The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-12
CHESTERFIELD IS
NOW THE CENTER
OF ATTRACTIONS
Theories of Detectives to be
Given Severe Test Of
the Court
STORY OF THE CRIME
READS LIKE ROMANCE
Staying of Young Wife on
Midlothian Turnpike is
Already One of Fa-
nous Cases

'ht GS NV ~ -
nous Cases
| Midlothian turnpike was lonely, al.
most deserted. as the hands OF the
I big yello faced clock on the City
/ Hall tower, in Richmond several
miles away. slowly and seemingly re-
( luctantly. passed the hour OF Il and
4 licked on toward midnight Of July
AS
/ In the city. just finishing the even
! fngs festivities and pleasures, the
! hum of activity was dwindling to ar
almost inaudible drone and the coun-
tryside Of fair. Chesterfield county
across the James was already still II
sleep.
Running through the fields which
| looked like carpets OF black velvet
in the gloom, the turnpike lay like
| broad. cream -colored ribbon dtvid
ing the countryside as "a river sepa-
rates meadows. So dark was the
night that the eye OF man could bare
" follow tho road without artificial
light
There was no moon and. the nigh,
WAS murky. The skies seemed but
vast arch OF shadows, with few
stars here and there peeping from,
the bIaekness of the clouds which
hung low and foreboding. Shadows
sof trees and bushes along the turn
pike were inky black.
An explosion rent the quietude The
bang of a gun and tho echoes float
"a far away.
Again stiffness reigned. soothing and
undistnrbed. and again it was broken
h1 AF OF
driven at frantic speed. sending an
automobile. bIood~spattered. leaping
and bounding, rushing like madden
ed animal over the smooth turnpike
y man sat a the steering wheel. be-
side him the body of his wife, her
life snnGed out but a few seconds
before.
Firm Hand at Wheel.
here WAS no .rers1bic In the hand
CA the wheel, for the course Of the
machine Was true and straight and
the automobile bounded over rail-
road track at hreaknecS speed Tn
winding. ribhouike. before the eyes
Of the man. the road looked CHASTITY
white IN the flare OF the dazzling
brightness OF the acetylene headlights,
as though there was but one road,
and that road must be followed
Minutes passed as rapidly AS the
distance grew less. and Their a by
road became visible ahead, looming
white and showing the path from the
turnpike. Around the corner swung
tha machine. over the ruts and rough
ness. OF the by-road. and then along
gravel path. shaped like crescent,
bending in front OF a lone dwelling,
looming black and big amid a group
of silent trees.
My God. She's Dead"
From the gravel path the autome-
bile ran on the lawn before the house
and stopped suddenly with a grinding
OF brakes. The shout OF man. the
man in the automobile. was heard:
My Cod she's dead.' Ny God. she's
dead" As one, several persons, form
ing group beneath the spreading
branches of one of the trees nearby.
arose with startled EXPLANATIONS and
cries of horror
No one ever will accurately describe
the scene which followed Some have
attempted and failed. Those gentle
men and gentlewomen who had been
sitting beneath the tree boughs. chat
ting and laughing cannot remember
just what followed for the startling
events destroyed remembrance of de-
tails. The chief events have been re-
counted but a true picture OF tns
scene VIII never be drawn.
AS the little group arose frcxn the
rustic chairs about the tree and ran
across the bit OF lawn to the side of
the quivering automobile painting ar
ter the mad dash through the night.
there was the slight cry of startled
women. the hoarse exclamation of ex-
cited men. and the words OF the man
in the machine, still ringing in the
ears of all who had heard
Limp Crimson Burden.
The limp body OF the woman. warm
but lifeless. clad in a light raincoat.
splotched with wet, crimson stains.
was taken from the machine as the
man stepped to the ground and strong
arms bore the limp form to the house.
inside to a room, where a lamp was
burning dimly. The body was placed
on the floor while the man who had
been in the automobile went into an
other room and threw himself face
downward on a couch. his face buried
in pillows.
A physician bent over the PROSTATE
figure of the woman, his hands felt
her pulse. her heart and ran over
her head and then he looked up at
those about him and said She's
dead" His examination was quick
but he was positive In hts assertion,
for even a layman could see that the
hardly more than a girl, was
beyond human help. There was large
round hole in her cheek and her skull
had been crushed.
Panic had left those, who had been
shocked into silence by the words Of
the man In the automobile and the
words of the physician, and though
reigned. 1t was a quiet con-
fusion. with little noise. few words
spoken in undertones and the stified
sob OF woman. Then a wall WAS
heard, the loud pitiful wall of an in
fant the babe whose mother lay but
rev Yards away. dead. A woman
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