The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-09
Reaches Him After Series Of Ex-
citing Adventures in Oak
Grove, Va. Which Resulted in
Shooting of Two Men
STATEMENT OF THE
AFFAIR GIVEN OUT
The Northerner Deeply DepIores
Publicity Given the Young Lady
in the Case, Who Has Since
Stated That He Had Not Of
fered Her An Insult

Stated That he Had Not Uf-
fered Her An Insult
New York, Dec. 8-Herbert Marx,
who, on Tuesday night last shot and
killed William Taylor and William
Hehlin and seriously wounded James
10. 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-
ton by the coroner's jury and reached
Washington on Thursday. AS to his
whereabouts since Thursday, nothing
was obtainable.
Abel e. Blackmar of Brooklyn, of the
law firm of Baldwin & Blackman, Man
haitian, gave out the following state
ment of the affair:
Wednesday morning 1 received a
telegram asking me to come to Virginia
at once, and stating that Herbert Marx
was in trouble. l started at once, ac-
companied by Herberts brother,
Ernest
we reached Fredericksburg on
Thursday and found that Herbert had
come up the Rappahannock on a steam
er. We found him on board the boat
and took him to the hotel After hear
ing his story of the shooting, we de-
cided that it was best for him to go to
Washington and call on Representative
Jones of his home district and give him
a full account of the matter. This he
did and placed himself IN the care of
Mr.. Jones.
Ernest Marx and myself drove to
Oak Grove and called upon the COM
monwealth attorney Col Robert j.
Washington, a descendant of the mali
brother of George Washington. After
a conference with Col. Washington, we
decided to thoroughly inspect the
premises where the shooting occurred.
The next day we went over to the
place and found several things not be-
fore noticed. We found that Taylor
evidently had fired the 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 second story.
When the first shot was fired Her
bert secured his revolver threw open
the the door and confronted a man
wearing a mask. He called upon the
man to speak and say whether the at
fair was joke Receiving no answer,
he fired. The man, who afterwards
proved to be Stiff, fell on the porch.
Stiff is said to have stated that he was
shot by one of his own party but
Herbert says he shot him. HefIiin fell
neXt,and after his second shot Herbert
started across the front yard toward a
fence about $50 yards away. After
climbing the fence, he turned and saw
another man carrying a rifle Herbert
hred and this man also fell. The third
man afterWard proved to be Taylor,
who, apparently, had crossed the yard
and climbed the fence on parallel
course with Marx Herbert han half a
mile to Griftith's, the nearest nefghbor
Securing lantern, a party fastened
back to the scene Of the shooting and
found that Heftiin and Stiff 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 burn
ing In the back room, had been re-
moved 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 physician. Taylor's body was
not found until an hour later. Upon
searching further about the premises,
bag Of straw, large bundle of rags
and bottle of kerosene were found.
together with large braided whip. A
quarter of a mile down the road. two
buggies were found, in which were a
can of tar, a rope 20 feet long and sew
eral rifle cartridges
"A man known as Douglas was found
in one Of the buggies. He ran away
and together with q man known as
George Thompson, was caught later.
Both declared they knew nothing of
the matter. Both had been pressed into
the affair upon the assurance that
there was TO be no shooting. An ex~
animation Of Taylor's rife showed that
the magazine contained IS undis-
charged cartridges. The ejector of the
rife was down and a cartridge was
found jammed in the breach, prevent
ing further use OF the weapon.
Marx remained thst night in the
house, in the custody of Mr. Griffith,
who had been deputized as special con-
stable. Next morning an inquest was
held over TaylOr's body. Thompson
testified that he had understood the
party Intended to chasttse Marx. He
had been picked Up on the road and
he knew nothing else shout She mat
ter Douglas told a similar story to the
jury, on which We're two relatives of
one of the dead men Col. washington
told Marx he could make a statement
to the jury II he desired. and Marx did
so. A verdict Of JustiGab,e shooting
was at once returned. Marx was ad-
Vise0 to leave the county in the inter-
ests Z peace. He was taken TO Leeds
town on the RapDahannock and board
ed steamer for Fredericksburg where
we met him.
'On Monday night The night proceed
ing the shooting, Marx believes that
the first attempt was made to enter
the house when he wsS awakened by
an unknown man reppipg on one of
the windows. lie Opeacd the window
and The man asked for information as
TO the road to Oak Grove, saying he
was n travelling salesman. Marx told
him how to reach the place, but the
man insisted or being shown. Herbert
refused to come out Ct the house. how
ever, and a moment Gsterward heard
the man n conversation with another
person. This put him on his gla.d and
he is fuliy convinced that tee call on
Tuesday night was made by the same
persons.
Marx deeply dsplores the publicity
given the young lady in the case ard
Who has since stated that he had not