The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-15
TIE MILTON
MYSTERY
Weaving the Chain Around the
Murderer.
IANEs n Iia9Y ARRESTED
The Woman Was Mrs. M. Lewis
of New York City Who Told
Several Persons She Hat
Married Gordy.

murderer occupies cell III inc ouescA
county jail at this place. She has been
identified by property here as being Mrs.
M. Lewis of New York city and who
claimed that she married Gordy recently
in that city, and the alleged murderer is
James NJ. Gordy. On Saturday morning
Gordy was arrested by Detective Witsil
and Constable Lynch at his mothers
home near Whitesville.
He was handcuffed and taken to this
place where he was lodged in Jail. No ono
is allowed TO see him except Messrs. Rich
ards and Cullen his attorneys.
Attorney General White having learned
that Gordy had written to Harvey Messick
that he would be home Oh Tuesday and
did not turn up until Thursday and
learning from several reliable parties that
Gordy was seen with the murdered woman
felt that Gordy was the man to arrest,
and after some cards were found on furni.
ture at the depot lie telegraphed to New
York as follows:
"Mrs. NJ. Lewis, No. s6l3 Eighth avenue
Did you know Nine Grunet and james
NJ Gordy? Ho is arrested for numbering
his wifc. Answer at my expense
"R. G. White, Attorney General
JanitOr Thorndyke of the apartments
sent the following reply to the attorney
general;
"Mrs. NJ. Lewis and wife of James NJ.
Gordy are probably the same WON an. Mrs.
Lewis lived here No. 2613 Eighth avenue
until Wednesday last. Sho told friends
when she loft that she hal married j.
Gordy and was going to Delaware to live
with him.
He lived here with her few days. De-
scrlption of murdered woman talies with
that of Mrs. Lewis"
Janitor Thorndyke says the murdered
woman rented her apartments on the top
floor there six weeks ago. She was good
looking woman, about 80 years old, and
was nicely dressed. She furnished her
rooms we'll. but lived very quietly. Each
morning she went out about 8 o'cl ock,
returning about $50 O'Clock in the after
noon. She had several talks with the
janitor and his two colorod assistants.
The gist of her conversation was to the
effect that her husband had left her his
business down town. She said that it
paid pretty we'll, but that she was tired
of the work and cares of business.
Two weeks ago she went away for day
or two, and the other tenants in tho house
surmiscd that perhaps the pretty widow
had gone to get married again. When she
returned she denied these rumors at first,
but day or two later when Thorndyke's s
assistant. Smith, went to her rooms to fix
the gas she told him that she had been
married.
II have got the incest husband in the
world" she said and she went to u closet,
opened little hand satchel, and. taking
out diamond ring, showed it to smith.
"That is my engagement ring, she said.
She told practically the same story to
Thorndyke. adding that she was soon 60
ing to move Last week the husband ap-
peared on the scene. She introduced him
as Mr.. Gordy.
Mrs Gordy, as she came to be known
thereafter, told the janitor that she was
about to remove to Delaware with her hus-
band Il am going to sell out my bust.
ness" she said "My husband is a planter
and horse breeder, and has money enough
for both Of u.s.
Last Wednesday truckman came and
took away the furniture. Mrs. Gordy
notified the janitor that she was going to
Delaware at once with her husband A
milkman who had supplied Mrs. Gordy
heard the conversation, and said she owed
him small bill
Mrs. Gordy sent down so cents accom-
panied by message that if that was not
enough to cover the bill to have the milk
man write to town in Delaware and
the balance would bo forwarded. The
amount was sufficient, the address was
forgotten, and the paper on which 1t Twas
written was lost.
She was the widow of an ink manufac-
turer, but a few days before she left New
York she told her acquaintance that she
had married Gordy, u planter and horse
breeder, living in Delaware
WEAVING THE CHAIN.
The chain of evidence against the ac-
cused man was further strengthened to-
day by the discovery of the satchel carried
by Mrs Lewis which was found in the
farm house on the farm where Corey
stopped the night Of the murder. In the
woman's satchcl was curling iron, II
woman's glove and other articles which
are supposed to belong to tho murdered
woman,
The persons who saw Gordy and the
woman together stated to the Attorney
General on Saturday that the woman had
Il satchel with her when she got off the
train at Milford but the hunt for this
was temporarily postponed in the great
anxiety TO capture the murderer. To day
officers were sent to make II thorough ex-
animation of the farm house on the Gordy
farm, and by removing mattress in one
of the rooms found other eviden ,es in
support of the belief that the murderer
drove from the scene of the crime to his
own house
lit is the theory of number Of people in
Georgetown that there is another man in-
VOlved in tho murder and that Gordy had
an accc sorry in the murder of Mrs. Lewis.
II is the belief that Gordy in somo re-
spects is an Gmulat0r of Ii. H. Holmes, the
multi murderer, who slew men and women
for the pupose of obtaining insurance upon
their lives
Gordy's previous bad character has be,n
u source Of alarm to his neighbors for sew
eral years. Many of them are of the be-
lief that he killed his wife for the insur.
auco of 5000 upon her life, burned his
house to get the insurance, and also made
away with his infant child, which died
shortly after his first wlfe's death.
a year or so ago he disappeared with
Miss Wilson, the daughter of u well to do
farmer. She could not be found for sever.
al months, but finally Gordy concluded
that the young woman had been away long
enough, and 50 one day he astonished her
parents by bringing the young lady home.
Three years ago he purchased from Miles
Messck u saw-mill on the old MeSsick
road He failed tOp,y for the building,and
when Messick u rGdtened to foreClose the
mortgage, Gordy mot him with IN atUi.
tude of indifference, stated that he had
carried most uf the mill away and would
destroy the machinery II Messick persisted
in pushing him The result was Mcs,ick
was TOO glad to compromise tho case and
tho matter was quickly settled
q Harvey, the tenant on Gordy's farm,
sticks to the statement that he received
letter from Gordy dated New York carly
last week, stating that he was coming
down to the farm Wednesday night and
would bring u woman with him. Prepa-
rations were made to receive tho woman
at the farmhouse on the night in question
and the failure Of Gordy to bring tho wo-
man to the house, Notwithstanding the
fact that he turned up at the farm at an
unseemly hour, led the tenant to wonder
what had become of his companion.
Ex.Sheritf Martin, of Sussex county,
wLo saw the woman who came down on
the train with Gordy to Milford says
there can be no doubt that the woman was
the one whose body was found in the
river, while Liveryman Dickinson, of
Milford, identifies Gordy as the man who
hired from him horse and buggy, and
failed to return them until the following
day. S. Nj. Reynolds, the baggage agent
at Milford, was about to close the station
Wednesday evening after the passage Of
the southbOund train, when he saw q
well.dressed woman sitting in tho waiting
room
EIShe told him she was waiting for the
arrival of Gordy, who had gone up town
in search of a horse and buggy. Then tho
woman conilded to Reynolds the fact that
she was married to Gordy, and was going
with him that evening TO his farm, two
miles below Georgetown.
That was tho last seen Of the woman