Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-08-09
Mrs Valentine Brandon Murdered in Her Home Second
Street Yesterday, and Police Officials Confronted
With Most Battling Case in the Criminal
Annals of the City
BALTIMORE DETECTIVES ON CASE
Husband of Dead Woman Reported Gruesome Sight That
Greeted Him Upon His Return From Work in
the Afternoon--Body Found in Pool of
Blood on Her Bed-Sleuths Busy
Running Down all Reports

hc uStSNtlfSS duu pOliSS OlliSidtS
were securing here, there and every
where about the city today seeking
any possible evidence that might tend
to establish the guilty party or par
ties, but up to O'Clock this afternoon
they had not gathered any tangible
clue. All sorts of reports were circu-
lated about the city regardless of their
source, the detectives followed them
up in the event that they might bear
fruit A prominent official of the
county, speaking of the tragedy to-
day, stated that it is the most cold
blooded affair he had ever heard of
in these parts.
A further examination of the body
of the unfortunate woman made this
morning, revealed the following in
juries, which indicate that she must
have had quite a struggle with the
person who slew her: There are
bruises about the wrists, as though she
had grappled with her assailant;
bruises and skin abrasions on both
knees; plain marks of finger nail cuts
in the neck, in addition to the CHASTITY
wound in the centre of the forehead,
hole about the size of the end of
ones thumb, which caused the frac-
ture of the skull
The body of the victim has been
prepared for burial at the establish
ment of Taylor and SonA and will be
shipped to her former home in Wash
ington late this afternoon. where
burial will take place. probably
tomorrow.
Mr.. H. T. Connolly was named as
foreman of the coroner's jury APP
pointed by Coroner Welch, and the
other members are: j. w. Armiger,
Charles Stapf, David Myers, Henry
Wooten, Frank Stinchcomb, John
l.. Gates, Frank Stronger, Philip
Beale. Harry Beale, NJ. o. Elliott and
Moses Katcef
The theory has been advanced that
Mrs. Brandon probably was attacked
while she was washing the breakfast
dishes, owing to the fact that a few
unwashed utensils were found on the
kitchen table, but the fact that her
body was only partly clad would
scarcely bear this out The kitchen
on the whole, was in good order, with
the exception of the fact that the door
to the refrigerator was found hang
ing by one hinge and this was not
the case when Mr. Brandon says he
left the house in the morning about
o'clock. There were no blood spots
on the floor or any other indication
that the slain woman might have had
a struggle, so the murderer must have
accomplished his dastardly deed on
I the bed The head of Mrs. Brandon
lay in a pool of clotted blood, and
there were splotches of blood all over
the bed coverings
A rather singular thing is the fact
that the blinds of the kitchen were
drawn down,and the kitchen door was
found locked Neighbors had noticed
the blinds being down and thought
it rather queer. though they paid lit
tie attention to it, but naturally dis
GuCStu Tic itiCluGul allCA NAAC tAcA6CAs
was discovered Another queer thing
is that the ice left on the kitchen
steps some time during the morning,
had almost melted away. This is
taken to indicate that the tragedy
must have been committed during
the forenoon. Certain persons in the
neighborhood stated last night that
they saw Mrs. Brandon coming from
a West street store along about 10
o'clock in the morning, although ac-
cording to information gathered to-
] day, these persons are not sure that
| it was yesterday or Tuesday that they
| saw her
All Annapolis is shocked over the
| horrible tragedy that virtually snuffed
| out the lives of two persons. News Of
| it spread rapidly about the city last
night, and on Second street in the
| vicinity of the Brandon home and
along West street people gathered in
| groups and loitered around until late
| in the night At times it became ne
cessary for the police to force them
| back to a certain distance.
| That Mrs Brandon was choked into
Inconsistencies before the fatal blow
on the forehead is the prevailing be-
lief about the city today, for it is more
than passing strange that none of the
neighbors heard any outcries or other
form of commotion, and the Brandon
home is situated in what is known as
Friemers row. a thickly settled sec
ton of the west end. Mrs. King, wife
OF Mr.. Thomas A. King, an instructor
| at the Naval Academy lives next door.
She said she heard no untoward