Terre Haute Weekly Gazette, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 16 September 1886 — Page 1

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The Most Shocking Crime in a Number of Years. V.

A Vandalia Agent Shot uown Through His Office Window.

The Infamous Long Point Murder Out-done Near Marshall.

No Doubt But That the Motive of the Crime Was Robbery— Full Particu* lars.

A REVOLTING MUHDER.

The Vandalia Agent at Marshall Shot Down. From Monday's Dally.

George

Tracey Powers, station agent

of the Vandalia and Chicago, Vinoennes & Cairo lines at Marshall Crossing, fifteen miles west of the city on the Vandalia line, was assassinated in a most mysterious manner Saturday night between 11:80 P. M. and midnight. He was last seen alive at 11:00 P. M., and at 6:30 o'clock Sunday morning his dead body with a bullet hole clean through his head was found lying on the floor of the station office partially under his desk. The assasina* tion has produced a most intense state of excitement all over the surrounding country. The crime has no equal since the Long Point murder.

Powers was 26 years of age and had been station agent at the crossing since the position was established, which was only on the second day of the present month. The spot is a lonely one, there being no house within a quarter of a mile, and the pkce was a most propitious one for such a terrible, undertaking-

The murdered man was sitting at the operator's table in the station writing a letter to Miss Frankie Archer in Florida when the shot was fired at him from the bay-window outside. The pistol was held so close to the window pane that the glass was badly powder burned.

He had already written a letter to "his mother at Sullivan, 111., and had it enclosed and addressed. He liad finished one. page of the letter to his young lady friend and had begun the second page of it with the heading: "11:20 p. M." when his hand was stopped by the cold messenger of death.

The theory of the crime is that the murder was committed by two tramps. The only clues are their foot marks to a neighboring cornfield and two handkerchiefs, covered with blood, which they had wiped their hands on and left in the station room where the murder was committed. These handkerchiefs ttere white linen ones and stamped in indelible ink. On one of them were these two names: "C. Jones" and "C. S. Jones." On the other was "Cromwell Jones." Cromwell Jones is the son of Judge Jones, of Robinson, 111., and the handkerchiefs were no doubt stolen from him.

None of the persons arrested are the guilty parties. THE NEWS RECEIVED HERE.

The news of the murder quickly reached the Vandalia railrofCd offices this city and produced the greatest excitement. The first message announcing the murder was directed to N. K. Elliott, master of transportation of the Vandalia line, and was signed by J. P. Waldo, the night operator of the Vandalia at Marshall. In order to get a complete account of the startling crime a GAZETTE representative visited Marshall yesterday and remained on the scene until 3:30 this morning, collecting all the information that was to be attainable of the tragic event. Powers has been

LIVING AT MARSHALL

between four and five years, coming there from Lawrenceburg, Ind. He was born in the southeastern part of the state and has worked for the John Shilleto house at Cincinnati and also for the "Big Four" railroad. T. A. Sanderson, Vandalia agent at Marshall, is his bro-ther-in-law, having married Powers' sis­

ter. Up till the 2nd of the present month, when be took charge of the Marshall crossing as its first agent, he has been baggageman under his brother-in-law at the Marshall depot. He bad held that position for about four years. Recently the Vandalia and C. V. & C., built the depot at the crossing, which is a mile east of Marshall, and be was selected as the agent. Saturday night Ben Scofield, Ross Holler and Harry King, three young men friends of Powers' from Marshall, went down to the station on the freight, intending to

BEAB HIM COMPANY *S'

during his lonesome vigil until the 11 o'clock C. V. & C. train passing the crossing for Marshall. The you»g agent did not have to go on duty at the station until 11 o'clock, but Saturday night he said he had some writing to do acd he went down earlier. The boys found him in good spirits and they laughed and chatted away the time until the train came along. It came up rather suddenly and Po vers' three young friends ran out of the station on to the platform hurriedly, bidding Powers a hasty goodbye. He went out on the platform, too, as was his custom. That was the last seen of him alive. ffia rule was to lock all the doors of the station as

Eoon

THE DISCOVERT

of the crime was m&de about 6:30o clock Sunday morning. H. B. Dulaney was out hunting and as he was passing the station he notioed that the front window was broken. This suspicious circumstance led him to make an investigation, with the result of the discovery of the murder. J. P. Waldo, the night operator at Marshall, and J. B. Shryer, a Marshall clothing merchant, were immediately notified and they drove to the scene in a buggy. They were in hopes that the fearful news that reached them was a mistake. Waldo was Powers' room-mate. When they got to»the station they found all the doors and windows bolted. They found thb bay-window which is directly in front of the desk at which the unfortunate young man sat,

PIERCED WITH A BULLET.

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as the train passed and

there is no doubt but that he did that Saturday night, as all the f. P:. DOORS WERE POUND BOLTED upon the disoovery of the murder. From 11 o'clock on through the night four passenger and three freight trains passed along on the Vandalia and one passenger went along on the C., V. & C. The 11:30 train noticed a light in the station so that it is probable he was alive then. He was not alive at 12:05, for the C., V. & C. train dispatcher at Mt. Carmel couldn't raise him up for a report on the train that had just passed. The heading "11:20 P. M." on his unfinished letter showed that he was all right then ,so that the murder was committed between 11:30, when the trainmen on the passing train noticed the light, and 12 o'clock, when the train that went by noticed no light. The bloody work, therefore, was done in this short spaoe of thirty minutes that intervened between those two times.

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The other window, immediately opposite this bay-window, was smashed all to pieces as if a man from the outside had struck the frame work in the center a hard blow, shattering all the glass in the frame. But the awful sight was reserved until they got within. There lying on the floor was the lifeless body of the agent and operator. This was the description given by Mr. Waldo to the GAZETTE reporter of the sight that met his gaze: "The first thing I noticed when I got in was the confusion in which everything had been thrown. Papers were strewn all over the floor, the chair was upset and blood seemed to be everywhere.

LYING ON THE FLOOR

with his body partially under the desk was the dead body of Powers. He had, been shoved under feet first. His head was out. Only about three-fourths of his body was under the desk—perhaps not much more than up to the middle of his stomach. His old coat which had been hanging up in the room was doubled up under his head. The cushion that had been on the chair was under his back and the tail of his coat had been pulled up, wrong side out, of course, over his head, concealing it from view. There was mud on his left hand as if the boot or shoe of one of the assassins had touched it. There was a pool of blood on the telegraph table near the. instrument where his head had fallen. There was another

BIG POOL OF BLOOD

in the center of the room, where his head had no doubt rested when they pulled him back and let him drop on the floor. At this spot also part of his brains had oozed out. His pockets were

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ESTABLISHED 1869. TEKRE HAUTE, IND., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1886,-TWO PARTS,-PART FIRST. $1.50 PER YEAR

turned inside out and there was not a thing left in them. There was a bruise over one of his eyes, which may have been due to that part striking on the sharp telegraphic instrument on the table. All of his keys were gone except the door key, which unlocked them all, which I found ou the floor. It was not on the ring. Hia open-faced silver watch was also gone. How much money he had is hard to tell. He may have had ten or fifteen dollars. It was his custom to take his revolver with him every night, but Saturday night he omitted taking it. However, it could have done him no good. From"1

THE STATION PLATFORM

due could not see his body. Two trunks were in the freight room. One of them belonged to Powers and the other was held for a passenger. Neither of them was touched. The passenger's trunk was all strapped up and couldn't be entered very handy, but George's was unlocked, though the top was down. George had his fears of the plage and one night when I went down there to see him he had the revolver lying out in front of him on his table." "Why is the place feared as it is?" ."-a "In the first place it is remote from any house and is down in a out so that people a quarter of a mile distant could not hear a cry unless an unusual effort was put in it. Then again it is the rendezvous of tramps, who congregate there because it is the junction of two roads and they can make connections going each way." "What is your theory as to the killing?" "I think it was committed by tramrs —probably two—for the purpose of robbery. They thought poor Powers had a lot of money with him. The man who did the shooting had but to brace himself up against the side of the building and take deliberate aim through the window at Powers while he was writing. There are finger marks on the fresh paint on the side of the window." j«|| "Why was not the same window broken that the shot was fired through "Because such a break in that window might have been sooner discovered on account of its location. The assassins climbed in through the window, they broke and went out the same way."

THE COURSE OF THE BULLET. Powers was undoubtedly engaged in writing the Archer letter when the fatal bullet sent his soul speeding into eternity. He had on his hat at the time. It was a blaok stiff hat. He is nearsighted and in writing he was accustomed to bend down his head very close to the paper This gave the assassin at the window a fine chance to sight him with the pistol. The murderer no doubt aimed for the top of his head. The bullet sped through the hat, entering the head at the top, lodging below at the neck, where it was afterwaid extracted by Drs. Mitchell and Kilgore. The pen was found sticking in the floor. As soon as Waldo regained his composure he sent this message flying over the wires: To N. K. Elliott, Terre Haute:

AgQDt G. T. Powers was murdered last night. Supposed to be by tramps. Will send further particulars as soon as possible.

J. P. WALDO.

THE COLD AND LIFELESS BODY was removed to the Vandalia depot at Marshall, in the upper story of which the sister of the deceased, Mrs. Sanderson, lives. The deceased was tall and slender and had a sandy mustache. He would weigh perhaps 125 pounds. He was one of the members of the "Chatterboxes" in Marshall society and he had invited two young ladies to take supper with him at Wright's Hotel last evening. Last night several of the most prominent young men of the town kept watch in the silent chamber of death, The GAZETTE representative saw the body as it lay in a pretty casket about 3 o'clock this morning. The face wore a peaceful expression, but the dark spot over one of the eyes was beginning to deepen. One of the young men—Ben Scofield—said: "George told the Vandalia company recently that he would either have to get less hours, a man to help him, or he would quit. He had fixed upon Sunday night (tonight) to quit in case his request was not acceded to." J. B. Shryer said: "George was one of the most popular young men of the town. Everybody seemed to like him. He was always in good humor. My theory is that the murder must have been committed by some one who had a erudge against him."

NO SUSPICIOUS TRAMPS

were seen around the Marshall depot Saturday night as was reported quite generally in this city yesterday. Mr* Scofield and his companions say they saw no suspicious persons in 'or around the depot while they were there. Neither were the brains beaten out of the murdered man with a club, as was also reported. No club was used and none was found around. A story that a crippled man had been seen watching Powers Saturday evening about 8 o'clock while

he was talking to some girl in Marshall is also i&'oirculation. The deceased was an unmiuTied man. The only two clues the police have to work on are, (1) the handkerchiefs and (2) the tracks leading into the corn-field back of the depot, The only reason for thinking there were two men in the murder is that the tracks are evidently those of two men. They went into the oornfield, where some blanks and other papers belonging to the company were found, and the tracks were then discerned in a circuitous route back to the railroad track again. The depot is a substantial looking wooden structure, one stoxy high and has three rooms— the freight room, the passenger room and the fcgent's office, the latter being between the other two. The murderers took all the, railroad tickets in the office except the ^lergymene' tickets, which, strangely enough, they didn't want. They scooped in some St. Louis exposition excursion tickets among the rest and even took the freight train permit tickets with them. They were in such a hurry, presumably, that they could only discriminate on the clergymens' tickets.

The wafch stolen is described to the police as follows: An open-faced silver watch, number 14,122, case number 15,399, Hoyt movement, key winder.

IF THE MURDERERS

went east, as they probably did, they undoubtedly got on either the 11:50 or 12:34 trains. Ben Scofield says he said to Powers once: "George, I wouldn't stay here oWr night for half of the Vandalia railroad.". Powers good-natured-lyremarked that he wasn't afraid. George had arranged to go on a moonlight picnic tonight. His mother as telegraphed for and arrived there today, as did several other relatives. The funeral will occar tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock from, the Vandalia depot at Marshall. An attempt was made Sunday to get bloodhounds from Indianapolis and Olney, 111., but both failed.

REWARDS.

The citizens, of Marshall raised subscriptions and offered a reward of $1,000 for the murderer. It is understood that Clark county has added $2,500 to this. Th^railroad dpmpanies will no doubt offer liberal inwards. Detective Jack Hennessy haepnt himself to work on the case. Tfll operators and agents on the roads %e* making up subscriptions for a reward, the sums ranging from one to f$ve dollars.

Fros&Thareday'e Daily.

The cruel tbjlrder of Vandalia Ag&ht Powers ftt Mafffciall Crossing Saturday night still ^^Ag much attention in all the surrounding country, but the universal prayer that the perpetrators of the assaaination may be arrested has not yet, so far as known, been fulfilled. There are absolutely no genuine clues that would assist materially in the detection of the men. The bloody handkerchiefs found in the station with Cromwell Jones' name stamped on them furnish no clew for this reason: Jones was in Marshall one day last week on his way to college at Ann Arbor, Mich. By mistake he left his satchel on the platform at the Marshall crossing. Powers put it away in the depot and later in the week learning whose it was took it up town to Wright's Hotel. He may have taken the handkerchiefs out himself. That is the only reasonable theory offered, as certainly the robbers did not get into Wright's Hotel.

ARREST AT GREENUP.

MARSHALL, Ills., Sept. 14.—[GAZETTE special]—A man has been arrested at Greenup who had on a blood stained shirt. Dr. Kilgore has gone over to see him. Will let you know any further particulars.

TWO ARRESTS AT EFFINGHAM.

It is reported here that two tramps have been arrested at Effingham, but there are as yet no particulars.

THE FUNERAL THIS MORNING.

The funeral of the murdered young man took place this morning at 11 o'clock and was the largest funeral ever seen in Marshall or in Clark county. Powers' mother and brother from Sullivan were here and also about a dozen relatives and friends from a distince. Rev. A. F. Howe preached the funeral sermon. The remains were interred in the cemetery. .'

BLOOD HOUNDS NO GOOD.

The blood hounds have arrived, but are of no use. THE RAILWAYS OFFER A REWARD.

The Vandalia and the C. V. & C. railways have jointly offered a reward of $2,000 for the capture of the murderers.

THE BLOOD HOUNDS.

The hope of ever capturing the murderers with blood hounds after so many hours have elapsed und a hard rain has has fallen seems pretty slim unless the tramp theory is believed in. You can smell a tramp without a blood hound two weeks after he has passed.

HOW A CRIMINAL MANAGED IT.

The telegraph contains an account of a man who escaped from a southern prison and was hunted down by a blood hound. When the officers oaught up with the hound they found it tied to 'a

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tree with the oonvict's ball and chain Then they started two more on the trail and the next day found that the runaway had made friends with them and traded them off to a woman for a meal.

Superintendent Lawlnr and Captain Vandever went over to Marshall this morning. News has been received from Greencastle that the two tramps under# arrest there are not the men. Detective Hennessy visited them and was convinced of their innocence!

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Trying a Case From the Country in v: the Circuit Court.

One of Them Objected to the 0th 1 Going With His Sister.

The case of the State of Indiana against Marshall Moore on an indictment charging him with an assault and battery on Cha9. Teley was put on trial in the Circuit Court Monday morning before Judge Mack and a jury. The case attracts considerable attention among residents of the lower part of the county, where both of the young men connected with the case are well-known and come from the best families. 'In attendance on the trial here are a bevy of pretty young lady witnesses. The trial was continued again today. The trouble between the young men, the de fendant being about 19 years of age and the complainant being a little over 22culminated in a fight on the night of January 22nd last, outside of Fletcher's chapel in Pierson township. Moore lives three miles southeast of Pimento in Linton township, and Yeley lives a mile east of Farmersburg in Sullivan county. The trouble seems to have been Over*Moore objecting to his sister Theresa keeping company with Yeley, though there were other "side issues" that helped to aggravate it. The two boys met at church the night in question and after some words went outside near the church, where they took off their coats and went at it. It was a cold night and there was snow on the ground. The defendant admitted that he struck the complainant a number of times with 9 pair of knucks. Justix^Ohiipm1 held the preliminary trial and sent the case to the circuit court here, holding the defendant to $500 bonds, which he gave. Theresa Moore, the j'oung sister of the defendant, was a witness for her brother. Faris & Hamill and D. W. Henry prosecuted and H. C. Nevitt and DAvis & Davis defended. The defense offered in evidence a letter written by Yeley expressing his willingness to fight Moore with any weapons, but the court ruled it out.

At 3:30 p. m. this afternoon the jury found a verdict of "not guilty." Moore went into the jury box and shook hands with all the jurymen.

CORNER STONE LAID.

bisnop Cnaiard Lavs the Corner StoBe of the New St. Msry's Church ST. MARY'S, Sept. 14— [GASSTTE special]—The corner stone of the new. Roman Catholic church here on the grounds of the the Sisters of Provideno6 was laid this afternoon with impressive and beautiful ceremonies by Rt. Rev. Bishop Chatard, of the diocese of Vincennes. There was a large number of persons present both from the village and the'academy. The Bishop made some interesting remarks. The church will be of brick and stone and will be a hondsome structure when it is put up.

Soldiers' Reunion.

A soldiers' reunion will be held at Petersburg, Ind.. Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct., 1st, 1886. The re-union will be for all ex-Union soldiers, and ample accommodations will be made for all who attend. This is expected to be the largest re-umon ever held in Southern Indiana. Many of the prominent Generals, Colonels, Chaplains, Captains and other eoldiers will be present to address the people. Thousands of people from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky are expected to be present.

One of the featur of the program will be a prize drill. First prize, $75 second, $50 third, $25.

Good instrumental and vocal music has been secured. Excursion rated on all railroads.

The Age of Consent.

NEW YORK, Sept. 14—The Womens' National Temperance Union has drawn up a petition to Co igress, urging that in view of the alarming increase of assaults upon women and young girls, the legal age of consent be raised, as is proposed, in the bill now before the Senate, to 18 years. The legal age in Deleware is seven years. In this. state it has only recently been raised to sixteen. There are 200,000 women, representing every state and territory in the country, now enrolled in the union. It is not decided whether the petition will be presented at one time or whether it will be sent in each state and .territory separately but it will be presented early in the coming session of Congress.

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A Bad Bailiff Taken From Church and Beaten By Women,

Emperor Francis Joseph and the Czar Snorting at Each

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Altar Curtains Burning Cause

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FRANCIS JOSEPH AND THE CZAR

Making Faces at Each Other Over the Border. LONDON, Sept 13—It is remarked that although Emperor Francis Joseph is at Prezemysel, Galicia, and the Czar at Bresthxlitdvsk, in Poland, not more than 250 kilometres apart, neither has given any sign of a desire or intention of meeting the other. In fact neither has sent the other greetings, even by deputy. The Neue Frei© Presse, of Vienna, complains of the Czar's breach of courtesy towards Austria. It says it is noteworthy that the Russian military dominions, which would be the principal theatre of war in event of Russian conflict with Austria. Eiftperor Francis Joseph is at the same time reviewing an equal number of Austrian troops, the total being over sixty thousand men, at the point which would naturally be chosen as the Austrian base of operations in the same event. "Thus we see," says the Neue Freie Presse, "two rival camps and two rival courts almost within sight of each other."

MOONLIGHT RAIDS, v-

Worften Beat a Bailiff Unmercifully.' DUBLIN, Sept. 13—Three moonlight raids took place last night, all of them close to the headquarters of Gen. Sir Redvers Buller. Wm. Cuffe,a bailiff who had made himself very obnoxious by his cruel treatment of a woman whom he had recently evicted, went early to attend mass in the Belierara chapeL When the men and women of the. congregation. who were in the chapel, noticed Cuffe's presence, they became very indignant and the men dragged him from the building. When they had him outside tl^ey turned him.over to the Women, who were begging fob a chance at him. Among these women werfc twelve that Cuffe had evicted. Thee® women were furious and they fell upon the bailiff and beat him unmercifully* Subsequently the priest, who is also the President of the local branch of the National League, admitted the battered bailiff to hear mass and this mercy for the unfortunate man has almost caused a rebellion against the priest.

BULGARIA.

Waiting For Russia's Orders. 0! SOFIA, Sept. 13.—The National. Assembly met today. The Russian agent has received the Czar's reply to Bulgaria's proposals. The Czar says Russia will recognize the Bulgarian regency and assist the union of Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia on condition that no acts of violence be committed* Russia advises that public opinion in Bulgaria be allowed to calm down before anew Prince be elected to the Bulgarian throne. The Russian agent has not yet communicated the Czar's reply to the Bulgarian Government, because the relations between the present Bulgairan minister and him are very strained.

Panic in a Church.

VIENNA, Sept. 13.—During the celebration of early mass in the Pilgrimage church in Radna. Transylvania, yesterday morning, a panic was caused by the accidental burning of the altar curtains which were set ou fire by the candles. People rushed from the building* trampling the weak under foot, and numbers of the occupants of the galleries leaped down on the heads of the crowd below. Several hundred persons were injured, many of them seriously.

Foreign Miscellany.

Lee, the American oarsman, beat Matterson at London this morning. He also covered the record ten seconds.

A dynamite cartridge was exploded at the Marseilles docks last night, doing slight damage.

The yacht Volta, propelled by electricity, started from Dover across the channel to Calais on her trial trip today. When last seen from shore she was six miles out and doing wel].

The French authorities at Havre have just seized eleven fishing boats 'or infringing the international maritime and fisheries laws in the channel.

Geronimo.

SAN ANTONIA, Texas, Sept. 13—The Apitche and Chiricahua hostile captives and their chiefs, Natches and Geronimo, continue to absorb all attention. Visitors were rigidly excluded from seeing them Sunday. They spent the day in playing cards in their tents or smoking and sleeping on the sward. Geronimo says he wants to go to Florida where His three squaws are. He does not claim the squaws who were with him,