The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-06-25
MISS BISHOPS DEATH.

Wilmington, Delaware, on June ID.
The Journal told the story in brief
last week. but as DR.. Bishop and his
family have wide acquaintance in
this city and vicinity, and as the MUIR
dered girl was born and lived here
until her eighth year more complete
story of the terrible affair will be of
interest. The Ferring industrial
school of which DR.. Bishop is superin-
tendent is situated about four miles
from Wilmington, and Miss Helen,
who is spoken of as an extremely
pretty girl, was pupil at the high
school in that city. On the day of
the assault Miss Helen was excused
from school somewhat earlier than
usual and started home by trolly. At
Prices corner she left the car to
walk half mile to the industrial
school. 1t was at lonely spot near
the Ferris school that she was as
saulted and it was about five O'Clock
in the afternoon that she was dis.
covered in the bushes by farmer
named Keene and George Leech. a
court bailiff. Leech was driving
along the road where he and Keene
found the young woman. She was
crawling toward her home on her
hands and knees. Blood was stream
ing from the wounds in her neck, her
clothing was torn to shreds and her
body was bruised. There was evil
dence of desperate struggle on the
ground where her assailant had
thrown her after the assault.
In her hand when Leech found
her Miss Bishop clasped small PEN
knife, which she had been unable to
open in the struggle with her assail-
ant, but had evidently tried hard to
do so in order to defend herself. Sum
moning DR.. Bishop Mr.. Leech and
the girls father carried her to the
Ferris school, where she became I'M
conscious, having been unable to
tell anything about the assault. After
she was taken home every means was
tried TO fan into consciousness the
Pickering spark OF life. DR.. Mitchell
A. Greenwood remained in almost
constant attendance AT times she
rallied and recognized her parents
and other relatives, but was not able
to have the negro, White, who was
arrested for the crime, brought before
her as the police had hoped. She
began to sink toward the middle of
the afternoon of the day following
the assault and her death soon fol-
lowed. When the news of her death
was posted in Wilmington great in
dignation was felt and expressed.
The police, acting upon informa-
tion that George White, negro farm
hand, was seen following Miss Bishop
on the road leading from Prices
corner to the Industrial school, ar
rested him. He is now in the New
Castle county workhouse at Green
bank, accused of the crimes of out
rage and murder. The post-morten
showed that Miss Bishop died of
shock and exposure, produced by the
wounds and the assault. a coroner s
jury was sworn in on the night of
her death, but the case was deferred
until today. In order to guard against
White being taken from the work =
house on the night following Miss
Cd hn Of
guards was on duty, but no trouble
was experienced.
What is considered a strong link in
the chain of circumstances against
the negro White, is the finding of the
knife with which the three wounds
were inflicted in Miss Helen's throat,
and which was identified as having
belonged to White, who admitted
that he had owned it but said he had
given it away. White worked on a
farm in the neighborhood. About
last January he was released from a
term of five years imprisonment for
murderous assault. Previous to
that he had served four years
in Pennsylvania for felonious as
sault, and six months for housebreak-
ing. So of his twenty years he
has spent about nine in prison.
White began work in the neighbor-
hood ten days previous to the
crime. The next day knife was
found IN the bed occupied by him
and he claimed and took it. The
knife found near the scene of the
crime was shown to his employers
and they identified it as the one
claimed by White. He admitted that
he had the knife at the farm but de-
clared that it belonged to another
negro and that he had given it back
to him several days before, The po-
lice and detectives declare that they
have fixed White at the place at the
time of the assault; that they can
prove he followed Miss Bishop; that
they have the cap which he is identi-