Smyrna times., 1931-10-14
FAMILY Of FOUR SLAIN NEAR
BERLIN; NEGRO C0HFESSES
ORPHAN JONES, DISCHARGED
HELPER, ADMITS CRIME

ORPHAN JONES, DISCHARGED
HELPER, ADMITS CRIME
Green Davis and Family Murdered
in Bed and Bodies Saturated with
Gas in Attempt to Destroy Them
Their heads crushed in apparent
ly by an axe, the bodies riddled
with shot from a shot gun and the
beds upon which they lay saturat-
ed with oil and gasoline, apparent
ly with the intention of burning all
evidence of the crime, four persons
were found murdered in the home
of Green Davis, a farmer near
Taylorsville, two and one-half
miles from Berlin, Md, Monday
afternoon. Orphan Jones, negro,
so years old, who was discharged
by Davis on Saturday was ar
rested Monday night at Ocean City
Md, on suspicion of being the man
who committed the murders and
later was taken to the Jail at
Snow Hill for safe keeping. Yes
terday he confessed and was i'm
mediately whisked from the Snow
Hill jail to Baltimore for safe
keeping. Jones confession follow
ed night and day of grilling by
Worcester county and Baltimore
city police, which had continued
almost without respite since his
arrest Monday night, three hours
after the bodies of the Davis fam
ily had been found in their beds,
shot and beaten to death. The vic
Tins of the murder were: Green
Davis, 55 years old; Iva Davis, his
wife, 48 years old; Elizabeth, a
daughter, Is years old, a junior in
the Berlin High School; Mary Lee,
another daughter, 13 years old, a
\ freshman in the high school. Sus-
picion had been aroused that moth
ing had been seen of the Davis fam
7 iIy since Saturday morning and
Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock,
Charles Johnson and Sebie How
ell, chicken farmers and neighbors,
decided to make an investigation.
\ Going to the house they found the
doors locked but forced the front
door and went to the second floor.
Bodies Of Family Found in Beds
In the bed room occupied by
Davis and his wife they found the
bodies Of the couple with their
heads crushed in and the faces
mutilated. In an adjoining room
they found the bodies of the two
girls in bed. Their heads had also
been crushed in and their faces
mashed. There was no signs Of a
struggle but both rooms showed
evidence of having been ransacked
after the murders had been COM
mitted. The men at once notified
Police Officer Fred A. Culver, Of
Berlin, Sheriff Wilmer S. Purnell
and States Attorney Godfrey
Child. of Pocomoke City. At the
same time a report of the murder
was sent to the Maryland State
Police Station at Pittsville and
Corporal Brubacker and four men
went to aid in the investigation.
Bodies Saturated With Gasoline
When the police made a second
examination of the rooms where
the murders were committed they
found that the bodies and beds had
been saturated with gasoline and
oil and beneath the bed of Davis
and his wife were found rags
which were partly burned. They
had evidently been set on fire and
placed under the bed but had gone
out before they set fire to the
room. It was also found that the
victims had also been shot. Word
of the discovery of the murder
spread rapidly and within short
time 1000 people had gathered
about the house where the murder
occurred. The bodies were taken
in charge by the authorities and
removed to an undertaking estab-
tablishment at Berlin. The house
was locked and a guard placed
about to prevent anyone entering
the place. Investigation showed
that Orphan Jones had been en-
ployed by Davis and quit work
with Davis on Saturday after a
dispute. Robert ]. Lewis, a groc-
er, near where the murders were
committed, told the authorities
that on Saturday, after the negro
had been discharged and quit the
Davis farm, he had told him that
he intended to get the whole
Davis family"
TO BUILD CRUMPTON BRIDGE