by Brandon Woolum
Huntington News Network Writer
Bluefield, W. Va (HNN) -- One of the most singular cases in the criminal history of this city, it is hoped will be cleared up by the local police within the next twenty-four hours involving the murder of two men, one in
this city and one in Charleston. The murder in this city was that of Samuel Benedict, of Guyandotte, who was found dead in an alley between Second and Third Avenue below Seventh Street about three months. The one in Charleston was that of a man who died in the city jail a year and a half or two years ago.
The Huntington murder was supposed to have been in one of the many notorious resorts of the tenderloin part of the city, the man being dragged to the place where he was found.
This case has puzzled the police for some time and the theory of accidental death generally credited, but came to light last night through the refusal of Ben Thrayer to pay a board bill to a woman who goes by the name of Annie Smith. When he refused to pay, she told the police that Ben Thrayer and Charles Friend murdered Benedict.
They were both arrested and were later sent to jail by Squire Gregory. This morning the arrest of the woman was made on information given by the two men, who implicated her in a murder at Charleston.
Annie Smith, when seen this morning, stated that on the night of the murder Benedict was in her house, when the two men came in, and after staying some time, left. When they returned they brought some beer and had also gotten some morphine at Ben Davis’s drug store, which after mixing with beer, they gave it to Benedict, who in a very short time became unconscious.
They then took a ten dollar bill from him after which a very short time Thayer returned leaving Friend to drag him to the place where he was found. Benedict was not quite dead when he was taken out but was still unconscious. Charles Friend stated that he stayed at the woman’s house and as she used morphine he had gone after it for her many times and that when she asked him to go for some on the fatal night he went and bought a dime’s worth of beer.
When he returned he gave the beer and drug to the woman who mixed them together and after taking a very small swallow from the glass gave the remainder to Benedict, He says that he and Thrayer then went into the kitchen but could hear every thing that was said.
He says that when the woman offered the beer to Benedict he didn’t want to drink it and said it was bitter, but that the Smith woman in some manner induced him to drink. He and Thrayer stayed in the kitchen for about a half hour and then left going to Thompson’s saloon.
He stated that the woman told him that she and a woman in Charleston by the name of Carrie Jarrel had about two or two and a half years ago given a man in that city the same drug. After giving him the drug they called the police and had him taken to jail and during the night he died. The police thought he was drunk, and that he had died a natural death.
Thrayer stated about the same facts that Friend gave. He said that the woman had promised to take a dollar off of his board bill if he would say nothing about her giving Benedict the drug.
--- Last night about eight o’clock what might have been quite a serious row started in Tyroe’s saloon on lower Third Avenue, when Wood Rogers attempted to kill Pete Hamilton.
Pete Hamilton, who is a porter in the salon, attempted to pass Rogers who was standing in the rear door way, ran against him.
Rogers got angry and said something to Hamilton who promptly slapped him in the mouth. Then as Hamilton turned to leave, Rogers fired two shots at him, one taking effect in his left wrist. Both Negroes were drinking. After the shots were fired, Rogers made his escape. The police are now on the lookout for him.
Paintsville – Captain Springs, Shade Daniels, Harrison Spencer, Curt Adams, Sam Harmon and Winfield Daniel, the majority of the crew of the push-boat which left Prestonsburg last evening, lie dead at the mouth of Beavor from the effects of drinking wood alcohol.
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