The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-22
HALTRBAIBD ST THIEVES
IN Aged hapgIand Couple Attack
Ell in Their Home.
The Husband Likely to Die From EIIs
njurieS-ifeported 10 Have Eind IA
large s'sm OF Money Concealed in
His farmhouse. Which - a. Saved
Through the Pluck OF the wife.

I
| money was concealed about the house two
rutidns. believed to be negroes. made i
| muIderous attack Wednesday night upon
! MIR. and 5Irs. John Harmon. who live alone
| uron farm on the outskirts of the village
| Of Severn, in Anne Arundel county. four
teen miles from this Gig. en- the Baltimore
| and Potomac branch u the Pennsylvania
| system.
Mr. Harmon. who IS sixty-oGe years old.
vas so terribly beaten BY the thugs that
| his death is expected to occur a. almost
any Lour. His skull is fractured AID
wounds cover his face aad body Mrs.
Harmon. sixty-four years cid. was choked.
beaten. bound. thrown down d fight of
stairs. and otherwise maltreated. By pres
| ence of mind she saved the concealed mon
| ey by a ruse
me Harmon farm is located about half
a mile from the Severn poStolace. II com
| prlSss lSe acres OF highly cultivated land
ana It's owner IS Feputed To be wealthy
| Mr.. Harmon mas the reputation also of
| being an unbelieve- in the safety of banks
| and he IS said to have boosted tire posses
| sion of S2o,GC0 10 $3GcG in personal prop
! erty.
The nearest neighbors of Nj. and Mrs
Harmon are fully quarter OF q mile dis
| tant.
! It was about O'Clock Wednesday night
! that Airs- Harmon was sitting alone in he
/ dlni2g-room awaiting the return OF her
husband. who had gone On visit 10 his
| orotheT-in-law, c. W. Boyer. Shortly aft
| er Nj Harmon left man VINO spoke ike
| a negro raped upon the door and asked IL
| MIR Johnson was at home and If ne
! was, did he want to engage Z man upon
4 n F-v=N hfF--
| 3r- Johnson did not live tha-e, and that
| her husband aid not need any help
( The fellow soon returned with another
man and asked If they misnt Gene IN 10
| warm themselves Mrs. Harmon refused.
! and they burst in the door
wo bury black men sprang into the
room. said Mrs. Harmon yesterday.
| each armed with heavy sticks One Of
the men was taller than the other. and
! one CT them had Oh a black derby hat and
| -tEht overcoaJ- They grabbed NE. and
I <iIie one checked me nearly into insensi-
| oiiity the other tied ny hands behind me
| and dashed me securely 20 3 heavy table
| which stood il the middle OF the room.
Just then 1 heard my husbands step
| as he came up the walk They heard il
I also, and as he reached the edge OF the
| porch, which opens directly into the din
| ing room, they sprang cut upon him
I heard them strike him segerai blows
/
floor He regeined his feet and ali three
came Keeling into the room Finally one
Of the men struck HI a heavy blow upon
the head and &c fell bleeding and grooming
to the floor The men continued 10 kick
and beat hin until I thought he was dead
While the struggle was going on ! had
managed 10 get my hands loose and was
about 20 run out OF the door. when they
grabbed ne. and raising their bIudgeons. I
| thought my last hour rad come. I cried.
| oh, Spare ny lie I am old aEG feeble
and have not long II live anyhow. You
have killed nv husband; at least spare
me-
old woman said ore, we want your
money-au Ct II. Go and set it and you
may live
y went mp The stairs ara into 10y room.
where I had pistol. Securing It. turned
and was about to step rpcu the stairs.
when the men, who had followed. sprauE
upon ne aEain, Wrercked the pistol from
ny hand nd threw me With awful force
down the stairs I was hurt severely by
the fall INT they followed re, and taking
me each ny aE arm, they went upstairs
again Arriving there. ! told them 10 60
30 q room al the other end OF the house
and they would find the money They left
me ana went 10 the room / had indicated
As soon as they were out Of sight I
crepI into ny bedroom. where the money
was concealed IN a little box in a closet.
and, taking It out, I wrapped it into sew
eral little parcels, using rags TO DO il
with, and threw II under 2 pile OF other
rags which Was in the corner
After doing this / crept down stairs.
leaving them yet locking for tEe money ia
the rooms upon the second floor. and step
ping over my husbands body, which lay il
a great pool Of blood at the foot OF the
stairs. I slipped through the open door.
and finally. after much diflcuity-I was
very dizzy ana was bleeding from the
wounds they had inflicted upon nay face
and body reached NJ brother Mr.. c
v Boyer's. house
Mrs. Harmon in the journey acr, IS hi
fields to her brothers house lost 10th her
shoes and dress and when she arrived
there was almost frozen and her feet cur
by the stones When she entered the
door she collapsed and had great diff
Guilty in telling them what had happened
The news was Immediately taken 10
Severn ~ Mr. Boyer's son, Irwin. Dr.. r
a Hammond. of JessUps. who was pass
ing through Severn as the news arrived
went with the large posse which was
quickly organized to the house. Arriv-
ing there, they found MIR Harmon lying
in a pool OF blood. The room looked Ike
q sIaughterpen. Mr.. Harmon's wounds
were dressed and he was gotten upcn The
bed For several hours he lay uncon-
sciGus-
Yesterday. during lucid interval. he
said:
AS 1 approached the porch I vas set
upon by two negroes whom / never saw
before, but ,-hom ! can identify am sure
They both ra ised clubs, one Of chem q
large wooden pestle which was upon thu
porch and struck at nay he'd I d5d~ed
the blow and = struck me between the
shoulders almost paI2IyZlng ne I fell
ard as I raised up I saw one Of chem
grab an ak which was resting agairs.
The porch step. and both os thea. one
with the tx and the ether with his club.
began 10 beat me about the head ana |
body. ! lost consciousness and remember |
nothing more
Mr. Harmon has two deep cuts upon |
The top and back Of his head and TWO Sc |
we're wounds. seemingly inflicted By q |
club. upon tClTis over the right eye
Dr. Hammond said yesterday:
When we a. wed Ar. Harmon YVES IN a /
semi-cOnscious condition and suffering |
from a fractured skull When dressed |
he wounds ! noticed much IaraaGlac'-
upon both c. the wounded mans hands /
and when I examined S-rs- HaTucn's IN
juries the lamDbl8ck also appeared in sew
eral places on her person.
~ - 9-eT +i'---r fhat this lav7sTsT4rL- /