Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-01-19
Associated Press Dispatch BY Special wlrea

Associated Press Dispatch BY Special wlrea
Moorestown, N. j., Jan. 10. Scores
Of farmers and other citizens OF this
and neighboring towns are securing
the country in search OF the negro who
yesterday assaulted and murdered Miss
Florence W. Atkinson In a barn on the
farm Of the Strawbridge estate. Viii
liam Smith, who was arrested last
night on suspicion, ia not believed 10
be the porpetrntur OF the crime.
Smith is very dark, and Bessie Walker,
the 5-years-old child who lived with
Miss Atkinson, says the negro who
came 10 the house yesterday was a
mulatto. She was unable to identity
Smith, but the authorities are holding
him pending n further investigation.
Rewards Of $500 each have been offered
for the capture Of the murderer by the
authorities of Chester township and
burlington county and Mrs. Esther
Strawbridge,. upon whose property
Miss Atkinson lived.
The woman's body bears shocking
evidence Of the iiendiah crime. The
features are 80 distorted az TO be
almost unacceptable. The forehead
| just above the right eye Is crushed,
and a long purple welt extends down
the right check, while the eye is
almost Rouged from the suoket. The
! Jaw Is broken, md the throat whore
the piece Of surcingle which etranRled
the woman 10 death was drawn ia
weltsd AMI bruised. Numerous smaller
bruises in the chest and neck indicate
| that the brute also stranRled her with
his fingers.
Miss Allinson was assaulted and
murdered about noon yesterday. Her
assailant, after committing the crime
in the barn, went TO the house, petted
the child aud thoroughly ransacked
the house, bren king open trunks and
bureau drawers with a hatchet
The body was not discovered until
about 3 o'clock, when Benjamin Funk
stopped at the house to deliver oil.
Miss Annie X. Cooper Of Philadelphia,
who koards at tho house, renched home
just ae Funk was turning away. She
became alarmed when she learned that
Miss Allinson had been missing 30
long, and asked Funk to make a search
Of the promises. 10 the barn be found
the body covered with horse blanket.
There we're evidences of 4 desperate
struggle. Her skull had been crushed.
| A leather strap had been twisted tightly
around her throat. Apparently her
assailant had sprung upon her just
as she was STOPPING to feed q COW.
The child told the neigbors and the
authorities, who soon reached the
scene, that after Miss Allinson had
been gone from the house a little
while a "big black man. came in,
played with her, and followed 10y the
household dog, went all through the
house. The fact that the dog did not
maze a noise leads tc the belief that
the murderer a. not a stranger 10 the
neighborhood. The child said that
the man was very black, tall and wore
soit hat and long, gIeenish- black
overooat. This description tallies with
that given by Mrs. Ruddefow, who
lives nearby and saw q negfc passing
over the fields toward the trolley track
on the Camden pike shortly after noon.
Miss Allinson was about 80 years old
and good locking, although eighty
gray.
Mrs. Esther Strawbridee, widow of
Edward Strawbridge, who owns the
house occupied by Miss Allinson and
resides nearby, says that Miss Allin-
son was always q very quiet and in.
, offensive woman, earning her liveli-
hood by keeping hoardcrs, generally
women employed in the stores Of the
town. No possible motive for the
crime other than that of assault can
be imagined.
, FRIENDS who examined the house
discovered that oil OF Miss Allinson'l q
jewelry, including a gold watch and a
small sam Of money, was stolen. On
the watch was engraved IF. W. Allin-
son, from bert. -
Miss Allinson has a brother in
% Persia and a sister in India, both Of
whom are missionaries.