Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-06-16
JOHN SIMMS MURDERED
TRAGEDY ON SPA ROAD
Colored Man Victim Of Jealous
Rage Killed-Mystery Sur
rounds Murder.
SEVERAL ARRESTS MADE.
Wound Over Groin Made by Sharp In
strument Said to be Cause Of
Death ---Victim Struck in Head
With ttle---Woman as U.s.
ual, the Cause Of the
Trouble.

One of the coldest blooded murders
committed in this section for some
time occurred about u o'clock last
night at the home of Tom Wallace,
colored' on the Spa Road, just outside
of the city.
The murdered man was John Simms.
colored man, who was waiting in the
house for his brother to go to work
on night wagon. Four persons are
locked up in the county Jail and the
officials are trying to get the case
Strengthened out from their garbled
accounts of what happened.
They are Tom Wallace and his wife
at whose home the murder occurred
their daughter, Henrietta, a principle
in the case, and Richard Wenn, who
was at the house with the girl. Ac-
cording to the best information obtain
able, Henrietta Wallace returned yes
terday from the Eastern Shore, where
she had been employed for several
weeks. Wenn had been looking for
her all the afternoon and evening at
the house and around town, finally To-
eating her at Martins Cafe, on West
street
The two left there about 1890 O'Clock
but did not arrive at the house until
some time later. Simms was at the
house waiting for his brother to go to
work. According to Wenn's story,
Simms objected to the actions of the
pair and demonstrated with them. He
finally attacked Simms with knife.
Wenn says he threw the bottle at him
and that there was struggle, during
which the wound in Simms' groin was
inflicted.
A broken bottle was found near the
dead man, but the autopsy did not re-
veal evidence of any cut or bruise on
the outside of the head. The only
wound found on the body was over the
right groin an incised wound about
one inch long made by sharp instru-
ment- The inference from Wenn's
story is that the girl used this in
strument.
This wound had bled profusely and
was probably the cause of death which
makes the case one of -blooded
murder as the man was left on the
stairs, where he was found. and slowly
bled to death. The fomoral vein was
cut in half, but the nerve and artery
were untouched, the wound extending
into the groin about one inch.
An autopsy was performed by DR..
John Ridout, and the County Health
Officer, DR.. Walton Hopkins. The ver-
dict of the doctors was that death was
due to the severance of the right fe-
moral vein in the right groin.
The house where the murder occur
red has borne a bad reputation as has
were unserved warrants waiting.
Simms was not of a quarrelsome dis
position, but Wenn does not bear a
good reputation, being ready to fight
at any time
Although the Wallaces claim they
heard nothing of the scuffie, Margaret
Foote, who lives next door, says that
she heard Simm's cry of don't cut
me-" and saw Wenn run from the
house after the affair.
Notice of the murder was communi-
Gated to the city police station over the
telephone, and Officer Boteler respond
ed and later called Deputy Sheriff
Lee. They arrested the Wallaces and
later Wenn, who was found at his
home. A jury was drawn this morn
ing and after viewing the body and
the evidence at hand, adjourned until
o'clock tomorrow afternoon, when a
hearing will be held.
The victim of the tragedy leaves a
widow, Julia Simms, and several chill
dren, among them a son known famil-
iarly as Checkers" Charles Simms.
Another son, William, is a waiter at
st. Johns College, and still another
son, is employed in the Naval Academy
The victims wife had recently suffer
ed stroke of paralysis. Simms was
quiet colored man, not given to quar-
ralings He was hard-working and
had been frequently employed to dc
odd jobs at The Capital office. Much
Indignation is felt at the wanton
murder.