The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-07
WHO KILLED OLD D0BBINS?
,rpsEY MURDER MYSTERY OF TIE
DARKEST KIND.

I've" h,t There's No Evidence Against
u,m-Dobbinss Disappearance and the
vindi-g of His Bones 10 Months Later.
,.,h.r Ssy Jersey murder mystery. the So
,.,,,, ~ which promises to be as dihicrlt as
49,, o,those preceding 1t. has turned up In the
.o NJ Nicholas W. Dobbins. whose remains
., found under q pile OF rocks on the
'., NJ George Meade at West Caldwell.
sou, nine miles from Newark. on Monday
a,,srnoon. That the skeleton uncovered by
,ta Francisco brothers while taking stone
tom, the Meade farm for use in road improVe-
IAN, ia that OF Dobbins. there Is no longer
.nv doubt In the minds OF the Essex
oourty officials. The remnants OF cIoth'hk
ain clinRing to tho bones have been posi-
t,.v Identified as parts OF garments worn
H., tho man when he disappeared apou' n,no-
teen months ago. and the hnulng OF u e,'et
,,stcb and n key which are known TO nave
belonged to Dobbins. IN the same Spot "he1o
the body had been lying have cohVinceo '"o
,,,horitie. that the skeleton Is that OF the long
missing farmer. ,
Although Dobblns wasa drinking man and
rae wont to threaten suicide in his maudiin
romsnts. the police say that the evidence OF
murder is too strong to leave any DOUBT In tneir
r,inds that he was the victim OF foul play
Among the stones that covered the BODY were
IAN, veiob,pg over 100 pounds. and they had
so hrfaDReu AUouS 'ho ioAA""' 80 ~
oorceol them from the view OF any passsr-by.
Ths presence OF lime abou. the skeleton, tho
,u,s ,,y Ia the strongest Kind OF evidence
,ha, a murder was committed. the lime having
h.., used on the body to eat the flesh away.
md thus render Identification impossible.
usr.u, l. Hennion. husband OF the dead
man. sepdaughter. was arrested on lhurs-
J,, afternoon for murder. on the complaint OF
NaltsrJ Dobbins. eldest son OF the murdersu
man Hennion 10 still in Jail anu MS
s. ia being prepared for the Grand
t,rv although the authorities admit that
,hare isn't scintilla OF actual evidence
.ea,n,t him Meanwhile the dead mans
n,rrIed daughters. Mrs Charles H. Haw-
Lir.and Mrs Arthur l.. Branning. who live IN
Astoria have come out with sweeping charges
against their stepmothsr. the widow. nor
dauyh,sr Mrs Hsnnion and Swede. known as
rh.rIe, who il en- poyed BY Hennion as a farm
hand practically accusing them all OF having
r,rtin The murder County Prosecutor Chandler
W Rler Of Newark said Yesterday that he had
heard n, the staten ents OF the daughters OF the
dad man. but that as they were entirely
unsupported by evidence. he had taken NO
.otion on them. Even Hennion. he said. would
40. INV. hssn arrested but for the affidavit OF
Walter J. Dobbins.
The case is remarkable one In many ways
The police are convinced that while the
neiphborhood was being searched for Doboins
and parties were dragging the Passaic River
ana o'hel noa 4, 20. found .c,rcelv a
nhuei NV ,n, hio ovn bom. Thsv
stone 'nio" .,,,ra.r.d On ~.
'n'nk wa" s; ~" nd that the bodv wa,
n'sh' Nv Tia .r. str.nrthened in
this belief by the statements OF number OF
persons living in West Caldwell. to the effect
that they first noticed tho peculiar fashion In
'n -'. ~ ~. pIsd IN in ono spot on
nu'Um NV ~. go, ahout rho Tina Dobblns VA.
'"o hs'u' ' '
in ANAL v,x Via,
poools ~. W. Na.s tw.Iva vaar. a.o
n u, net' .si.i hm.hsnd md sh. v,s hi,
me- "a' ~ M. ao,nI. vsr. ,nn,rsntIx
-ou .,a ,hara ava M account. ~
navy, in ths f,milv mill the marriage Of
u, - NJ. NJ. nohhin.,. d.uobter IN
u, u.r,ion "a. c,rn.nt.r and
-, l., wat codwau all hi.
no. I,sr H.. n,,rr;.oe bs vant m Iva with
NV. y. ~. nahhirs how. M.mh.r. n, tho
,.mr IN, thors var. m,nx ou.rrel. Ia.
-. nohh;n. ,rd his st.nson. ip-Iav Int tina,
49, .,a rnainIv h.o,us. a, tina old man,s
s.i..;, h.h,,. ,rd r.,.r amounted to anv.
thina
nnhhi,. di..pns,rsd on tn. nipht q, Feb
90 1000 T,.ra ora coreio,,no r.nort. about
-. di,.nn.,roroo and IN. vidov b.rsslf bas
1,von 10 ar tbree die.rant .toriss ia tbs
sr,ho.t,;ss uor arst st.tom.nt ws, that he
.,,,,.a Gov thu viIaga groc.rv .tors
=, Div. prool to Inv som. ann.
rI., and nav.r c,me b,cl Th. nsIt
49, -s nohhIns and Mrs Hannion vhe, ,a.n
,oaath.r laid that At ahaut 7 o'cloct IN Ms
.r.nin, =, DobbIrs'. dis,nna,r,ncs he wan,
srt 10 ;.sd IN. chiok ans and milk the cows 4
I,,,s I.ter tbav 90 him % into IN. harm and
hs,ra hir, .tr;Ls ma,ch Th.v sunno,.d
,h.r..id ,h.t ha 80 I,ohti,. Lantern Tha,
. Wv, s.. hi-s $50 A. .hi. ,in.. .har Ia
ua,nion -. ,rorLina ~ tha o.rri.aa .h.d
| ,.n,,,Inu -, whar tho oon, nlaint ,,,;r.
u.n,inn -hioh r.srItod IN his arrss, an ,
.h.rn. =, - a;ao -..n.a. e.. no.i,i,,.,,
.,,tad Nv Tho ohiIdr.n - ~. rrrdsrad ~ n,
th,t ~ t,o n,oht -, his d,..nn..r.no. ~. 10,
,rov lin uannion about ~. r.s NV m. ,atta
o,.ou. ~, h,s tooI. nohhin. - !. s.ia ~,
,cr,nt shout hi. too,. =. nd n.vsr .lIow.d INV
nod, - toroh th.n ~. .iieosd ,h,t ~. a, :,
H.nrior rsira th.r, t-o,, w,rdov IN IN,