Evening journal., 1900-01-22
EVRE'S BODY
FOUND At LAST
Young Man FOully Murdered and
Corpse Weighted Down and
Thrown Into River.
FOUND IN RACCoON CREEK

HE HAD BEEN SHOT IN THE hhAD
AT CLOSE RANGE-BoDY DIS
COVERED BY JOHN CARNEY AT
NOON YESTERDAY.
A dispatch from Chester says: A
month elapsed Saturday since the dis
appearance of George B. Eyre. Yes
terday the mystery OF his disappear
ance was solved. Eyre was murdered
and his body, weighted down, thrown
into Raccoon creek, where it was found
at noon by John Carney, who lives on
Cadwallader Island, near the mouth of
the creek.
Shortly after 12 O'Clock yesterday
Carney jumped in his boat and put off
from the island after some driftwood.
He had gone but short distance, and
was about sixty feet from the river
bank and about three-quarters of a
mile above the mouth of the creek,
when he discovered an object lying un-
der the water, which was unusually
low at that point. barely covering the
bar. Carney made a hasty investiga-
tion, and was mortified when he pulled
to the surface the body of a man with
the legs tied together with a stout
piece Of cord or rope, resembling a
sash cord A closer investigation re-
vealed the fact that the man had been
shot down, the gun having evidently
been held at close range, the heavy
charge mutilating the back part of the
head in a frightful manner, while the
face had escaped designation.
THE OFFICIALS NOTIFIED.
Carney notified Sheriff Springer and
the local authorities of Bridgeport, N.
]. Coroner Miller, of Paulsboro, took
charge of the body and ordered its re-
moval to the town hall.
Soon after the finding of the body
Chief OF Police Berry, of Chester, was
notified. Chief Berry and DR.. ForwoOd,
together with members of the Alpha
Boat Club, crossed the Delaware in a
naphtha launch, and positively identi-
fed the body as that of Eyre.
The body yRgis 'Pppppdbwrdodlanl
THE BODY WEIGHTED DOWN.
The murderer Of Eyre sought to lock
the secret of his crime in the river by
weighing down his victims body. The
legs had been tied between the knee
and the ankle, the cord having been
wrapped around four times and drawn
very tight. At the end of the cord and
close to the legs was a loop, which had
evidently been used to secure the
weights to sink the body. These
weights, whatever they may have been,
are supposed to have slipped from the
loop or moose by the action of the tides
and floating ice. thus relasing the body
and allowing it TO float into shallow
water, where it was found by Carney.
The gunshot wound was about two
inches in diameter, but no other marks
of violence were discovered.
The body was dressed in a bicycle
suit, with an extra pair of pants, two
shirts, a canvas jacket, a cunning coat
and hip gum boots. Eyre's watch had
been wrested from the chain, leaving
three or four links of the chain still
fast in the buttonhole Of his panta-
looms
The finding OF the body and discov-
cry that Eyre had been murdered ant
then robbed has created intense excite
ment, and nothing else has been talked
of during the entire day and night
Prosecutor Starr, of Gloucester county
was notified of the recovery of tn,
body yesterday afternoon, and ordered
a thorough investigation to be mad'
by the Gloucester county officials il
the way of assisting the Chester au
thorities in running down the mur
derer
MYSTERIOUS LETTER RECALLED
Chief Berry last night recalled tina
on New Years Day he had received {
mysterious letter, that stated the bod.
would be found near Raccoon creek
and places great significance in it. Tn
letter reads:
Phila., January 1st, 1900.
Mr.. Berry, Chief of Police:
Dear Sir:
The missing man, George Eyre, VIII
has SO mysteriously disappeared fror
home a short time ago; was murdere
In or near Raccoon Creek he was nc
killed for plunder jeaIously So you wi
find when his body is Recovered hi
Clothing will contain all That was o
Them before he disappeared and tn
man who killed him . he
Dark Complexioned man slim (
Build about 5 feet
inches in Height Dark Brow
hair and his moustache a light,
shade Than his hair and he was in II
boat with him when he left the clul
house at Chester and his body will l
found in the delaware River near Ra
coon Greek.
Yours Eetc.,
(Signed) A. .JR.
The asterisks denote an omissic
particularly requested by the chic
The letter was mailed in Philadelphi
and is written evidently in a woman
hand.