Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-03-24
THINK Bias NAS MURDERED.
COLORED MAN WAS NOT
BURNED TO DEATH.
Evening Capital Makes Some Start
ling Discoveries With Refer
ence to The Fire.

Through the efforts of a member of
the Evening Capital local staff, who
was, at one time, superintendent and
manager of the largest detective agency
in Ohio, and much interested in mat
ters criminal, an arrest will probably
be made in case of murder which
would probably otherwise have been
passed by as one of accidental death.
Evidence of a most direct nature has
been adduced in the case and if the
clues already in hand lead in the di-
rection they now so plainly point, an
arrest will be made shortly. 1t has
been found that George Bias, the col
ored man who was found dead in the
burned tenant house near Arnold sta
tion Saturday morning was murdered.
His life was crushed from his body
while he slept, in drunken stupor
and unknowing of what was transpir-
ing about him.
That the house was afterward set
on fire to destroy all evidence of the
crime there is not the slightest doubt
An object and opportunity, so essen
tial in proving a case of murder
against any person, has been found
and there is every reason TO believe
that had the local police received in
formation that crime had been com
mitted before the scent had become
cold, they would have long ere this
had the guilty man behind bars.
In the face of the strong evidence
against the man now under suspicion
there still exists the strongest kind
of alibi, which will have to be broken
down before an arrest can be made.
The entire matter has now been placed
in the hands of Chief Hahn and he
will move with as much speed in the
matter as the condition of affairs will
permit. A recent decision of the
county commissioners forbidding mag
istrates to conduct inquests without
first securing the sanction of the
States Attorney has had considerable
to do with the slowness with which
the affair became known.
Although the burial certificate by
which Bias was buried states that
death was caused by suffocation, due
to fire, the fact has been proven that
death was due TO violence. Bias was
murdered by being struck on the head
with bar of iron in the hands of a
strong man. His skull was crushed
in to such an extent that when fire
had partially burned his skull pieces
of bone were easily removed by those
who found the body. There was no
evidence of a struggle, no indication
that Bias had made any effort to es-
cape, which would surely have been
the case had suffocating smoke been
the cause of his taking off.
When Professor GLADDEN., on whose
farm the murder occurred, rented the
tenant house to Bias and employed
4, III hn frl Ia attafhor oat
ored man, who had been occupying the
house and some of whose belongings
still remained there, that he would
have TO vacate. This man, it is claim
ed, said that he would render the stove
in the house unfit Tor use when he
got a chance and that Bias would
never have any good of it.
The threat was not given much at
tention at the time, but was brought
startlingly TO mind when the fire was
discovered. After the fire was extin-
guished and those who we're gathered
on the scene entered among the still
arm wreckage they saw the stove.
1t had been broken and scattered and
it's parts lay in all directions. Pro-
ceeding further they found the body
of Bias. 1t had been terribly burned,
the trunk being the portion least affect
ed by the fire, as it was covered by a
blanket. The legs were burned off to
the knees and the head was badly
charred. Alexander Robinson, col
ored man who was among the party
of searohers, touched the head and a
small piece of bone, the edges of which
were unburned, came away in his
hand, showing that the mans head had
been crushed in.
At that time there was no great sus-
picion of foul play. and the discovery
of Robinson, nor being brought to the
attention of Squire Duvall, was not
taken advantage of. To one not famil-
lar with the past circumstances of the
matter it looked like simple case of
accidental burning, the States Attor-
ney was not asked for permission TO
hold an inquest and the body was
buried in Mr.. John Woodard's pri-
yate cemetery. The man who is said
TO have made the threat with reference
to destroying the stove was seen by a
representative of the Capital this
morning. He denied having made
such threat and that he had been
near the scene of the murder on the
night in question. He denies any mo-
tive for the crime, but admitted that
at the last meeting between himself
and Bias some hard words had pass
ed between them.
Chief Hahn was apprised of the
facts in the case and is now engaged
in working up the clues which will
probably result in an arrest being
made shortly.