Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-05-06
Body Found in the Woods
at Lakewood, N. ].
MISSING SINCE WEDNESDAY
Mrs. Charles Turner Was Beaten to
Death With Club and Author
tiles Suspect Negro Com
mitted Crime.

Lakewood N. j., April 29.-Missing
since Wednesday and searched for by
her relatives and the police ever since
that time, Mrs. Charles Turner, wife
OF painter and paperhanger, living
on Spruce street, this city, was found
murdered. The body was found by
Arnold Turner while riding the family
horse, Lady.
He could not understand why Lady
insisted upon turning off the path and
taking to the woods on the side OF the
road. All efforts to lead the horse back
into the path we're unavailing, SO the
boy let her have her way, and almost
before he knew it they had broken
through the underbrush and came
which the boy knew was his aunt. Too
frightened TO yell, he rode to the near
est house, about 300 yards, and told
the neighbors that Mrs. Turner had
been found and to hurry and get
doctor.
The woman was lying face down
ward on the ground, and nearby
club, seven feet long, with the bark
knocked off in spots, told the rest of
the story. The officials are hunting for
colored man whom they suspect did
the trick.
Mrs. Turner left her home on We'd
nesday afternoon to do an errand, but
the family didn't let the authorities
know that she was gone until Friday
afternoon, and two or three hours af-
terward the nephew found the body.
One woman says she saw Mrs. Turner
about 3 o'clock that day walking in
the direction of her home. That was
the last seen of her alive.
Was Killed With Club.
The body was found off the beaten
track, and it was evident that there
had been a struggle from the condi-
ton of the woman, though the ground
around showed no evidence of 1t. The
theory is that the body was carried to
where 1t was found, although the club
with which the murder was apparently
done was found fifteen feet away.
DR.. W. G. Schauffter's examination
showed that there was an open wound
in the back of the head, and at the
upper end of the left ear scalp
wound two inches long, exposing the
bone, and filled with dirt. When the
body was turned over it was found
that the face was covered with dirt,
and when this was removed it was
found that the assailant had struck
Mrs. Turner a blow in the face which
had fiattened her nose back against
the face. The lips were tightly closed
and the teeth clenched. The whole
frontal region of the skull was frac-
tured. Her necktie had been torn of,
while her waist was torn from the
neckband to the laist line, and the
corset cover torn from the yoke nearly
to the waist, exposing the flesh. There
was no evidence of an assault.
Prosecutor T. j. Brown Immediately
started to look into the case himself.
He got the description of colored
man who is well known in Lakewood,
and who was said to have stopped at
a nearby house to the scene of the
crime shortly after Mrs. Turner had
passed there. After getting drink of
water the colored man took the same
path Mrs. Turner had taken.
Shortly after the word became nois-
ed about Lakewood that the body had
been found this man was seen at the
station platform with a dress suitcase
in hand. He started up the tracks
toward Farmingdale, village eight
miles away, and the prosecutor went
after him.
Mrs. Turner was woman about
forty years old and had large num-
Der of friends in Lakewood. She was
a daughter of the late William Par
mentier, one of the pioneers in the
resort, and a sister of Charles ]. Par
mentier, treasurer of the Lakewood
Trust company. Her home life was
declared by all to have been happy,
and no one can suggest any reason
for the murder.