Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-11-04
RESEMBLES THE McUE CASE.
SHOCKING CRIME RECALLED BY
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE TRAGEDY.

raised in this county, where she has
large circle of relatives and friends
who are as much interested in the cast
as the people of Albemarle, we repro
duce from the Washington Post. the
story of another murder, so similar ir
it's brutal and pathetic particulars
that, assuming McCue is guilty, it il
almost the counterpart of the McCue
iragedy.
An ex- x-detective of Washington city
relates the incident which occurred
years ago in Onandaga county. N. Y.
while be was there on visit.
Daniel Fyler. he said. was a promi.
nent and wealthy business, man, living
on his fine farm a few miles from the
city of Syracuse. His young wife was
beautiful and accomplished. and both
were social favorites in the city as well
as in their own neighborhood. They
had one child, a pretty girl of some
seven or eight years.
cit was a cold winter night, when
Fyler aroused neighbor living about
a quarter of mile from his own home
and breathlessly informed him that
there were burglars in his house. and
he wanted immediate help He also
called his father, who resided in the
neighborhood. When the party reach
ed the Fyler house they found Mrs.
Fyler lying dead on the bed room floor.
The body was cold and stark, aud in
the room were evidences of hard
struggle. The woman had been beaten
with club and fearfully cut with some
sharp instrument. The house was
searched from garret to cellar for
traces of the burglars, but none were
found.
"Fyler said he had been aroused about
midnight by noises in the lower part
of the house. He quickly arose and,
softly creeping to the head of the stair
case, listened. Movements aud whis
perings were distinctly heard as of sew
eral persons below. Excited and al.
armed, and having no weapon, he sue
ceeded in escaping from bis house, un-
| discovered by the supposed burglars
and sought the help he had brought
all too late.
Il was visiting neighbor of Fyler's.
and we were also aroused, and gather
ed with others at the scene of the trag
edy. My enthusiastic ambition i'm.
mediately pointed this out as an op.
portunity, and l undertook an investi-
cation on my own hook and before
morning had developed startling but
well grounded suspicion as to the sla-
yer of Mrs. Fyler and the motive for
the crime. Yet 1 held my pecace on
this point, while condoling with the
apparently heartbroken husband who
was constantly EN- braclng the bloody
form of his wife and breaking out in
the most extravagant expressions of in
cOnsolable grief.
However. l mana ged to CLEAN from
him certain facts more or less import
ant. He declared that as soon as be
had ascertained that there were persons
in the house, he ran half dressed to the
nearest neighbor, whose house, as l
have stated above, was about a quar-
ter of a mile from his own, and that
only few minutes could have elapsed
between his leaving and returning with
the neighbOrs. But l heard no COM
ment then on the remarkable fact that
| the body of his wife, in such brief
interval of time, had become cold and
rigid.
''Seizing passing opportunity to
speak with the little daughter when
alone, asked her if she bad heard any
noises during the night. With touch
| ing righteousness she told me wha
had awakened and disturbed her that
night, and her answer proved to be the
principal evidence that caused the
conviction of the murderer. 1 also
spoke with Mary Cunningham, their
hired girl Her TESTIMONY was like.
wise important for the prosecution.
During the following day 1 again
went over to the FYler house. The cor
oner and other county officers were
there. strolled around until l found
Mary Cunningham's bedroom. An old
fashioned trunk there, was open, an6
I saw in it small package of letters
Taking the liberty that goes with our
profession, opened three or four o
the letters, and found them addressed
to My Sweetest Mary My Only Oar
ling &c, and signed Your ever true
D. Deliberately purloining the en-
tire bundle of fsweetnes, l walked away.
"The peculiar circumstanc es finally
directed suspicion toward Fyler. and
hewas arrested, charged with the
murder of his wife. Fyler re
tanned three or four of ables
lawyers in the State, and ev
cry possible influence was brought t.
bear in his favor, political as well a
social and business. The two mail
witnesses for the State were Mar,
Cunningham and the prisoners littl
girl. In language not quite fit TO
publication, for she was coarse and il
literate, the former boldly told of he
criminal relations with the prisoner
, and declared that he had promised t.
marry her as soon as be had got rid Q
his wife, and here the State found th
motive for the crime. The letters
had found were read, ahd they shove
an infatuation for the girl that wa
utterly incomprehensible.
"But the keysnote of the prosecutlo
and the most touching episode of til
trial WAS the appeArance of the Dr