Evening star., 1935-04-03
OLD COUPLE SLAIN,
THROWN IN WELL
Fredericksburg Pair Muir
dered at Home by Night
Robbers.
Disnatch 10 The Star


FREDERICKSBURG, Va. April g.
The murdered bodies of an elderly
and well-to-do farm couple, Mr.. ano
Mrs. John Thomas Coleman, were
found this morning at the bottom
of we'll behind their ranSacked home
near MassapomaX, in Spotsylvania
County, about II miles south of here.
Both the 65-year- old woman anc
her husband. rs, had been brutally
beaten about the head and fired upor
at close range with a shotgun, be.
lieved to have been Coleman'S.
The husband had been shot in the
face and right shoulder and the wife
in the right leg. Death in each case
however. was believed to have been
due to skull fracture
Virginia State Police county Of
ficials and neighbors of the pair today
we're watching highways and combing
the neighborhood for the murderers
believed to have killed their victims
after robbing them.
Leave IN Stolen Car.
The robbers drove off in an auto
mobile belonging to the couple. A
car answering the same description
and containing two colored men was
seen last night going toward Rich
mond at ThornSburg about 5 miles
south of the Coleman farm.
The body of Mrs. Coleman was dis
,,,l1 tLn
hired man. Tom Blackton, reported
for duty. Blackton found that the
house had been broken into and ram
sacked.
While the house obviously had been
searched and furnishings displaced
there were no signs of struggle and
the couples bed room was in COM
paratively good order. When recov-
cred. Mr. Coleman's body was fully
clothed. while that of his wife was
clad only in underclothing.
Blackton called for Mr.. and Mrs
Coleman. but received no answer. He
searched in the yard and discovered
Mrs. Coleman's body in the 4O-foot
we'll.
Blackton had last seen the couple
alive when he went home after COM
pleting his chores last night. The
hired man summoned Coleman's SON.
in-law. Oscar B. Scott, who lives about
two miles away, and county authori-
ties were notified.
Body Found Under Water.
Coleman's body was not discovered
until after the woman's corpse had
been removed from the well. The man
had been thrown into the well first
and his body lay under water at the
bottom.
Neighborhood gossip reputed con-
siderable wealth to the elderly couple,
who lived in a comparatively isolated
farming section, at least half a mile
from their nearest neighbor. Cole
man was known to be thrifty and sue
cessful in working his large farm.
He was native of the community
and Mrs. Coleman was his second
wife. having married him about IL
years ago. Coleman's daughter was
by his first wife.
Colemans shotgun had been stolen
Wy AIlo lhulOClCA' uliu OiAiSCAo S|N
pressed the opinion this gun had been
turned upon the couple No one could
be found who heard the shot. The
attack presumably occurred some time
before last midnight.
Friends said Coleman came to
Fredericksburg yesterday on business
and drew small amount of cash from
the bank The farmer was known tc
have given employment recently to
several colored laborers in grubbing
repairing fences and other chores. The
colored men had been laid off from
a nearby road job.
Commonwealth Attorney E. r. Car
ner has taken charge of the investi'
CATION, assisted by Sheriff M. l.
Baynes.