Evening star., 1901-12-09
MARX REACHES NEW YORK
HIS ATTORNEY TELLS STORY OF
THE SHOOTING.
IL Differs Little From the Accounts
Which Have Already Been
Printed.

A dispatch from New York last night
says: Herbert Marx, who. on Tuesday
night last. shot and killed william Taylor
and William Hefiin. and seriously wounded
James O. Stiff at his fathers plantation
house near Oak Grove, Va. reached his
home in Brooklyn this evening. He left
Oak Grove Immediately after his exonera-
tion by the coroner's jury.
Abel f. Blackmsr of the law firm Of
Baldwin & Blackmar gave out the follow
ing statement OF the affair:
"Wednesday morning i received a tele-
gram asking me to come to Virginia at
once and stating that Herbert Marx was
in trouble. i started at once. accompanied
by Herbert's brother Ernest. We reached
Fredericksburg on Thursday, and found
that Herbert had come up the Rappahan-
mock on a steamer. We found him on board
the boat and took him to the hotel After
hearing his story OF the shooting We decided
that ii was best for him to go to WASH
ington and call on Representative Jones OF
his home district, and give him full ac-
count of the matter. This he did and
placed himself in the care OF Mr.. Jones.
Ernest Marx and my self drove to Oak
Grove and called upon the commonwealth
attorney, Col. Robert ]. Washington. after
a conference with Colonel Washington we
decided to thoroughly inspect the premises
where the shooting occurred. We found
that Taylor evidently had fired two rifle
shots through the house One OF these had
passed through the window OF the back
room on the ground floor, and the other
through the seconu story. When the first
shot was fired Herbert secured his revol-
yer, threw open the door and confronted a
man wearing a mask. He called upon the
man to speak and say whether the affair
was Joke. Receiving no answer, he fired.
The man, who afterward proved to be
have stated that he was shot by one Of
his own party. but Herbert says that he
shot him; Hefin fell next, and after his
second shot Herbert started across the
front yard toward a fence about 250 yards
away.
AFTER climbing the fence he turned and
saw another man carrying rifle. Herbert
man afterward proved TO be Taylor, who,
apparently. had crossed the yard and
climbed the fence on parallel course with
Marx.
Herbert ran half a mile to Griflth's.
the nearest neighbor Securing lantern,
a party FASTENED back to the scene OF the
shooting and found that Hehin and stln
had crawled into the front room, where
both lay on the floor unconscious. One
mysterious feature Of the affair was that
the lamp. which had been burning in the
beck room, had been removed TO the front
room.
Marx secured a horse and hurried away
to the home of DR.. Washington, five miles
distant, and soon returned with the physi-
clan. Taylor's body was not found until
an hour later. Upon searching further
about the premises, a bag OF straw,
large bundle OF rags ana bottle OF kero-
sene were found. together with large
braided whip. A quarter OF a mile down
the road two buggies were found. In which
were can Of tar a rope twenty feet
known as Douglas was found in one OF the
buggies. He ran away, and, together with
a man known as George Thompson, was
caught later Both declared that they
knew nothing Of the matter-both had been
pressed into the affair upon the assur-
auce that there was to be no shooting.
IAN examination of Taylors rifle showed
that the magazine contained thirteen undis-
charged cartridges. The ejector OF the rife
was down and a cartridge was found jam
med In the breech, preventing further use
Marx remained that night in the house.
in the custody of Mr.. Griffith who had
been deputized special constable. Next
morning an inquest was held over Taylors
body. Thompson testified that he had un-
derstood the party intended to chastise
Marx. He had been picked up on the road.
and he knew nothing else about the mat
ter. Douglas told a similar story to the
jury, on which were two relatives Of one
Of the dead men. Colonel Washington told
Marx he could make statement TO the
dict OF justifabie shooting was at once re-
turned. Marx was advised to leave the
county. He was taken to Leedstown, on
the RappahannocR, and boarded boat for
Fredericksburg, where we met him.
ION Monday night. the night preceding
the shooting. Marx believes the first at
tempt was made to enter the house. He
was awakened by an unknown man rap
ping on one Of the windows He opened
the window, and the man asked for in
formation to the road to Oak Grove,
saying he a travelling salesman. Marx
told him how to reach the place, but the
man insisted on being shown. Marx re-
fused 10 come out OF the house, however,
and moment afterward heard the man
in conversation with another person. This
put hir on his guard, and he is fully con-
WINGED that the call on Tuesday night was
made by the same persons.
Marx deeply deplores the publicity given
the young lady in the case who has since
st ated that he had never offered her an in
suit"