The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-03-14
ARRESTED ON
SUSPICION.
Daniel Bendig Charged
With The Murder of
George W. Hearn.


time has been lost by the police au-
thorities in endeavoring to solve the
mystery surrounding one of the most
cold blooded and brutal murders Del
aware has ever known, that OF aged
George Hearn, who was found yester-
day lying in the rear ola pig pen on
the outskirts of Harrington with a
bullet hole through his head and his
skull crushed in.
This morning State Detective Nc
Ncy arrested Daniel Bendig, of this
place, charged with killing Hcarn.
Tie motive alleged is robbery
Hearn and Bcndig were both board
crs in the household Of Thomas J.
Bendig, back of whose house is the
pig pen near which Ilearn,s body was
discovered. IIcarn managed to accu-
mulate several hundred dollars, which
instead of banking he carried around
with him.
Bendig stoutly denies being the
murderer. Several months ago Ben
dig borrowed seventy y-iivc dollars on q
note, which fell due last Monday.
His indorSerS, DR.. b. l.. Lewis and
John p. Mastcn' were pressing him
to meet the obligation According
to Bendigs own statements he sent
word to DR.. Lewis yesterday after
noon that he was prepared to pay
the note. DR.. Lewis went for him
and together the two repaired to Mr..
Mastcn's place of business where
Bcndig handed over the seyenty-iive
dollars. When this fact became
known suspicion was directed against
Bendig who is u scmi-inyalid with
out an income and in Scmi-chronic
state Of financial embarrassment and
Detective McNey after making a Sc
ries Of careful inquiries, decided to
take him into custody. Upon being
searched twenty-five dollars in bills
was found upon the prisoner.
Last Mouday Nil lIcarn exhibited
to several acquaintances Il sum of
money amounting to two hundred
ana fifty dollars all of it was in bills
excepting ten tirc-dollar gold pieces.
One of the bills was Of the denomina.
ton of one hundred dollars. None OF
the money was in llearn's pockets
when his body was found lying on
the ground within few feet Of him
were two of the five dollar gold pieces
Even the large wallet in which he
had carried the bills and the smaller
one which contained the fifty dollars
in gold, had disappeared. After be-
ing taken into custody Bcndig was
brought into the room where the
body OF his supposed victim lay, but
he viewed the dead man with appa-
rent uncouccrn. Beyond making Il
few unimportant statements, which
were apparently contradictory,
failed to discOnccrt him.
lie accounts for his ability to ray
the note for $75 which had been in
dursed by Dr. Lewis and Mr.. Masten
by saying that he got the money from
his mot her who lives in Harrington.
Bcndig asserts that he left with Mrs.
Bcndig various snmS at various times
until it amounted to one hundred
dollars. When DR.. Lewis insisted
upon his paying the note he went to
her and secured the one hundred dol
lars. "Thc twenty-five dollars you
found on me is what was left after
paving the note,' he declares. In
explaining his whereabouts yesterday
between the time he IS known to
have last seen the murdered man and
the time the lattcr'S body was found,
Bcndig says that abcu. s O'Clock in
the morning he left Hearn sitting by
the stove in the kitchen OF the Ben
dig house. II went over to Miss
Hickman's house to get rub Of
snuff" the accused man stated to the
Inquirer correspondent who talked
with him in his cell today, "and
when came back Ilcarn was gone.
Then went over to the spoke fac
tory aud from there to the log yard
to get some red oak bark to make an
uOZc for my sore nose. | brought
the bark back to the house and then
went around the front way to the
sawmill, where was when heard
that lIcarn's body had been found. y
Why Bcndig went to the mill by
the way of the street, he explains by
Ssying that he just happened to.
Near the body was found an axe with
blood stains ON the handle. Ezekiel
Fleming, owner of the saWmill, de-
carcs that Daniel Bcndig was seen
following IIcarn with an AK over his
shoulder yesterday morning. There
are blood stains on the shoes Bcndig
wore Yesterday morning. Asked to
account for these stains Bendig de-
MED that there were any. When
told that his denial did not alter the
facts he Stubbornly insisted that if
any stains were on the shoes some
one put them there. 81 never had
an AK yesterday, either, he declared
There is no disputing the evidence to
the contrary however.
Bcndig's mother supports her son
in his declaration that he procured
one hundred dollars from her ycster-
day. There is u marked difference
in their statements though.
"Whcn | heard that Mr. Ilcarn
had been found dead" Bendig says,
II sent for Daniel and told him he
had better take his money"
Bendig, who is something of a
town character and heretofore consid-
cred harmless, dabbled little at odd
times in the junk business and it is
possible that he might have accuma-
lated one hundred dollars but resi-
dents of Harrington who have known
him for years are inclined to doubt
that he did
Saw Mill Proprietor Fleming says
he heard q pistol shot shortly before
II o'clock. That some one who was
very familiar with the locality killed