Evening star., 1909-05-18
MAN AND WIFE SLAIN
Murder Mystery in st. Mary
County, Md.
|19-YEAR-0LD SON MISSING
w. P. Forrest and Mrs. Forrest Dead
Week Before Discovery.
THEORIES REGARDING CRIME
Robbery Not Motive, Apparently, as
| Family Was Peer-Victims'
Skulls Crushed.
19-YEAR.0LD SON MISSING
THEORIES REGARDING CRIME

yeaRs, and his wife. Lillian NJ. Forrest.
aged forty-five were found murdered In
their home, near Oakville. st. Mary
county. last Saturday morning by a broth
er-in-law, DR.. J.. o. King, who lives in the
neighborhood.
The victims were found in separate beds
with their skulls crushed. as If they had
been struck by some blunt instrument.
So far no light has been thrown on the
identity Of the person who committed the
crime.
When Mr.. Forrest and his wife were
found it was evident from the conditions
surrounding the scene that they had been
dead for about week.
Joseph Forrest, the nineteen-year-old son
Search is being made for him, but thus
far has been without result.
The FORESTS were last seen alive Satur-
day, May g. when they assisted in fight
ing a forest fire. The boy was seen
shortly before noon on the same day while
he was plowing in a field near the house.
Way Forced Into House.
During the week several persons stop
ped at the house to call. but there was no
response to their rappings on the door.
Saturday a colored woman went to the
house to sell some eggs. but. unable to
find any sign Of life about the place. she
became alarmed and notified DR.. King.
who with John Davis, forced an entrance.
They found Mr.. Forrest and his wife in
separate beds on the second floor. their
faces crushed beyond recognition and
their bodies undergoing decomposi-
ton. Mrs. Forrest had on her rubber
Shoes and there was evidence that she
had gone into the house, first. There was
a basket Of dead chickens in the kitchen,
which had died from neglect.
The old clothes Of the boy were found
in the house, and his good clothes had
been taken away. Thinking he might
also have been a victim. a search was
started, and every building about the
place was searched. The well was sound
ed, but there were no traces OF the boy
or his body.
The pow which he had been using
was found in the field with the harness
laid carefully upon the beam and the
horse had been turned out to Craze.
Investigation Begun.
Justice Joseph c. Wibel of Hollywood
held an Inquest The coroners jury found
verdict that Forrest and his wife had
been murdered by some one unknown to
the jury. The county authorities were
then notified. and an appeal was made
to the governor from States Attorney
Robert Coombs to have Baltimore detec-
'tives detailed on the case.
Posses under command of Justice Wibel
have searched every inch of the sur
rounding country, sounded the wells on
the farm and in the neighborhOod and
beaten the county for miles around. The
search has been handicapped through the
fact that the telephone wires are stlil
down and there are no telegraph stations
in this section.
Mr.. Forrest was the son of the late
Capt. Joseph Forrest of the Confederate
army and Henrietta Plowden. He was
related to some Of the most prominent
families in southern Maryland.
Mrs. Forrest was before marriage Miss
LILLIAN NJ. Morgan. a member of the
prominent Morgan family of Warrenton,
Va.
Conjectures to Explain Crime.
There are many conjectures among the
people in the neghborhood as to who
might have committed the crime and
what their purpose was. His disappear
ance has caused a theory in the neigh
borhood that Joseph may possibly be re-
sponsible for the death of his father and
mother Another opinion held is that
the son was also murdered, but that the
perpetrators of the crime made away
with his body.
No one has seen Joseph leave the local
ity of his home, nor have any clues or
his wherea bouts in other sections or the
county been received.
Some believe the youth has started for
Washington TO join his aunt, Miss Flora
Forrest who lives there. or for warren
ton. Va, where he also has relatives.
The boy said al one time that he was
desirous Of going away. but that MS par
ents refused to permit him to do So He
is known 10 have received large amount
of mail, the ma jority of which was books,
said TO be of the dime-novel type.
The FORESTS were people of only mod
oi,.c CT therefore,
not thought that robbery was the motive.
AS far as was known, no member OF the
family had an enemy.
Mr.. Forrest was highly popular in the
community, where he had lived all MS
life Mrs. Forrest was greatly respected,
while Joe was also well liked.
They were quiet people and associated
very little with the neighbors. They
seemed to get along nicely together, the
mother and son being especially fond of
one another.
Youth Lived Monotonous Life.
Joe Forrest is described as a dstin-
guished-looking young man, tall and
spare with prominent cheek bones and
features and flowing hair of a dark,
sandy blue. blue eyes and fine teeth.
His life was mono:onous. His only trip
away from home is said to have been
visit to his relatives in Virginia several
years ago.
Although the Forrest family was poor.
Mrs Forrest is said to have received
checks from relatives periodically and to
have saved a little ready cash from that
source.
Exhaustive search Of the premises and
neighborhood has failed to reveal the
slightest trace of Joseph. His working
clothes were found at his home and all
his best clothing Is missing.
In this connection two theories are ad-
vanced. First. that the young man had
Welded to a persistent longing to see the
world and had slain his parents, who
opposed it, Second that he had interrupt
ed his father in an attack on Mrs. Forrest
and had killed him either in her defense
or after her death at the hands of her
husband.
Reader of "Yellow" Novels.
In support of the double murder opinion
the Aact is cited that Joe was eccentric:
that he was a devoted reader of yellow
literature and that he had been heard to
declare his intention of leaving home to
see the world in spite of his father and
mother. Mrs. Forrest is believed to have
had about 800 in cash in the house, no
trace of which can he found.
On the other hand the statement is
made that Mr.. Forrest when In his cups
mistreated his wife, to whom Joe was de-
the youth may have killed his father in a
family alteration, in which Mrs Forrest
had first been killed.
The fact that all the property of the
family stood in the name of the wife is
said to have been source of constant
aggravation to the elder Forrest
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