Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-04-04
WILMINGTON. rHURsDAr. .IPRIL 4.


The Harrington Murder Mystery.
1t was on the 18th OF March that
George W. Hearn was shot down, killed
and robbed In the little town of Har-
rington, but the authorities have thus
far been unable TO locate the murderer.
There have been suspicious as 10 the
guilty parry, but none SO far strong
enough TO justify an arrest, although
1t has been rumored that one will be
made today.
And yet the time, place and circum-
stances of this murder we're such that
1t seems incredible that the murder
should not have been immec lately ap.
pretended, or at least soon captured
had he attempted to run away, which
it appears ne did not. lie evidently
walked away from the scene of the
murder. unnoticed by anyone, and
mingled with his fellows.
The murder took place during the
noon hour, almost in the heart of the
town, and the fatal shot was heard
by number Of persons, but no i'm
an hour of the crime, before the body
OF the victim had become rigid, dis
covery was made and the town was
soon aroused. And yet the murderer
had apparently disappeared assuddenly
and completely as though the ground
had opened and swallowed him.
In that most attractive of detective
stories by Anna Katherine Green,
Hand and Ring, the plot is based
upon murder very closely resembling
the tradegy at Harrington. The story
is, that at the close of noon session
OF court, some lawyers and others were
discussing mysterious murders and
the probability of a murder taking
place in a little town like theirs with
out the murderer being at once appre
hended. One OF Those who took part
in the discussion was a leading at
torney, VINO shortly afterwards walked
leisurely down the main street to his
home. within a short distance of
the courthouse, whore he resided with
an elderly woman as his housekeeper.
lie went into the house, and within
a minute rushed back to the front door
ana called eScitedly to those upon the
street to come in. There, in the din.
Ingroom, lying at the foot of a tall
clock which she had evidently been
winding at the time, was the elderly
housekeeper, with her head so badly
crushed that she died the next day,
without being allie to give any infor-
nation about her assailant, or, in
fact, to utter anything but the unin.
telligible words, "Hand-firg.'
The mystery OF the murder, is of
course, revealed in the story. Suspects
werq arrested but had to be discharged
upon establishing their innocence. At
last 1t was learned that the murderer
was the lawyer himself. His motive
was that the victim who kept house
for him was really his wife, whom he
had married secretly some years before,
and whom he wished to get rid of.
Going into the house immediately after
the general conversation about muir
ders, he saw her winding the clock,
with her back turned, and Selling a
heavy stick Of frewood from the box
by the stove, he dealt the death blow.
The dying words of the victim referred
TO d ring on his hand, but they gave
no Glow, and it was only his confession
after meeting with fatal accident,
that revealed the mystery of the crime.
This story is purely fiction, but
there is an old and rotent saying that
Truth is ofttimes stranger than fic-
tion. " Perhaps some of the elements
OF Hand and Ring'' may be contained
in the murder mystery at Harrington.
At any rate, it would be well for the
officers TO disregard no clue or sus.
picion, no matter how improbable.
The murder should be avenged by law.
For it to go unpublished would be an
Outrage upon justice.