Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-07-03
BLACkMAIL WAS
CAUSE OF MURDER
bury Renders Compromise Yer
diet in WOOdiII Crime.
KNEW OF HER PAST LIFE


Threatened to Expose Eastman, and
IN Fear of Serving a Prison Term
de Killed Her--WldowV Visits Grave,
Where Some vandal Planted a To,
,mato Vine.
st. Michaels, Md, June 29.-With
the compromise verdict OF the coro-
ner's jury that Robert K. Eastman
either killed or was accessory to the
murder of Edith May Woodill, and the
declaration of States Attorney Taylor
that he was through with the case the
strange dual Agedy which has for
the entire counVy upon this little out
of the way hamlet of Maryland s
famous eastern shore became closed
incideut
-Four OF the twelve jurors who lis
tened to the testimony at the reopened
inquest refused to sign the verdict
until the words cor accessory to the
crime" were added to the draft which,
approved by the majority bluntly ac-
cused Eastman of the murder. None OF
the four dissenting jurymen would
say that any other person than East
man was responsible for the girls
death They merely wished TO protest,
they said, against the manner in which
the inquiry was conducted. declaring
that much available evidence was not
ladduced
There was no evidence to show that
: anyone but Eastman and his victim
i were In the bungalow.
The jury sat for time In the lonely
bungalow itself, within sight of East
: mans unmarked grave not fifty feet
away Mrs. Eastman visited the place
and stood dry'eyed for time beside
the new-made mound. Some one with
illjudged humor had planted a tomato
wine on the grave. Mrs. Eastman.
thinking the vine a native flower. ask
I'd what it was. No one had the te-
merity to tell her She stood by the
grave until at last convulsive shud-
der shook her shoulders. Then she was
led away.
iAnd the final theory of the authori
ties is this:
That Eastman was In need of mon
oey; that he probably had been getting
money from Mrs. Woodill for some
time, that he undoubtedly knew some
thing of her past life, and that he had
been matchmaking her; that he at
tempted to continue this practice and
that the woman rebelled, intimating
that she, too. had found out certain
! things about Eastman. and that if
s driven TO 1t would expose him.
Eastman's dread of serving a term
5nNthe penitentiary is well known. His
vile has said that he told her he would
rather commit suicide than be con-
fined in prison. The pawning of the
jewelry the authorities set down to
the desire of Eastman to get away.
When cornered the man decided that
his race had been run and that he had
better make an end to 1t all. AS to
why Mrs. Woodill went to the bunga-
low there was no evidence.
St Michaels. Md. June 28. - The
theory that Edith May Woodill was
1ured to Lame Bob" Eastman's lone
,ly bungalow without knowledge of
where she was going. and that she
was drugged and detained there
against her will, was advanced when a
farther search of the shack, which
the superstitious folk OF the neighbour
hood forevermore will shun as haunt
cd, revealed a small bottle which a
hasty examination shows contained a
mixture Of narcotic drugs. There were
strong traces of morphine in the al
most empty phial.
= This discovery tends to bear out
the theory which the people of the
& community who knew and loved the
girl long have wanted to believe. They
. never have listened to the idea that
she was involved in a drunken orgy
= at the bungalow and have contended
that she lost her life in repulsing the
advances of the man who acknowl
edged his guilt by shutting out his life
when il seemed that the hands of the
law were about to be laid upon him.
Pawned Her Jewelry.
The day after Mrs. Woodill was kill
ed Eastman went to Baltimore and
pawned her jewelry-two diamond
rings and pearl pin. The next day
khs was back again, smiling. among his
ascquaintances at St Michaels and Nc
aE>aniel, paying debts and testing abou
etne gay time his guests had.
I'm a new made grave. not fifty fee
from the scene OF the crime which lee
ItD1his' death, Eastman's body was iait
away No man of the church was
,iehere 30 offer last word for the
G'ieaa. no friend or relative came near
The 'undertakers and their assistants
a 3ttie band of newspaper men and
few idle persons morbldly attracted e
follow the strange funeral procession
wore the only persons at the grave
With heads bowed they repeated The
familiar words of the Lords Prayer
Mrs. Eastman, stopping twelve miles
away. expressed no desire to attent