The evening times., 1900-09-17

and as well as hundreds who live ON the
mainland Of Calvert and ST. Mary's coUn-
ties. are intensely excited over the murder
or Capt LittIeton T. Condif, who was shot
Thursday morning. September 13, while
asleep in his bed at his home on the island.
He died of a wound in the head Friday
afternoon. September II
Part Of the mystery surrounding the case
was cleared up by the inquest begun satur-
day and completed yesterday \ weu-de-
veloped eew pointing to murder was OBJ
tanned, upon which several theories were
built. Tho verdict OF Coroner Files jury
thai Captain Condin came to his death AZ
The hands of his wife. Bessie Condif, was
Immediately followed by the arrest OF the
woman unon the order of States attorney
]. Frank Parran, charging her with the
murder of her husband. She was taken
yesterday afternoon TO Prince Frederick
and will be taken to Baltimore today by
Detective /. Spandauer
80 The coolness and courage of Mrs. Condif
under the circumstances is remarkable and
aston5shed the authorities in charge of the
case. She tells a straightforward story.
sticks 10 il. and gives no sign of weaken
ing, in spite Of the fact that evidence of
the most damaging sort was brought out
against her at the inquest and later facts
have been recalled TO corroborate the theo-
rICs OF both the States attorney and de-
tectiye.
The whole island is inclined 10 believe
.sthe woman guilty. and the feeling runs
high. In the history of Solomon's Island
from the days of the oldest settlers there
is 70 record of such crime as this. and
since Thursday il has been the one subject
OF conversation among the residents. The
murder on Thursday the arrival of the de-
,tective- the Inquest and funeral yesterday
together with the arrest OF the woman in
the afternoon, stirred this part OF Calvert
county as il has never been before.
ghe Doctors Tcstimony.
The inquest was opened by the testimony
Cf DR., W II. Marsh, who performed an
autopsy and swore 30 finding 4 32-ealible
pistol ball in the brain.
He then testified that ;he nature Of the
wound clearly showed the following facts:
First. that the pistol had been held within
SIX inches of the mans head when il was
fired; second, that he was shot while Sleep
ing. his eyes being closed: third that he
was shot in The side CT the head next 10
his wife. who claims to have been in bed
al the time. He also stated he was sum
moned TO the house about l o'clock by
Harris Condiff. the seventeen-yesr- old s0l,
OF Captain COnditf. who told him that has
father had been shot. Upon his arrival al
the Gondiff house Dr. Marsh found MIS-
C0ndin meaning by the side OF her hUs>
band She told the doctor there was no
pistol in the house She had been awak-
ened by noise in the room but saw no
one. DR. Marsh was positive that the pis-
tal was held directly over The right eye
of the man and that the person who fired
did so from the right side Of the bed.
Statesis Attorney PaTran saw the impor-
tance of the evidence and brought out the
s.,ss- g. sa.gls =.
fired from the window or from the side O,
the bed upon which Captain Condin lay
-fie-pfeyefi that in order TO shoot Captain
Condiif as he was shot outsider would
have 10 go on Mrs CoEdif's side OF the
bed. lean over hsr,-and hold the pistol per
Pendiculariy. He called the attention OF
the jury 10 the improbability OF anyone
aItuGted by desire TO rob or kill to do so
In this way and then be able 10 get out
of the house without being seen by Mrs.
6ondif
Mrs BESSIE Condin was called to the
stand. and for nearly an hour answered
with perfect composUTe The numerous
questions. 1t was the first time since
the death OF her husband that she could
be induced 10 talk, and she appeared to
do 50 without reserve Mrs C0ndif
said that her husband had given h-r
some time ago the sum of $40 to eep
for him. and that he had that amount in
the house when he was killed. After
Some discussion, she said, he determined
"Wednesday night to buy oysters fer
planting ami had asked NE for 800 She
gave him the money. and claims that he
placed the money between the mattress
on his side OF the bed, after which they
retired for the night.
Mrs. Condiff's story.
u had just fallen asleep, it seem L, "
Mrs Cendiff said, when was aroused
!, 4
saw 81 once something was the matter
I thought he had had another attack OF
vertigo, and screamed for help Ny son,
Harris, and my mother, who slept up
stairs. came down. Ny mother lit the
lamp, and We all saw what had happened.
When | was aroused by the shot I saw
no cne either in the room or leaving it,
nor did | hear any other sound. WI
E'rnt TO look for the money under the
.-.attress it had disappeared. The ether
$lu0 l have sewed in my skirt
pa Capt. J. W Lusby and Mrs. Lusby,
neighbors of the Condiffs, testified Capt.
Lusby swCre he heard the shot and that
Mrs. Condin did not scream until five min
utes later. Mrs. Lusby heard the scream
and ran across TO her neighbor, ~rom she
found already dressed and not greatly agi-
tated. She stayed with Mrs. Ccnoif until
the arrival of Dr. Marsh.
mora llHpOEi WlintSS was MIS-. Jane
Webster, who lives in the next house on
the north side. She stated to the jury that
on Wednesday afternoon Mrs Condiff came
to her house and said she wanted TO talk
TO her. She had never ben in my house
= before, said Mrs. Webster. and l thought
ii very unusual. But l went downstairs,
and she at once asked me if my husband
was member of the Independent Order of
Heptasophs- l told her no. and she said
her husband was insured III that order for
$1,000, and she was greatly worried, as she
had heard number of members had drop
ped out. She talked for some time about
other things, and just before she left said
she had heavy burden on her mind and
did not know what she would do
The sons Evidence
Harris Condiff, aged seventeen practi-
cally eorroborated his mothers testimo-
ny, denying all knowledge of a pistol in
the house. His mother had told him, he
said. that she had 5000. in order that she
should know it il anything happened to
her
Perry Evans. tr. stated that last Christ
mas he sold Harris Condif a 32-caIibre