Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-11
CHILD ASSAULT
KILLED AND BURIED.
NEGRO IS ACCUSED
Mutilated Body of Moorestown
Girl of Seven Found Buried
i'm Cellar Of Black.
WHITES DEEPLY STIRRED
BY Associated Press to Every Evening.

BY Associated Press to Every Evening.
Moorestown, ". r.. June IA
particularly atrocious crime was re-
veaied here today by the Burlington
county authorities when they an
nounced the finding Of the badly
mutilated body Of seven year old Ma
tilda Russo who had been missing
since last Saturday. The police are
searching for Lewis Lively. Negro.
IS years old, in connection with the
killing Of the child.
The chiId's body was found buried
in the cellar of Ijvely's home which
is within fifty feet Of that Of the
Russo family in East Moerestown
The throat had been cut and the
abdomen slashed. According to the
authorities the child had been mis-
treated before it had been killed.
The body was found yesterday. but
the crime was not revealed by the
police in the hope Of capturing the
murderer Lively is employed in
Moorestoun every night. Last night
he was seen in town, but he has not
been found by the police.
The little victim was the daughter
Of Michael Russo. a tailor. The child
vanished last Saturday Liveiy's
family consisting of his wife and Eve
year-old son have been away from
home for more than a week In the
hunt for the child county detective
Ellis Parker directed Chief Of Police
Bradshaw. Of Moorestown. TO search
Liyelys house Poking through the
dirt floor of the cellar Bradshaw
found the body.
Liveiy's wife was found by the
police and locked up in the BurIing-
ton county Jail at Mt. Holly. She
says she knows nothing OF the crime.
According to Parker. Livelys house
was searched because Of his appar-
ent nervousness when spoken to
about the search for the child during
the week.
The community is aroused and pre-
cautions have been taken to safe
guard Lively when found.
Commissioners Of Moorestown met
in special session today and offered
a reward Of $500 for the arrest Of the
child's assailant.
A further examination OF the body
OF the child showed the skull had been
crushed. A butcher knife and a shoe
makers hammer We're found in a shed
in the rear Of Lively's home today.
Neither showed any blood stains. The
little girls blue dress, and her brown
shoes and stockings she wore when
she disappeared. have not been found.
IL is believed By the police the child
was attacked last Saturday night
shortly after she was missed. The
same night Mrs Russo heard what
she believed TO be a child's screams
and told her husband she believed
scme one was beating Matilda. Russo
evidently did not believe so and made
no inquiry. He said he thought the
screams came from a house further
away than Lively's. His suspicious
we're allayed because Lively always
appeared TO be fond Of Matilda, often
gave her fruit and candy and the little
girl played with Lively's son.
It became known today that Lively
went to his home last night with his
wife and they found boards nailed
across the doors. Lively, the police
said, became suspicious and fled while
Mrs. Lively meeting a policeman ask
ed why her home had been boarded
up,
Lively, according to Parker. has
served prison terms for burglary and
arson.