Milford chronicle., 1904-04-15
BRUTAL MURDER
OF WATCHMAN
RObber Surprised at Work in Houston
Club of Pennsylvania University. e
NEGRO CONFESSES THE CRIME


Philadelphia, April IL. John
Thomas, the night watchman at the
Houston Club of the University OF
Pennsylvania, which is situated on the
campus in the heart of the university s
| group of buildings, was brutally MUIR
| dered on the bowling alleys in the
basement Of the club house. The mo-
| tive is believed to have been robbery,
and Lawrence Gibson, alias John
Oakley, a negro, was arrested on sus-
! picion. Gibson was employed for
number of years as a utility man at
Houston Hail.
Houston Hall is closed at o'clock
on Sunday evening. Shortly after
that hour a student in passing the hall
noticed that it had not been closed,
and entered the building. AS he did
so he heard groans in the basement.
He summoned assistance from the
University Hospital, nearby, and the
watchman, who was about SO years of
age, was found lying across one of
the bowling alleys. The right side of
his head was crushed in, one ear was
partly cut off and one finger was sew
cred from his left hand. The man was
dead. One of the watchman's pockets
was turned inside out. Near the body |
was found two chisels and an andiron. |
Blood was SCATTERED over the alley and |
on several of the bowling balls A
stand where books and stationery are
sold, just outside the bowling alleys,
showed evidences of a struggle, part
of the iron grill work surrounding the
stand having been torn down.
A thorough search of the building
was made. Under a cushion in a cozy
corner on the main floor a blood
stained hatchet was found. Trails of
blood led from the alleys to this spot
and also to the bath room on the Sec
ond floor, where blood-stained towels
were also found.
Gibson was arrested at his home
early in the day, and denied all knowl-
edge of the crime until late in the af-
when he broke down and CON !
fessed to the murder. SeIf-defense is
his plea. Gibson says he went to /,
Houston Hall to call on Thomas. The
Gibson says. evidently mis- |
-ook him for thief and attacked him. S
IN the struggle he unintentionally ;
killed the old man. He says there was
scuftie. in which Thomas attacked
lin with a pair of tongs. cutting his
niger. The men struggled, and Glib
on broke away wrenching the tongs
rom Thomas. He hit the watchman
With them. Thomas fell at the first
low, but got up and renewed the
Ight. Gibson struck him again and
an away On going home he tore out
nd partly burned the bloody sleeve
f his shirt. The detectives have the
haired fragments.
The police do not believe this story. b
of Police Quirk is of p
ne opinion that revenge for being dis A
lissed from Houston Hall was the a
lotive for the murder. although he +
as not entirely discarded the theory
robbery Gibson, whose complexion
so light that he easily passed as a
hite man, misrepresented himself as
student at the university and mar s
ed young white woman three mi
eeks ago. When the deception was
scovered he was discharged from
ouston Hall. How he expected to 2-l
It revenge and his reason for attack
g the watchman, the police decline =
say.
The authorities say that Gibson is
lnted in Jamaica for some offense.