The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-01-22
EYRE WAS
MURDERED.

| gunshot wound as big as an orange
in the back Of his head, his skull
was mass Of pulpy bone and his
legs were securely tied together by
a boat rope some eight feet long. q
The body was discovered during
an unusually low tide in the morn
ing, about six feet out from the
shore. The finder. John Karney,
is a fisherman, living on Raccoon
Island farm. The remains were
positively identified tonight by a
score of Eyre's friends. They were
but little decomposed.
Karney recogn lied the features
at once as those of the missing
Chester man, George B. Eyre. He
Immediately notified Coroner VIM.
B. Miller, OF Paulsboro.
Sharp's hotel is on Raccoon
Creek, in the very heart of Bridge
port. To this hostelry Eyre's body
was taken. Chief of Police Berry,
of Chester. was at once notified, as
were also dozen or more members
of the Alpha Boat Club.
The body was clothed in a hunt.
ing coat and dark blue sweater.
His knicker-bockcrs. evidently
part of bicycle suit, were dark.
Behind the right ear the Coroner
found a gaping hole. Nearly all
the contents of the skull haye es-
capped through this aperture. On
the right of Eyre's face is big
discolored patch. 1t may have been
produced by blunt instrument or
it may have been caused by burn
from the powder of a gun.
But the most significant, the
most terrible feature oil all is a rope
tivc-sixths cotton boatrope. That
was tied and knotted about the
dead mans legs just below the
knees. At the end of this rope was
a moose, which had evidently con-
tanned some stone or weight meant
to anchor the body to the bottom
of the stream.
Tonight A. V. Lees, the treas
urer of the Alpha Boat Club. iden-
titled the body not only by the fea-
lures, which were plainly recog-
nlzable, but by these selfsame keys
the duplicates of those carried bv
himself and used by the members
of the boat club Late in the after
noon J. Il. Dreamer, commission
merchant of Chester and number
of the same lodge of Elks to which
Eyre belonged, also identified the
body.
About 7 o'clock tonight the coffin
was taken through the window of
the old Town Hall, and Chief of
Police Berry, Sergeant Leary and
a number of members of the Alpha
Boat Club, among them DR.. Francis
d. Forwcod, personal friend of
the dead men, again positively iden-
titled the body as that of George B.
Eyre.
A jury, composed of George NJ.
Steelman, Charles McKeag. Till
man Frampton, Joseph Hughes,
Preston Gill and Charles Pedrick,
was chosen by Coroner Miller. The
jury will hold its inquest to-mor-
row at 10 o'clock in the morning.
Prosecutor of Gloucester County
Louis Starr, together with Chief Of
Police Berry, of Chester, will be
present.
Chief Of Police Berry said to-
night: Il have felt all along that
Eyre met with foul play. The To-
cation of his body is not a surprise.
think his boat will be found close
BY. What steps may take in the
natter now that the body is found
cannot. as yet say. There can be
10 doubt as to the nature OF the
ury's verdict tomorrow. Foul
'lay shows of plainly in the case
Is the ghastly wounds in the back
# Eyre's head.
Chester, Pa. Jan. Chichester is
xcitcd tonight over the murder of
george b. Eyre. who month ago
o the day left the Alpha Boat
louise at the foot of Welsh street on
he fatal cunning trip across the !
liver to the Jersey shore. That he s.
vas murdered there is no longer
ny doubt. and the facts ATTENDING d
ne discovery of the body bear out t
he theory.
Arrests may be looked for at any
our. There have been numerous
onfcrenccs of city and county au- /
horities tonight, but at a late
our no suspect has been taken
ito custody. Shortly after 9 clock I
o-nlght Chief Berry returned from 4
bridgeport. where he with other a
uthoritics of Chester positively 4
tcntihcd the body of Eyre found A
arlier in the day as that of George 4
. Eyre, X
Alice and w. H. Griggs members &
the A pha Boat Club, who had &
ccompanied the Chief and identif- q
| the body, went Immediately to q
lie home of Mrs. II. c. Eyre, the Z;
idowcd mother of the murdered q
an, at Seventh and Barclay =
reefs, and informed the family B.
'at the body had been positively {,
entitled as George. +,
While Mrs. Eyre had ncrvcd her. Il
If to receive the information that NJ
# son had been murdered. she
ave away to grief, but was soon
de tocontrol herself. Miss Helen X,
yrc, the sister, was also over.
me, but it was the aged grand. a.
other, Mrs. Howes, who lives in If af
adjoining house, whose grief etc
as inconsolable. Mrs. Howes al W
'st worshiped her grandson, in !
rom she saw a promising future. Ri
They have murdered George, " ..
c exclaimed. 81 believed it all -
ong This is an awful thing to u
ar. W