The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-08-08
KILLED ooIoRED CHAUFFEUR.
Left Body In Woods Near Charles
town.

Left Body In Woods Near Charles
town.
Clarence Cothron and Grace Clark.
alias Grace Cothron, who were
brought back to Baltimore on Friday
/ from Palatka, Fla, on the charge of
shooting to death Homer Jones, 0
colored chauffeur, near Laurel, on
June last, led the detectives to o
narrow woods road between Prin-
cipio and Charlestown, Cecil county,
and then to the spot where they
murdered John T. Weldon, colored.
Philadelphia chauffeur, on July Z
| last.
Cothron led the detective to the
spot where a fire had been kindled
in the woods in order to cook, and
nearby the officers found the remains
of the Philadelphia chauffeur who
met his death at the hands of the
gang. The clothes we're still in good
condition, but there was nothing left
of the body besides the bones. There
were distinct evidence that several
shots had been fired, as the marks
had taken effect in the bones of the
breast and back.
Search through Weldon's pockets
disclosed the fact that his pocket
book, containing $14, had not been
taken. Philadelphia police, Detec-
tive Swain stated, had learned that
Weldon left the city with the Goth
rons and another man, who is still
at large, possessing over $400 and
wearing a diamond ring, valued at
$500. The ring was found in Flor
ida by detectives.
Coroner M. F. Magraw, of Eikton;
Sheriff J. w. McAllister, Of Cecil
county, and States Attorney Clayton
were called to the scene. The body
was viewed by the officials and it
was decided that an inquest was not
necessary. Permission was granted
an undertaken to remove what was
left of the body to an Elkton estab-
lishment in a box. The body was
found near the Whitaker Iron Com
pany's property. The scene Of the
crime is in the Fifth district OF Cecil
county, and immediate steps will be
taken by the officials of that terri
tory to indict, the Cothrons on the
charge of numbering Weldon.
Weldon, who was AZ years old, re.
sided at 1919 Montrose street, Phil
adelphia. On the morning Of July Z,
he was hired by the Cothrons and
another man to drive to Salisbury.
The men afterward decided to go to
Baltimore, and it was while on the
trip that the invitation to prepare a
meal in the woods was issued by the
trio to the unsuspecting chauffeur.
The automobile was found last week
by Detective Dougherty and Bradley
in Palatka, Fla, after they had made
the trip to that town to bring back
the accused to face trial in Maryland
on the Jones murder charge.
Cothron and his wife denied that
they had shot Jones. They admitted
that the same kind of tactics were
employed to ensnare the Baltimore
man as were used against Weldon.
They claimed, however, that the
other man in their party did the
shooting in that instance.
The Cothrons were brought back
on the charge Of kidnapping nine
year-old Mamie Grosscup from her
home at 614 Wyeth street, Balti-
more, and taking her to Palatka with
them. The child was brought back
by the detectives.
Not only are the two murder
charges and the kidnapping charge
traced to the Cothrons, but several
other cases are blamed on them.
The robbery of hotel clerk at the
Martinique in Atlantic City, the
working of a badger" game on
congressman at the New Jersey re-
sort, are also alleged to have been
committed by the Cothrons and the
third man.
The Cothrons, after returning
from their gruesome search for the
body in Cecil county, were placed in
cells at the Central Police Station,
Baltimore.