Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-06-23
Girl wife Murdered.

Alice Brown Litten, 16 years old, the
child wife of Charles T. Litten. was
murdered at an early hour yesterday
morning near Cumberland, Md. Her
body was thrown in the bushes within
100 yards of her mothers home and
about 60 feet from the road leading
from South Cumberland to the canal
bridge, where it was found after day
break by some men on their way to
work. Shortly after the body had been
removed to Buffers morgue, Buck" !"
Harry Nolan, who was tho last person
seen with Mrs. Litten shortly after
midnight, when he left her mothers
house, was arrested and taken to. jail, /,
suspicion pointing strongly to him.
Later in tho day Give Bangor who was
at the Brown residence Tuesday eve
ming and claims lie slept there all
night in an upstairs room, was also
placed under arrest and taken to
jail.
When the body was found the throat
had been cut with a sharp instrument,
two gashes having been made across
the throat, one Of which severed the
artery on the left side of the neck and
also cut entirely through the windpipe.
There was no blood whatever on her
hands to indicate self-dcstruction, but
on her breast there was small pocket
knife and on both bare limbs near the
thighs were bloody imprints ola mans
thumb and finger. She had evidently
been choked before the throat was cut,
as finger marks show plainly on her
neck, and on her face is the mark OF
blow that. it is asserted, would have
stunned her.
Alice Brown Litten was the daugh-
ter OF ]. A. and Mary E. Brown, and
was married to Charles F. Litten, on
September %, 1908, when she was
but ii years OF age, her parents hay
ing given their consent to the mar
riage. Litten gave his age at 90
years. One child is the result OF their
union.
They did not live long together.
Litten left her, but, it is said, he and
his wife recently became reconciled,
and they were arranging to again live
together. He has not been located.
Nolan and Bangor we're subjected
to close questioning, and the clothing
OF both men was taken from them
for examination. On Nolan's clothing
a number of supposed blood spots were
found.
Nolan is IS years old. He claims
that he was attracted to the dead girl
while on the street. He says that he
walked home with her and went with
her for sometime, becoming quite
fond Of her and intimate with her.
He asserts that, when he went to
Clarksburg W. Va, several weeks ago
to work, she threatened to kill her
self. He did not like Clarksburg,
and on his return to Cumberland the
intimacy was resumed.
On Tuesday night he went to the
Brown home, in South Cumberland,
and says that there he met Alice, her
mother, a brother, Give Bangor, and q
girl named Helen, who came with
Bangor. He says that Bangor also
brought some beer and whisky, and all
partook of the beer. A remark made
by him to the girl Helen made Alice
angry, and they had some words. When
he left the house, she followed him.
He asserts that they settled their diff
fercnces, and he kissed her goodnight
and left for his home, shortly before
midnight. He also AYERS that the first
he knew Of the death OF the girl was
when his father called him about S
O'Clock yesterday morning, and told
him her body had been found in the
woods.
Bangor asserts that he knows nothing
ofthe crime. He corroborates Nolan's
statements Of the evening spent at the
Brown residence; states that the girl
left the house with Nolan shortly after
midnight, and that he went to an up
stairs room and went to bed. The
first he knew OF the murder was when
he was awakened by the girls mother
after the body had been found. Ban
ger is about 90 years old, and came to
Cumberland several years ago from
Winchester, Va.
Dnsm1T SsTTINCC pIyES