The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-07-24
WAS MURDERED THEN
HANGED TO 4 TREE
Farmer ga Years Old Wanted to Wed
a Mss of IS Years.

Dover, Del. Especially The vii.
lagos of Marydel and Templeville
about 10 miles from here and just
over the Maryland line in Caroline;
and Queen Anne Counties. were
greatly excited when it was learned
that the body of William Williams
aged 81 years, a prominent farmer
of that community, had been found
propped against the trunk of tree,
with rope around the neck and
with an ugly scar on the top of the
head. 1t was supposed at first that
Williams had been lynched, because
in his pocket was found license to-
marry Elizabeth Walls, the 13-year-
old daughter of one of his tenants.
The prevalent belief now is that Will
liams was murdered by some of his
relatives, who had been bitterly OPP
posed to his marrying the young girl.
The facts brought out at the inquest.
held at Templeville do not point to.
any particular individual.
Shortly before noon Mr.. John Rus
sum. farmer, living at Barclay,
about eight miles from Marydel. went
into the thicket near his house to,
gather some black berries and it was;
at this time that he discovered the
body He had penetrated the thicket
but a short distance before he ran
against the corpse. which was prop
ped against tree with a small rope
around the neck. The presence of
this rope on the body is what gives
the case an air of mystery and makes
is debatable question whether the
man was lynched for attempting to.
marry the child Elizabeth Walls, or
was murdered. In the minds of
many this question will never be set
tied.
When Russum found the body the
feet were on the ground and the
body was in an upright position, with
one arm around a lower limb. The
idea of lynching on the part of
the friends of the girl is booted at,
because the body when found was
neither drawn up nor was the neck
broken When Russum found the
body he did not wait to make an
but ran out to the road
to get assistance, and he met DR.. j.
r. Smith, OF Templeville. Dr. Smith
went into the thicket and assisted in
cutting the body down. Relatives of
the farmer were notified, and his son,
Thomas Williams, took charge of the
body.
DR.. Smith performed an autopsy,
and found that Williams had been
struck over the head with some
heavy implement. presumably a
board 1t was the discovery of this.
wound by DR.. Smith that dispelled
the idea in the minds of some that
Williams had been lynched. When
DR.. Smith and Russum cut the body
down they searched the pockets of
the clothes and found the license for
Williams to marry the Walls girl.
On the discovery of the LICENSE it;
was at once assumed that Williams
had not killed himself. The girl has
just past into her teens and Is not
particularly we'll developed for her
age The fact that he had any in
tention of marrying the girl was
surprise. The first conclusion was
that the members of the girls FAM
lily had gotten wind of the affair and
had lynched him for his presumption.
This theory was accepted until DR..
Smith found the wound on the head.
Then the fact came to light that
the members of Williams family had
been bitterly opposed to the match.
They had taken the ground, it is un-
derstocd, that relative of the girls
was pushing the match In order to
get a hold on Williams and event
ually get some Of the latter's money.
The old man and the girl did not
move in the same social circles.
From the facts he cleaned Dr.
Smith deemed it his duty to notify
MFR. George Whitley and Mr. Thomas
C. Heating, respectively the sheriff
and states attorney Of Queen Anne
County. They hurried to the scene
and Coroner S. C. Faulkner held an
inquest. the jury finding that will
liams came to his death by being
struck on the head with some blunt
instrument in the hands of person
or persons unknown to the jury.