Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-03

Snow Hill, Md, April 29.-Burton
West, prosperous farmer who resided
about seven miles from Snow Hill, was
killed on the country road about one
and half miles from Snow Hill last
night
His body was found early this morn
| ing by farm hand employed by Charles
| McKee, 1t was lying stretched out in
| fence corner, with the face turned up.
From the impressions in the road the
body had evidently been dragged about
ID feet to the point where 1t was found. !,
| BY tracing that way a large pool on
blood was discovered, but it had been
covered with sand scraped up by some-a
ones foot. There were tracks about,
but not sufficient 70 lead any considera-'
BILE distance.
Mr.. West was in Snow Hill Saturday.
He was drinking during the mighty
and when he started for home was
under the influence of liquor. Some
| friends hired two colored boys named /
Sanders Townsend and Arnold Martin
| to go home with Mr.. West to see that
nothing happened to him.
According to the story told by the
boys they started at about 10. 30, driv-
| ing pair of mules and one horse with
a wagon load of shingles. When they
got to what is known as the Mile
Post" at the forks of the road. about a
quarter of mile from where the body
was found, the boys claim that they
told Mr.. West they would cut across the
fields and Join him at another turn of
the road, but instead of doing SO theyt
went directly to the home of Henry
Townsend, brother-in- law of Sanders,
who lives in the opposite direction, and
stayed oil night. They say they NEITHER
knew nor saw anything more of him
until they were told Of his death by
Elijah Cnrmean this morning. !
When the officers went after them to.
appear before the coroner's jury thisi
morning the boys were on their way;
home. hut the direction they were goingl
would have made their walK longer by,
at least half mile and did not lead by,
the scene Of the tragedy. They werei
searched, but no money or property OF
Mr.. West was found on them.
William Coston. colored, says he saw
Townsend early this morning and took
him up in his carriage. As he gotin'
Coston saw what he thought was o
silver watch in Townsend Is vest pocket.
searched, but he did have brass watch
case in his trousers watch pocket.
Henry Townsend, the man with whom
the boys say they stayed all night,
when questioned as to the time of their
arrival at his home, said it was about
10 O'Clock, half hour before they left
town, according to their story. The
distance from Henry Townsend's house
to the place Mr.. West was found is
about one mile. and two miles to Snow
Hill, The team they were driving was
found al Mr.. Vests gate about o clock
this morning by some member of the.
family. 1t is not known how long it
had been there.
Mr.. West was about 60 years old and
leaves a large family. His wife had
only yesterday. She was mot at the
train by her husband and taken out
home by one of her sons.
DIR. Paul Jones, who examined the
wounds. says there was a fracture of
the skull above the right car, q large
confused wound on the right side of
the head and scalp wound. There
was also ragged cut on the right
shoulder and the collar bone was
broken. 1t is possible, he thinks, that
the wounds might have been inflicted
by his having been thrown from the
wagon, but highly improbable. The
covering of the blood and the dragging
of the hcdy by some person or persons
yet unknown and the fact that MI.
West was accustomed to carry consid-
cradle sums of money with bin and
the fact that the watch he wore is
missing all point to the theory of MUIR
der.
Another suspicious Circumstance is
J that early this morning two colored
men, who have not been identified,
stopped at the house of colored
woman about three miles distant and
told her to notify Mr.. Cranfeld, who
lives nearby, that Mr.. West had been
killed. No definite clue to the identity
| of these parties has been found, but
from the location of the two boys,
Townsend and Martin, when found by
Deputy Sheriff Hearthway, it IS posi-
BILE they are the ones.
An inquest Was held Oh the spot by
Charles Parker, Justice of the peace,
and was conducted by States Attorney
Jones. Late this afternoon the jury
rendered verdict that the deceased
had come to his death at the hands Of
persons unknown. The two boys are
being held as witnesses
!.