The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-09-21

efdBeoS, mas AurnlsnSO the Settlug Tor
Two other murders that Tor melodra-l
matte mystery eQualed the now Ia
nous Reattie case, says the Washing
ton Times.
They were known respectively as
the Jeter Philips and the Cluverius
cases, after the men who paid the
penalty for the deeds the law fastened
upon them. Like the Beattie case.
woman in most intimate relation to
the accused was the victim, and in
both cases was wholly circumstantial
Here are the brief facts.
Early in February, 1867. farmer
named Drinkard discovered hidden
under a brush pile on his plantation,
about FIVE miles from Richmond. the
body of woman, who evidently had
been dead for some weeks. There
were marks of violence on her. not
ably a bullet wound in her head. For
some months the detectives failed to
identify her.
on the adjoining farm was a young
overseer named Jeter Philips. Whence
ne had come when he obtained his
position the previous year none knew.
AT the time Of the discovery of the
body he was paying court to a young
woman in the neighborhood and, ru-
NOR had Il. was engaged to marry her.
II May. some months later. a reia-
tive Of this young woman picked up
letter, presumably dropped from Phil
Fps pocket While on a visit 10 his
swectr cart, wherein the writer. a wo-
man. addressed Philips as her hus-
band and stated that she was getting
tired & separation, and would join
him shortly.
1t was dated in January and came
from a small postoffice in a distant
county. Inquiry then developed that
Philips had, the previous year. mar
ried this woman, leaving her at her
home while ne went in search of en-
ployment, and that she had left there
late in January to join him in Rich
mond.
Showed Interest.
The neighbors then recalled that,
though Philips had never viewed the
body, or attended the inquest, he had
always exhibited the greatest interest
in the work Of the detectives, re-
peatedly inquiring of his acQuaint-
ances concerning their progress and
expressing his conviction that the
murderer would never be found.
In June. 1867, more than four
months after the discovery of the body,
Philips was arrested, tried, and
though the evidence was wholly cir
cumstantial, he was convicted and
hanged at Richmond. Shortly before
the execution he confessed to the MUIR |
der. his motive being to make away !
with his wife that he might marry his |
later sweetheart.
The Ciuverius case was one of the |
most melodramatic murder cases in |
criminal annals. About the |
middle Of February, 1885, some boys
strolling along the embankment of an |
abandoned reservoir in the outer sub |
urbs OF Richmond, saw what they |
was the dress of a woman |
floating in the water. They reported |
IL and the next day there was brought !
10 light the body of a woman in an |
advanced stage of decomposition. The |
sudden sensation died down after an
inquiry failed to disclose |
any woman missing either in Rich |
mond or any other part of Virginia
About that time a couple of girls !
came up from Yorktown, about forty |
miles distant. Having an hour TO wait
for their train, they strolled to the |
morgue to see the body Of the UNI |
known woman. The features were
not recognizable, but the clothing was
in a fair state of preservation.
Recognized Dress.
THAT looks like a dress Lillian |
Madison used to wear" commented 1
one. YES" replied the other, but |
Lillian is over in Bath county teach
ing"
However. on their return to York |
town, they casually mentioned the |
fact TO an aunt of Lillian Madison. The |
aunt assured them that Lillian was
In Bath county. but. recalling that she |
had not heard from her for couple /
Of months, addressed a letter TO her. |
II was returned with a note stating /
that she had left just after Christ |
mas.
The aunt later positively identified !
The clothing as that of her niece.
Around the old reservoir there ran
Thigh picket fence. and about this,
encircling the lake, there ran gravel
walk. On the path at this point the
detectives discerned evidences of
struggle, all but obliterated by wealth
er; but close examination brought TO
light a watch key.
There was nothing peculiarly dis
Linctive about the key. But shrewd
detective observed that ii had once
some slight repairing, and
On this fimsy clew. without even re-
motely suspecting any one, the ferrets
took up the trail.
Into every jewelry store and watch
repairers' shop in Richmond they , LOOK
hat key, but without avail Ihen
they took it to every shop in Peters
burg. with the same result. then,
widening their circle, they took II 10
Norfolk and Lynchbu-g, and thence
a Bristol. 500 miles to- the west; but
,tilI nothing. The spring had passed
md the summer was nearly over When
hese tireIess detectives, having been
nto nearly every town and village IN
Virginia. at last found themselves IN
small cubbyhole OF watcn re-
,airer's shop on a side street in Alex
ndria. The whitehaired old man
here looked at the key through MS
lass. then he dug up memorandum
ook, and for some minutes poreu
Yer it, At length he spoke;
Il mended that key just three years
go for a man who gave his name as
'homas ]. CluYerius, of yorktown!
Find Slayer.
The detectives swiftly repalreu 20
-orl<town. the home of the muroereo
,o,,oan They entered the office OF
iI.veri,1s. a rising young lawyer, ana,
ven as they laid their hands on ms
boulder, they observed that ms %a[ efl
az VAS missing. In CluVerluH ei-
cts they found letters froI
IL olson. which told a pitif
ow he had won her affection and
zen betrayed her.
from the purport of the letters he
al agreed to marry her and had
ritten her about Christmas to meet
Inn secretly in Richmond.
C,luverius admitted all the letters
onlied. He said that on the evening
january s. 1885. when he met her
Richmond, that about midnlght
,ev had ridden out to the end or the
- line and then walked half a mile
yer to the old reservoir to talk the
after over. .,,ax
-tt~.a -olonQ the path around the