The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-06-26

Continued from Page 0ne.)
arrest, the posse returned the are and
claimed at first that IL was their flu
silade " hich had caused the man to
crumple up in heap in the bottom OF
the little craft.
A negro who had been among the
pursuers, waded out in the shallow wa
tiers and brought the boat ashore. The
CHASTITY fare of match revealed the
work of the pistol.
hole had been torn in his chest
and life was extinct.
The question of whether Eastman
died by his own hand or as result Of
the fire OF the pursuing party was not
settled until late in the day when o.
coroner's jury, after hearing all the
evidence and the reports of examining
physicians, decided that Eastman had
taken his own life.
Eastman had watched the develop
ment of the murder charges with q
smile on his face. All morning Of the
Monday after the crime. he sat IN the
telegraph ONCE at Mcdaniel In the
afternoon, he went to Baltimore to mail
the letter which Miss Carrie Thomp-
son received on Wednesday morning,
and which would fave delayed the
search for some DAYS IL the body had
not been discovered. He returned
Tuesday night. ksyA
Sitting in the office on wednesday
afternoon. he heard George B., Taylor
receive telephone message announce
ing the finding of the body.
My Godr he exclaimed. jumping to
his feet, you don't mean to say a
woman has been murdered here? Who
ds she?" He dropped back to his chair
when told she was unknown.
After a few minutes, he said:
Murderer After the Story.
- r. ~
over to st. Michaels to get a story
about this murder and then take it to
Baltimore"
Eastman had claimed to be news
paper man.
Reaching st. Michaels he watched the
proceedings and did not leave until
the body had been identified.
Returning to Mcdaniel, he ordered
q ticket for Baltimore.
In the meantime, Constable Mortimer
called UP oyer the telephone to in
quire about him. stating he was
stranger and might know something.
Eastman then said: "Oh, If there Is
any suspicion about me, Will remain.
never saw this woman"
The letter mailed by Eastman at
Baltimore and received here by Miss
Carrie Thompson, a foster sister OF
the murdered girl. is one of the incl
most closely with the crime. This let
ter was written by Mrs. Woodill and
was mailed several days after her
death Whether or not II was written
by Mrs. woodill to shield her visit
to Eastman's bungalow, or whether
the man had some evil intent in mind
and caused her to write the letter, to
delay q search for her body, may never
be known The letter was intended
ootn &hat
woodill was in Baltimore. The letter
follows:
Victims Last Letter.
Dear Girl-A line only to say am
well and safely landed. Stayed with
little May Bartlett in Baltimore. You
remember her and her aunt, Mrs. En-
DRY. We had a fine time talking over
boId days. DR.. Smithers fixed me up
Temporarily. have an engagement
with him for next week. I'll get all
liked up in Baltimore, and then IL there
lis any travelling to be done. we VIII
Idecamp together. BY the way, would
you like to come up now? JUST say
the word IL you want to; my race Is
good in Baltimore.
sExpecting a check from Gilbert
any day to make good. Don't know
how many days III stay in town. OUT
YOU know where to ind me. Write ana
ten me all the news; George George
B. Taylor, the station master at NC
DanieD, Mr.. Roberts etc. l may stay
until Thursday, to go with Edith IA.
to see factory girls; am not sure. You
know how 1t Is in Baltimore; ooh
know where to go first or what to DO
m keen step with the rush. Better
forward mail which you have Tor me.
Let me know IL there are any httie
commissions to be attended TO III
"Your baby sister.
Edith"
Colonel Thompson and Miss Carrie
rhomnson both declared today that
the letter was in the handwriting OF
Mrs woodill. They can offer no ex-
nlanation as to why she should have
written a letter in advance of trip
to Baltimore.
Most PitifuI Figure.
One of the most pitiable figures in
the tragedy is Charles P. Thompson of
MCDANIEL. the foster father of the
murdered girl. Sitting on his porch
of his home, overlooking the waters OF
Harris Creek, where Eastman had
ended his life in the early hours OF
the dawn, the broken old man told to-
day the story of the girls life so far
as he could recall the details. HHe
had followed the girls body to its
last resting place yesterday, beside the
graves of his wife and son.
The girl had been devoted TO her
foster mother. To the foster brother
living in the grave next to hers, the
girl had been the ideal of all that
was good and sweet and pure. The
young fellow had grown up with her
and learned to love her, and 1t is said
that he desired her to become his wife.
She would not He killed himself.
'This is the browning sorrow of my
life" said Colonel Thompson today,
as the tears streamed down his cheeks.
ct have experienced many sorrows'
have had many heart-wrecking blows,
but this is the hardest of all to bear d"
The old man went on to tell much of
the story of his own life and that of
the girl He was born 10 years ago in
Connecticut and afterwards lived for
time in New York. He came to the
eastern Shore of Maryland to live