MURDER   February 28, 1900 The News Frederick, MD.   March 1, 1900 The News Frederick, MD.   March 13, 1900 The News Frederick, MD. This trial continued from April 25 - 28, with the jury returning a verdict of NOT GUILTY.     June 11, 1913  Frederick Daily News MYSTERY IN GIRL'S DEATH Body Found In Her Home With Gunshot Wound In Head Cumberland, Md., June 11 - The authorities are baffled by the mysterious death of Bessie Crowe, sixteen years old, daughter of Silas Crowe, a well-to-do farmer residing in Garrett county, five miles from Lonaconing, this county. The girl died from the effects of a gunshot wound in her head just baack of her left ear, tearing the back of her head off.  The jury failed to find any burns or powder marks and had been unable to reach a decision. The elder members of the family were away from home and found the lifeless body upon their return home Monday.     June 11, 1913 Frederick Daily News  MYSTERIOUS SHOOTING (Lonaconing, MD)  "The home of Silas Crowe, at a lonely spot on Savage Mountain, about five miles from here, was the scene of a mysterious shooting that is baffling the efforts of the coroner's jury endeavoring to place the blame for the death of Mr Crowe's daughter, Bessie, aged 16 years.   Tuesday afternoon about three o'clock the elder members of the Crowe family went away from home to return when summoned by neighbors and find the lifeless body of the child who has come to her death from the effects of a gunshot wound in the back of the head. The charge had entered just back of her left ear, tearing the back of her head off.   There was no eye witnesses in the shooting, and the story told by a brother and a sister of the dead girl is doubted by the jury on the case. The brother, which is several years older than the dead girl, and a sister, several years younger, state that they were on the outside of the house and upon hearing a shot ran to find their sister with the gun in her hand lying on the floor. This story was at once disqualified by the jury impaneled the Justice of the Peace, George Brown, acting coroner, where they had examined the body of the dead girl and failed to find any burns or powder marks.   At a late hour Wednesday no solution of the mystery had been reached. The brother and sister are both being held as witnesses."     (June 13, 1913 -  Keyser Tribune)     HELD IN DEATH OF GARRETT FARMER Aug 3, 1947 James W. Hoover, 28, of Jennings, is pictured in the Garrett county jail at Oakland, where he is held in connection with the death of [Mr.]Elzie F. Layman, Shade Mills farmer Wednesday night.  Layman was deliberately run down by a truck operated by Hoover, police said he had admitted. TRUCK DRIVER HELD IN DEATH SORRY FOR ACT JAMES W. HOOVER, 28, SAY HE WOULDN'T HAVE STRUCK MAN IF HE HADN'T BEEN DRINKING. Sept 23, 1947 HOOVER GUILTY IN DEATH OF ELZIE LAYMAN JENNINGS MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER IN SECOND DEGREE IN OAKLAND ONE-DAY TRIAL     August 4 1897  The (Baltimore) Sun  (Courtesy of Theresa Burba) October 20 1897  The (Baltimore) Sun  (Courtesy of Theresa Burba) November 5 1897  The (Baltimore) Sun  (Courtesy of Theresa Burba)

REVISITING A TRIAL WHICH TOOK PLACE 56 YEARS EARLIER ~ IN 1851 Nov. 4, 1907 - (Cumberland) Evening Times A WEIRD STORY ABOUT A WOMAN Tried for Poisoning Lady With Whom She Lived "In a recent paper published in your journal on the subject of Allegany county murders, I stated another would be furnished soon upon the same general topic or subject. I will now do what was then promised or suggested.  The murder trials to be written up in this paper will be such as resulted in acquittal or in punishment less than execution. The first of the kind to be recalled is that of Richard W. Clarke, of Flintstone. He was indicted at the April court, 1851, for the murder of his wife. In the following month he was tried for wife murder and was found guilty of murder in the second degree by a jury, and was sentenced to a confinement in the penitentiary for 18 years. His punisment. The next case of the kind was that of the noted Nancy Hufferd, of what is now Garrett county. She was indicted at the October term of the Circuit Court for Allegany Co., 1851, for the murder of Mrs. Samuel Engle by administering poison to her at the birth of her first child, which caused her death in about a week after the birth of the child. Mrs. Hufferd being the nurse of Mrs. Engle in her sickness in which there was nothing unusual in the beginning, but suddenly she became alarming ill and died. Suspicions at once arose in and out of the Engle mansion that there had been foul play. The physician, Dr. J. H. Patterson was of that belief, and before the burial of the victim, he made a post mortem examination of her but could not make any discovery of the poison believed to have been administered to her. She was buried in due time, but the belief and excitement spread over the whole neighborhood which led to the disinterment of the woman and a second post mortem examination was made by Drs. Patterson, Hermann and J. H. Bruce, who had just comenced the practice. The stomach was taken from the deceased and intrusted to Dr. Termann to be sent to Prof. Aikin, of Baltimore, for examination. The suspect, Nancy Hufferd, was promptly arrested and committed to the Allegany county jail in September, '57." [note: should read 1851]. "Her trial was had about the first of the following November before Judge Wiesel. James M. Schley state's attorney, and the great Frank Thomas were prosecutors. She was ably defended by T. I. McKaig and George A. Pearre. The jury were as follows: Domnick Mattingly, Sol Vroman, Wm. Anderson, Aza Beall of Thomas, Adam Gower, Amon Wilson, John Long, Alpheus W. Beall, Jacob W. Rawlings, Thos. D. Dawson, George P. Mong and Joseph Hughes. All these jurors have been dead many years. John Long was the only home juror. The were 38 [note: it looks like 38 but hard to make out] witnesses in this notorious case, for and against; nine living according to best knowledge and information. Five doctors, J. H. Patterson, H. Hermann, J. J. Bruce, S. P. Smith, T. A. Healy, all deceased for many years. Dr. Bruce, the yougest of five, left us in 1884, a great loss. But there remains one who will remembers[sic] this tragedy and even witnessed some of it. The evidence on the part of the State was circumstantial. The main fact was that the accused had purchased about the time a lot of arsenic from a store in Grantsville with the remark she wanted to make salve for her sore leg, but there was no sore leg. There was no further tracing of the poison up to the time of this trial. Prof. Aiken testified that he found no arsenic in the stomach he examined. The woman was acquitted on the evidence adduced. But after the trial was over and Nancy Hufferd a free worman, the remainder of the deadly poison was found in a corner of a bureau drawer in the house of Mr. Engle. Who can say the verdict would have been the same if the remaining poison had been produced at the trial. She was acquitted according to the rules of law; but there was hardly one in the whole neighborhood believed her to be innocent. Her history was an unsavory one in a general way. She was married 4 or 5 times, certainly the former number. Her first husband was John Yeast, a strong, healthy man, died unexpectedly if not mysteriously in 1834. Some slight suspicions then of of an unnatural death. In a short time she was again married; this time to John Layman, a very respectible man and a prominent one, died in 1845, a natural death from cancer. Her next marriage was with Philip Hufferd, of Somerset Co., Pa. In a few years she was again a widow - this husband died suddenly, it was said after eating pumpkin pie. Suspicions arose but no investigations or legal proceedings. She at once returned to her old neighborhood and was soon on the hunt of another husband. She had a choice but failed to get the one she wanted. This was only a short time before her trial. She persevered and in the course of a few years she found another husband in the person of Holmes Wiley, a well known citizen of Garrett county, but she did not live to see his death. They both died natural deaths many years ago. There was this strange thing about this noted woman. She always wanted a man or husband, yet she never bore a child in her long checkerd life. She is remembered by only a few and cared for by none, it may be said. Dr. Patterson, mentioned, was a prominent physician of the old county twice elected to our Legislature. He took the sad death of his patient Mrs. Engle, very sorrowfully. He died three months later. Will state the writer saw the first post mortem examination at the request of Dr. Patterson. It was not a desirable spectacle. Two cases in our court in the same year involving wife murder." J.B. November 4, 1907. VIEW ACTUAL  TRIAL TRANSCRIPT NANCY HUFFERD

MAYHEM   SERIOUS GUNPLAY AT FROSTBURG Sept. 14, 1908 - (Frostburg, MD) Bureau of the Evening Times FOUR MEN WERE WOUNDED An Inebriated Man Started the Trouble in a Hotel. Saturday Night Frostburg Was Startled by a Shooting Affair That Came Near Resulting in a Lynching. Wounded Brought to Hospital "This town was thrown into a state of excitement on account of a shooting affray which occurred upon the main street of the town about 10:30 o'clock Saturday evening and as a result two men are lying in the hospital in Cumberland, hovering between life and death, and the man who did the shooting is in the county jail, painfully wounded as a result of a gunshot wound inflicted by an officer in attempting his arrest.  The facts leading up to the cause of the shooting were given to the Times correspondent by Mr. D. S. Brooks, superintendent for the selling force of men arrived in this place Saturday evening and were quartered at the Gladstone Hotel.  Prior to coming here they were working in and around Cumberland.  Sometime during last week Mr. J. W. Campbell, one of the salesmen, commenced to imbibe too freely, and Mr. Brooks found it necessary on Saturday to dismiss him and pay him the amount of money due him.  Mr. Campbell had previously worked for the company and had on one occasion drawn an amount of money by draft which was not due him, and which he had never returned to the company.  About three weeks ago he commenced to work for the company again and it was understood when he started that he would reimburse the company for the amount due them from his salary, and when Mr. Brooks settled with him on Saturday he retained this amount, which angered Campbell to some extent, yet he acknowledged the amount should be paid.  Mr. Brooks left Cumberland on the 8 o'clock street car and came to Frostburg,  Mr. Campbell informing him that he was coming to Frostburg on the next car, as he expected to get some mail at that place. WAS READY TO HANG. When the 10 o'clock car from Cumberland arrived here, Campbell got off and was very much under the influence of liquor, and going into the Gladstone Hotel, he registered as J. W. Campbell, and gave his residence as "Everywhere" and remarked when going in the hotel that he had blood in his eye, and would just as soon hang upon a telegraph pole as anywhere else.  After registering he spoke to Mr. Brooks about the money he had retained from his salary.  Mr. Brooks in answering him told him that the matter had been satisfactorily settled and he did not care to converse about it, but hoped they would be friends.  At this time Mr. Brooks was called to the telephone booth, to answer a call from Cumberland, and upon returning to the office Campbell whipped out his gun, which was of .38 calibre, and fired at Mr. Brooks.  The gun was so close to him that the flash of the discharge was felt on his face.  Mr. Brown[sic] started to get away from him, when he again fired two more shots at him, and it was the first of these three shots that wounded  Mr. Charles Martin, one of the employes[sic] of Mr. Brooks, the ball entering his body and lodging near the heart.  Mr. Brooks by this time had gotten out to the sidewalk and started down street closely followed by Campbell, who from a position in front of the Gladstone fired at him again. A PISTOL DUEL About the time the third shot was fired Constable John Bartolon was standing in front of Wittig Bros. store and hearing the shots started to investigate and when about half way across the street he saw Campbell coming down street.  Campbell at once opened fire on Bartolon who about that time slipped and fell, the shot passed over him.  This is the shot that is supposed struck Mr. Merino Bruno, an Italian miner, who was standing in front of G. W. Hocking and Son's shoe store, and who is now in the hospital in Cumberland in a serious condition.  By the time Bartolon got to his feet Campbell had passed him and was still following Brooks down street.  Bartolon pulled his gun and made chase to try and get his man without wounding him, but Campbell turning saw him with his gun in his hand and at once opened fire on him.  Bartolon, crouching low, returned the shot, shooting low in order to avoid hitting any of the people who were on the street. SHOT OFFICER. Campbell again shot at Bartolon, this time inflicting a slight flesh wound in his left side.  Bartolon returned the fire, this time shooting low, and caught his man in the leg near the hip, the ball passing through his leg.  Bartolon again attempted to use his gun and it missed fire and he jumped into the store of Albert Spitznas to examine it, and while doing this Campbell started down Payne Alley, when he was grabbed by Mr. Sylvester Crowe and thrown to the ground, assisted by Mr. Alf. Schofield, who took the gun from Campbell.  By this time a large crowd had gathered and Campbell was hurried to the town lockup and placed behind the bars, and the sheriff of the county was notified, who later came to Frostburg in an automobile and took the prisoner to Cumberland and placed him in the county jail. TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. After the excitement had abated the wounded men, Mr. Martin and Mr. Bruno, were taken in charge by Drs. McLane, Griffith, Denauley, Price and Walker, and everything possible was done to relieve their suffering.  Later they were placed upon a special car furnished by Supt. Jno. E. Taylor of the electric road, and hurried to the Western Maryland Hospital. Mr. Brooks, the superintendent of the Wrought Iron Range Company, regrets this shooting affair, and says there was no provocation for the act, and nothing done by him or any of his men justified the attack made by Mr. Campbell.  Mr. Brooks seems to be a gentleman in every way and has with him eight other men who seem to be steady and industrious, and they all expressed themselves to the Times correspondent as being surprised at the dastardly attempt made upon the life of their manager, for when they left Campbell in Cumberland he seemed to be friendly with them all, but they attribute his mad act to his being dismissed and the imbibing of too much liquor. MUCH EXCITEMENT There was considerable excitement after the shooting and a number of men in the immense crowd of people suggested lynching Campbell, but no attempt was made and he was landed in the town jail without any interference on the jpart of anyone. Constable Bartolon is being congratulated today upon the brave manner in which he stood his ground when Campbell was shooting at him.  Even after he was wounded, and had he so desired, he could have killed his man.  But rather than do that, he shot low, hoping to disable him and in this way got him alive and place him behind the bars, and let the law take its course with him, and this he accomplished.  Although knowing that in facing the drunken man mad[sic], who was about 15 feet away from him, he was putting his life in danger, he took these chances believing that it was his duty to protect the lives of the hundreds of people who were on the street at the time the shooting commenced, and in doing so demonstrated that he was no coward and would perform his duty, regardless of consequences.  Mr. Campbell, the man who did the shooting is a resident of Baltimore.  Mr. Martin, one of the men who was shot in the Gladstone hotel, is a resident of Chambersburg, PA. and is the hostler in charge of the seven teams which Mr. Books and his men use in their work. Mr. Merino Bruno is a resident of Eckhart and a miner by occupation, and a very industrious and steady young man. The two wounded men, who were brought here as stated above, were taken to the Western Maryland Hospital.   At nine o'clock this morning Dr. Hawkins, who is attending both of the men, stated that while neither of them was out of danger, that their condition at the above hour was fairly good, and that Martin was in good shape. Later, this afternoon it was stated that Mr. Martin was getting along nicely, but that Bruno was very critically ill, but that he too, was doing fairly well.  The wounded men when they were brought here Saturday night, were taken to the hospital in ambulances from Stein's undertaking establishment.