The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1909-06-30
ASSASSIN D|ES|N SK|FF
As He Was Pursued Up a Creek
by Sheriff's Posse.

His Death Blotted Out Untold Story
Of the Murder Of Mrs. Edith May
WoodiII, Young Woman With
Whom He Had Become infatuated.
Induced Hic Victim to Write a Let.
ter Which He Mailed at Baltimore
After Her Death.
No pursuit Of an accused assassin
was ever attended with more thrilling
ly picturesque surroundings than that
which ended In the death OF Lame
Bob" Eastman Of New York, who had
been known during his short resi-
dence at st. Michaels, Md, as EN-
met Il. Roberts. Eastman had
simply transposed his name robert
Emmett Eastman to Emmett f. Roberts.
The man disappeared late Wednes-
day evening. following the discovery
Of the body OF Mrs. Edith Woodill and
its Identification. Suspicion had point.
ed to him from the very first, for he
was the person with whom she had
last been seen. Eastman made ef.
forts to leave Mcdaniel Wednesday,
but was warned that he had better re-
main to refute the charges that were
being maze against him. Saying he
could be found at his bungalow when
wanted, Eastman disappeared. A miss
Cl tla. hnnnn nf Uh
told the story of his flight
All day Thursday sheriff's posses
were on the search. No trace of the
missing man could be found Late
Thursday night, however, John W..
McQuay, who lives four miles from
Mcdaniel, on Harris creek one OF the
estuaries Of Chesapeake bay, heard
in the stiffness Of the night the soft,
rhythmic splash OF oars far out on
the black waters. He called but there
was no answer. Rowing wearily up
the stream, the man at the oars paid
no heed. McQuay frantically sum.
moned help by telephone. A posse
answered, and then began the stealthy
trailing of Eastman through the wat
ers TO his doom.
For hour after hour Eastman, suf
fering the tortures of the damned
for want of food and water during the
night and day of his hiding in the
marshes of the many shallow tidal
streams which put in from the bay
tried to shake off his pursuers. Clad
in blue flannel shirt and dark trous-
ers, he was a far less conspicuous fig
ure than were the members OF the
sherIff's crew, who all wore white
shirts.
In and out OF the winding stream
Eastman led the way. He evidently
was making for Mcdaniel, near the
headwaters of the creek, where he
hoped to steal 4 team and escape. His
rowing became more and more painful
and his progress was so slow at last
that the pursuers passed him in the
darkness.
Not sure that the men in the other
boat were on his trail, Eastman con-
tinued upstream until at last he had
reached a point just off the home of
Colonel Thompson and of the girl who
had met death while with him. Here
the stream narrows sharply and the
spot was selected by the posse to
make stand. From the tall grasses
of the shore they called to Eastman
to surrender. Twice the call was re-
peatcd without answer. Then came
the flash of a revolver.
II had been aimed by Eastman at
his own heart and the bullet had done
its work. Thinking the shot had been
sent at them in an attempt to resist
arrest, the posse returned the fire and
claimed al first that it was their fusil-
lade which had caused the man to
crumple and fail in heap to the bot
tom of the little craft.
The question of whether Eastman
died by his own hands or as result
of the fire of the pursuing party was
not settled until late in the day when
a coroner's jury after securing all the
evidence and the reports of examining
physicians. decided that Eastman had