the young
woman at once recognized it as that of the
man who had visited her. The chief
then prepared to catch the man if pos
sible, and finally prevailed upon the
young woman to assist him.
Meantime, Miss Berry had received n
postal card instructing her to meet the
co1ored servant at Pensaulsen station on
the 4:3o train Thursday night. She
was unable to do this, but Lingo was seen
at the Merchantville station that evening,
He peered anxiously into each car as it
went by.
It was concluded to have Miss Berry
take the same train yesterday, and with
Chief Linderrnan near by her she
paced the platform for two hours, but the
negro became frightened and failed to ap-
pear. Lingo was seen in the neighbor-
hood early in the afternoon. When Lin
dermar presented these facts to United
States Commissioner Morgan yesterday,
that official uuhesitatingly issued war
rant for Lingo's arrest. When he did not
materialize last evening Linderman i'm
mediately began search for him. The
police believe that if Miss Berry had met
the negro at the station, as was planned,
some great evil would have befallen her
Miss Berry is a Southern girl. 20 years
old, and came to Philadelphia from Ala
bar1a two months ago. She is an orphan,
her parents having died several years
ago. Her brother, who is medical stu
dent in one of the colleges in this city,
obtained situation for her in one of the
hospitals, but as such was not congenial,
she left after week or two, and went to
board with friends at No. 2o4-f North
Twelfth street She inserted the adver-
tisement for position as companion or
governess, because she is a young woman
of refinement and education, her family
having been very highly connected in
the South.
Lingo has been arrested and held in
1900 bail at Camden, New Jersey.
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