Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-07-18
OLD MAN MURDERED
Wealthy Maryland r armer Slain
on Eve of Wedding.
CASE A DEEP MYSTERY

Was Beaten to Death and sody Hung
to Tree--Marriaee License Naming
Thirteen-vear-old Girl AZ Bride-to
BE Found In His Pocket
Marydel. Md. July 16.--On the eve
Of his marriage 70 . thirteen-ysar- old
girl, william Williams, q wealthy re-
tired farmer, was murdered and hii
dead body left hanging from q tree
where 1t was discovered by q berry
picker
At first It was supposed that the
man had committed suicide. the Inn
preston which his assassin evidently
wished to convey. but postmorten
examination revealed the fact that hs
had been murdered by being struck on
the head. This was the finding Of the
coroner's jury.
Although the authorities Of Queer
Anne county are completely at sea al
to the perpetrator OF the crime. they
show no hesitancy In ascribing a mo
tive. This is that Williams met his
death because OF his love for pretty
little Elizabeth Walls, whose father
Samuel Walls, Is tenant on one Of
williams farms He intended to wed
the girl In the very near future.
knowledge OF this intention caused
mutterings in the community, many
persons, it is declared, going so far al
to say that the marriage should never
be permitted.
The principal objection to the match
was the difference In the ages Of Viii
Hams and his prospective bride Viii
liams was sixty-four years old, and his
grandchildren are older than Miss
Walls He buried his first wife last
October.
1t Ii the general attitude Of the com
munity regarding the marriage thai
has led the authorities to jump at the
theory that in some manner little Miss
Walls Is the unconscious. uninten
tional instrument through which her
aged sutton met his death. yet the Off
Gals at work on the case have not ths
slightest clue as to the possible muir
derer 81
John Russom, living on small farm
near TempIeville, started out to picb
huckleberries In thicket close to hil
house. He had not proceeded very far
before he found the body of Williams
dangling from a tree. The face was
discolored and there was evidence that
he had been dead several hours. Rus
som FASTENED to the public road to call
help, when he saw DR.. j. R. Smith, OF
Templeville, Md.
DR.. Smith and Russom returned tc
the woods, where they cut down the
body, the doctor finding that life had
been extinct some hours. At first III
was thought that Williams had com
mitted suicide, but upon investigation
of the body it was found that upon the
head there was deep wound. and
upon other parts of his body were cuts
and bruises An operation on the skull
showed that a blood clot had formed
from the wound, which evidently was
the cause of death.
The body of Williams was taken to
the home of his son, living in Della
ware. near the Maryland line, and al
once the coroner of Queen Anne coun
ty, Md, in which the body was found
was notified An inquest and postmor
tenn disclosed the wounds and bruises.
In one of Williams pockets was q
marriage license, recently issued, in
which Miss Walls was named as the
prospective bride,
Since the death Of Williams wife
nearly Year ago. he has lived with
relatives. He had two daughters and
three. sons. all grown.