The evening times., 1899-09-11
/ House Hermann 9o1 -s03 9Th St: is5::+ s!
SLAIN IN HIS FATHERS STORE.
A Young Marylander BrutaIly MUIR
dered by u Thief.

BALTIMORE. Nd. Sept IA shock
ing murder was committed in the Third
district of Anne Arundel county between
I and II O'Clock Saturday morning, when
Ferdinand A. Robinson, a respected young
man, Just past his twentieth year, was
murdered in the store of his father, John
Robinson. about three miles south of Cur
It's Bay. The county police officials and
detectives from Baltimore worked all OF
yesterday upon the case.
Robert Gross, colored man, about TWEEN
ty-fve years old who is suspected of the
crime, was arrested at Annapolis last night,
charged with the crime He was said to
have sailed away in sloop for the State
capital, and Sheriff Frank S. Reyell. Of
Anne Arundel county, went there TO meet
him. Some cigarettes and some copper
cents similar to those which were taken
from the store after the murder was COM
mitted were found in Gross possession. He
was placed in Jail for a hearing On Tues
day.
Gross was not at his home yesterday. He
lived about 800 yards from the Robinson
! store and his wife. and his wifes aunt.
! and another cplored woman who lived in
| the house with Gross were arrested as wit
nesses and locked up in the Curtis Bay sta
| tionhouse The names of these women are
| Lizzie Armstrong said to be Gross wife
| and Armstrong Is said to be his real name
| Annie Cullison, who is LZzie's Aunt,
and Ida Brown, or Coates. who was not
| related to any of the other negroes living
! in the house,
! Ferdinand A. Robinsons father, who
keeps the store, left home Saturday morn
! ing with his wife to go to Hawkins Point
ralyo irrut
came tc Baltimore to buy goods, and Fer
dinand, who had been in bad health for
some time, was left in charge of the store.
! The first intimation that anything was
wrong was when passers-by discovered that
| the store was locked up long after the hour
when it should have been opened. Accord
| ing to their testimony it seems clear that
! the murder was committed between and
S o'clock. At II o'clock Mr. and Mrs. Rob-
| inson returned home and found the doors
of the store locked. Knockings brought no
answer. An entrance was effected. Be
| hind the counter lay young Robinson. dead.
| He had fallen upon broken earthenware
cuspidore and cut his face. The right side
of his skull was crushed, showing. evident
| w. that the blow was delivered with some
| blunt instrument.
| Upon his throat were bruises. one small
one on the right side and a larger one on
\
his victim by the throat with his. right
| hand and dealt the fatal blow with the left.
| The small bruise on the throat would mean
the thumb and the large bruises the four
| fingers. The place had been robbed. A
25-cent piece and 101 copper cents were
taken from the till and other things in the
store were missing. The upstairs rooms
had been visited and trunks and bureau
drawers searched and many articles stolen.
Tryo St1yor holop o;u fa
were gone One of them bore the initials
| of Ferdinand-F. A. R. Dr. T. B. Horton,
Of Curtis Bay, summoned a jury of inquest,
! great excitement being caused by the dis
covery of the murder, and the jury, through
its foreman-Daniel Duvall-decided that
Robinson had come to his death at the
hands of some person unknown.
Chief of Police Harry Acton communi-
Gated with Marshal Hamilton, of the Bal
tinore police force, and Detectives Pohle,
and Brennan were put upon the case
With Chief Acton, DIR. Charles H. Brooke
Sheriff Frank S. Reveil, William G. Gis-
chel president of the board of county
commissions: Frank Hancock and Samuel
Chairs, the detectives went to the scene
of the murder. In Gross house they found
the three women already alluded to, al
of whom seemed to have several names
and all of whom told different stories
| Ihey declared tnat the last time they ma
seen Gross was about 10 O'Clock on Satur-
day. Others had seen him sailing away In
his skiff about that hour. He said that h;
was going to Annapolis. and Sheriff Revei
started there to meet him.
A bag of flour and bag of sugar were
found in Gross house. Just such article.
were missed from, the store. Other store
keepers said that Gross had never bought
from them more than a few pounds O.
flour in his life and never a bag. One o
the women said that there was no bag O
flour in the house early Saturday morning
An undershirt,4 with blood upon it, wa
found in the house, and in the pocket OF
woman's dress, hidden between mattresses
was found pair OF brass knuckles.
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