The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-09
MURDER CHARGE
AGAINST NEGRO.
Sill Small Arrested at Irving.
ton-Schooner Is
Wrecked.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.


Lancaster, Va, October s.-A negro
man, going under the name of Sill
Small, was arrested at Iryington sew
eral days ago on suspicion OF being
the man who killed negro named
John Jones at Chisheld. Nd some
time ago. He was brought here and
lodged in the county jail to await the =
action OF the Maryland authorities. on
yesterday, however. Sheriff Chowning,Y
OF Lancaster. was requested to turne
the prisoner over to the authorities OF
Westmoreland county. it having been
ascertained that he was one of the
crew that killed the captain OF az
Maryland oyster sioop in the Potomac
river last winter. The three white /
men who were accused of being con-
cerned In tho killing were captured
and put in the Jail of Westmoreland
county, but made their escape lust BE ~.
fore they We're to be surrendered to
the authorities OF Maryland. from
which state the murdered man hailed y
Sill Small who is said to huvc been
on the sloop when the captain was
murdered, escaped arrest till he was
caught at Irvington few days ago.
Sheriff Chewing has taken him to (;
Westmoreland. where he Is now con-
hnSd in jail. He will be taken to Mary
land for trial.
The schooner Itinerant Captain
Franw Kershaw bound from Baltimore
TO Totuskey River in Westmorelant%
! county, with sixty tons of fertilizer
for ~. Ii. Mallory. of Warsaw ran into
tow OF barge near the mouth OF the
Great Wicomico River and went to the !.
bottom in twenty feet OF water in {
three minutes. Captain Kershaw and
his crew OF three men narrowly cs-s
capped with their lives by jumping into
Il yawl boat and making OFF from the
| sinking schooner iS
the courts Will have to decide on whom
| the loss shall fall. .
The supervisors OF Lancaster are
| having well five feet in diameter;
dug ia the courthouse square for TIN.
! use OF the public. The men engagedS
! i'll the work have gone down more than
, sixty feet without striking water. For
/ the past two days they have been
! going through what was once "a river
! bed or ocean bottom. This stratum is /,
| from twelve to fifteen feet thick, and
/ consists OF sand and decayed MARINE
shells, forming mari deposit Many
1 of the sh, lis are In u perfect state Of
| preservation. Most OF them resemble
oyster shells, but have grooves on the
! inside and corresponding ridges on tbs
| outside. Many of them are very large,
| measuring from ak to eight inches
| from hinge to tip OF mouth. Among,
| tho curious shells found at this depth
| shell in perfect state of preservation.
Some OF the best specimens are being
| preserved to be sent to the University
of Virgini~.
The engineers engaged in surveying
the route of the proposed Northern
neck Railway have finished their work
on the north side OF the Rappahannoc.e
and will cross over to the south side
early this week to complete the sur
| vey from Tappahnnnock to boswell,
which they expect to do about the 18th
of November. The continued reticence
of the engineers in regard to their
work and the plans of the promoters
of the enterprise has caused many peo-
pie in this section to be skeptical as
to the early completion Of the pro-
posed road.
Complaints about the ravagcs of the
long continued drouth are heard from
every quarter of the Northern Neck.
Not only has the corn crop been cut
short, but both the spring and fall
crop of Irish potatoes have been utter
failures. and the ground Is too dry
and hard to permit farmers to fallow
for wheat The hay crop will be very
short. One farmer living near here who
expected to gather $1,000 worth of al
falfa from one field says that the crop
Is so poor that no will not get enough
to keep his own stock through the
winter. 1t Is now too late for rain to
do any goo to the long suffering
crops
The fall term OF the Circuit Court
for northumberland county. Judge r.
r. B. Wright presiding, will begin to-
morrow. and Will probably continue
throughout the week.