Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-08-17
UptnAI0R SHOT TODEATH
B. & 0. Telegrapher Killed at
Hancock Station.
TRACK MAN ALLEGED SLAYER
William Jones, melted by Jealousy,
Shoots Morris vangcsen From
Ambush Sunday Morning.
MAN ALLEGED SLAYER

Ambush Sunday Morning.
Hancock station was the scene sun
day morning Of a murder. which for
a time caused considerable excitement.
Morris vangosen, night operator for
the Baltimore & Ohio, at Hancock sta
ton, was shot, and William Jones, "a
trackman is in Jail at Berkeley
Springs charged with the murder.
yangosen had been off duty for a
few nights and Saturday night attend
ed a picnic at Lovers Leap on the
road from Hancock to Berkeley
Springs. Jones and his wife We're
there and others from the neighbo-
hood Of Hancock and from over in Full
ton county. The dance Kept up until
after midnight and yangosen return
ed home about 2 O'clock Sunday norm
ing, accompanied by several friends.
Vangesen bid his friends good night
al the foot of the tower and started
for his boarding place down the track
at the residence of julius Cardwell He
had not gone far when the report Of
a gun was heard. There was no at
tention to it at the time by his
friends, they believing it to have been
a torpedo.
Shortly before this Jones and his
wife and Tilden Barnes, also a track
hand had an alteration at the station.
Barnes succeeded in getting Jones wife
0 go with him to the home of George
Brabson. This incensed Jones and he
went down the track to his home after
a gun.
The general s~upposition is that Jones
ON his way back with the gun met Van
gosen. and m%istaking him for Barnes
shot him without warning.
A large hole was torn in Vangosen's
right breast. He walked across two
tracks, as the blood marks show, and
trfpped over a wire attached to the
block system, falling over an embank.
ment. There could be no robbery
theory as $92 in cash and a fine gold
watch were found in the dead
mans clothes. The character OF the
wound would indicate that the murder
err stood about 20 feet away. Jones
lives but a few yards east Of the spot
where the body was found. He Is al
legged to have been in a threatening
mood at the picnic. 1t Is believed that
Jones had an ugly feeling toward VAN
gosen, due, it is said, to the latter hav-
ing talked with his wife at the picnic.
He apparently brooded over this. Van
gosen was Of a modest, retiring dispo-
sition, who lived a life looked upon as
above suspicion.
The body was not found until about
C o'clock Sunday morning when the
sheriff was notified and Justice of the
Peace p j. Canghlin, of Berkeley
Springs, held an inquest. The verdict
was that yangosen came to his death
from gunshot wounds caused by Will
liam Jones. Shortly after the inque-t
Detective Joe Martin, of the Baltimore
e Ohio, arrived on the scene and plac-
ed Jones under arrest. He turned him
over to Deputy Sheriff Cross who took
him to Berkeley Springs, and placed
him in jail.
Jones was married about two years
ago to Georgia S%totler, daughter OF
William Stotler. She was IA years
old when married, and although little
o than a child. she weighed more
80 200 pounds. Vangosen was a son
of the late Joseph Vangosen, who for
a number of years was surveyor OF
Morgan county.
Fame I. Vangosen, a brother. Is sur
veyor of Morgan county. Harvey p.
Vangosen and FIavius Vangosen, the
later an operator on the Pennsylvania
railroad, are surviving brothers, and
Miss Lula Vangosen, of Pitttsburg. is
a sister. Morris Vangosen was once
a brakeman on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, but he applied himself
to t~elegraphy and soon got q position
with the company. The authorities say
that Jones' actions before and after
the killing corroborate the belief that
he killed Vangosen. They claim 10
have positive proof of his moving
about with his shotgun.
Vangosen was thrifty and had saw
ed considerable money during the -
years that he was an operator for the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad. He had