Murder at Chairville, 1907
From the New Jersey Mirror 1 May 1907:
Murder was not the object of the gang of hoodlums from Tabernacle who became drunk with Medford whisky on Saturday night and then started out in their quarrelsome condition to hunt trouble, but that is what their spree resulted in, and seven young men are now in jail awaiting the action of the Grand Jury upon the brutal beating to death of David Beebe, at Chairville. There is no question that over-indulgence in rum was directly responsible for the tragedy, as all the parties concerned, even the victim, are said to have been under the influence of liquor when the fight took place. The crowd of men from the vicinity of Tabernacle, after imbibing too often from the cup that cheers, jumped at the suggestion of one of their number that they go to the home of Irwin Mathis, at Chairville, and break up a dance that they knew was in progress there.
It was past midnight when they reached the little hamlet where they expected to raise the disturbance. Some time before this David Beebe, living on a little truck farm on the road from Red Lion to Medford, an industrious married man with five small children, while on his way home from Medford heard the noise of the dance in the Mathis home and stopped for awhile to take part in the gaiety.
This led to his death a short time later.
It was only a little while after the arrival of Beebe that the Tabernacle toughs reached the spot and, bold in the presence of their own numbers, they started to clean things up. They were surprised to find Beebe there and in his presence rather dampened the ardor of some of the Tabernacle sports, for he was a tall man of unusual physical development and an antagonist that any man might fear in a fair stand-up fight. The unwelcome visitors finally plucked up courage, however, and one of them told Beebe that he would not escape with his life if he did not mind his own business strictly, or words to that effect. This kind of salute to a man like Beebe was simply a challenge, and in a short time there was a merry fight between the farmer and the crowd of hoodlums who had come all the way from Medford to find trouble. It was a pretty struggle for awhile, but finally the members of the Tabernacle gang triumphed. Beebe was knocked down with a club, or other blunt instrument and was shamefully beaten and kicked. One of the blows or kicks landed on the back of the prone man's head, bringing the battle to a sudden stop and snuffing out the life of the man who had been putting up the best fight he could against overwhelming odds.
During the progress of the disturbance Mathis had ineffectually tried to restore peace and when he found this impossible he went with Benjamin Barnes post haste to Medford after Constable Peak. The latter sent word back to the belligerents that if they did not stop their disorder he would come over and arrest the entire crowd. This word arrived too late for when the messengers got back they found the Tabernacle crowd gone and Beebe's lifeless body lying in the road. This was shortly after two o'clock in the morning.
The two men returned to Medford with all haste and reported the tragedy, undertaker Riley going out to Chairville and bringing the corpse back to his establishment. Word was immediately sent to Sheriff Norcross and his efficient Deputy, Joseph B. Fleetwood, arrived early on the scene. He together with Constable Nelson Peak at once went to work on the case and as a result of their investigation Justice Milton H. Allen issued warrants for five men alleged to have been in the party which caused the murder. These men, Howard Reeves, Harvey Reeves, Theodore Wells, Caleb Rogers and Harry Hammell, were soon arrested and were landed in the jail at Mount Holly before supper time on Sunday. It was Hammelll's wagon in which the party went to Chairville and it was in the same vehicle that the gang left the scene of the murder, it is alleged. On Monday afternoon Constable Peak, assisted by his brother-in-law(name not stated), brought two additions to the crowd of suspects already in the jail. These were Charles Spicker, of Chairville, and Walter, alias "Baldy," Simons, of Red Lion. The two prisoners were handcuffed together and seemd to be a good deal more concerned over the fact that they had been secured that way than they did about the charges hanging over them. It is said that all seven of the prisoners are connected to one another by family ties of some sort or another. Howard Beebe, a nephew of the murdered man, says he saw Rogers hit his uncle four times after the latter had been knocked down on the ground. Rogers showed great agitation, this witness is reported to have said, when the man he was hammering failed to arise after he desisted from the attack. He is reported to have said: "God, do you suppose I've killed him ?" The gang then jumped into Hammell's wagon and hurriedly drove away.
Coroner Seeds arrived shortly after noon on Sunday and took charge of the remains, and Doctors Small, of Riverside, and Sharp, of Medford, who had been summoned, performed the autopsy, which showed that death had been caused by concussion of the brain. The victim had apparently been in the best of health. It must have been a terrific blow from some blunt weapon to have caused such a terrible injury to the brain as was laid bare by the physicians. Beebe, who is said to have been about 42 years of age, is well remembered by many people in Mount Holly from the fact that for many years he had peddled strawberries of unusually good quality here during the season. He was known as a hard-working man and owned his little place adjoining the Beaver dam meadows, which farm he bought from ex-Judge B. P. Wills, of Mount Holly, a few years ago. On Monday a jury was impanelled by Coroner Seeds, the body was viewed and an adjournment taken to Friday next, when the inquest will be held, Prosecutor Atkinson conducting the inquiry for the State.
Murder was not the object of the gang of hoodlums from Tabernacle who became drunk with Medford whisky on Saturday night and then started out in their quarrelsome condition to hunt trouble, but that is what their spree resulted in, and seven young men are now in jail awaiting the action of the Grand Jury upon the brutal beating to death of David Beebe, at Chairville. There is no question that over-indulgence in rum was directly responsible for the tragedy, as all the parties concerned, even the victim, are said to have been under the influence of liquor when the fight took place. The crowd of men from the vicinity of Tabernacle, after imbibing too often from the cup that cheers, jumped at the suggestion of one of their number that they go to the home of Irwin Mathis, at Chairville, and break up a dance that they knew was in progress there.
It was past midnight when they reached the little hamlet where they expected to raise the disturbance. Some time before this David Beebe, living on a little truck farm on the road from Red Lion to Medford, an industrious married man with five small children, while on his way home from Medford heard the noise of the dance in the Mathis home and stopped for awhile to take part in the gaiety.
This led to his death a short time later.
It was only a little while after the arrival of Beebe that the Tabernacle toughs reached the spot and, bold in the presence of their own numbers, they started to clean things up. They were surprised to find Beebe there and in his presence rather dampened the ardor of some of the Tabernacle sports, for he was a tall man of unusual physical development and an antagonist that any man might fear in a fair stand-up fight. The unwelcome visitors finally plucked up courage, however, and one of them told Beebe that he would not escape with his life if he did not mind his own business strictly, or words to that effect. This kind of salute to a man like Beebe was simply a challenge, and in a short time there was a merry fight between the farmer and the crowd of hoodlums who had come all the way from Medford to find trouble. It was a pretty struggle for awhile, but finally the members of the Tabernacle gang triumphed. Beebe was knocked down with a club, or other blunt instrument and was shamefully beaten and kicked. One of the blows or kicks landed on the back of the prone man's head, bringing the battle to a sudden stop and snuffing out the life of the man who had been putting up the best fight he could against overwhelming odds.
During the progress of the disturbance Mathis had ineffectually tried to restore peace and when he found this impossible he went with Benjamin Barnes post haste to Medford after Constable Peak. The latter sent word back to the belligerents that if they did not stop their disorder he would come over and arrest the entire crowd. This word arrived too late for when the messengers got back they found the Tabernacle crowd gone and Beebe's lifeless body lying in the road. This was shortly after two o'clock in the morning.
The two men returned to Medford with all haste and reported the tragedy, undertaker Riley going out to Chairville and bringing the corpse back to his establishment. Word was immediately sent to Sheriff Norcross and his efficient Deputy, Joseph B. Fleetwood, arrived early on the scene. He together with Constable Nelson Peak at once went to work on the case and as a result of their investigation Justice Milton H. Allen issued warrants for five men alleged to have been in the party which caused the murder. These men, Howard Reeves, Harvey Reeves, Theodore Wells, Caleb Rogers and Harry Hammell, were soon arrested and were landed in the jail at Mount Holly before supper time on Sunday. It was Hammelll's wagon in which the party went to Chairville and it was in the same vehicle that the gang left the scene of the murder, it is alleged. On Monday afternoon Constable Peak, assisted by his brother-in-law(name not stated), brought two additions to the crowd of suspects already in the jail. These were Charles Spicker, of Chairville, and Walter, alias "Baldy," Simons, of Red Lion. The two prisoners were handcuffed together and seemd to be a good deal more concerned over the fact that they had been secured that way than they did about the charges hanging over them. It is said that all seven of the prisoners are connected to one another by family ties of some sort or another. Howard Beebe, a nephew of the murdered man, says he saw Rogers hit his uncle four times after the latter had been knocked down on the ground. Rogers showed great agitation, this witness is reported to have said, when the man he was hammering failed to arise after he desisted from the attack. He is reported to have said: "God, do you suppose I've killed him ?" The gang then jumped into Hammell's wagon and hurriedly drove away.
Coroner Seeds arrived shortly after noon on Sunday and took charge of the remains, and Doctors Small, of Riverside, and Sharp, of Medford, who had been summoned, performed the autopsy, which showed that death had been caused by concussion of the brain. The victim had apparently been in the best of health. It must have been a terrific blow from some blunt weapon to have caused such a terrible injury to the brain as was laid bare by the physicians. Beebe, who is said to have been about 42 years of age, is well remembered by many people in Mount Holly from the fact that for many years he had peddled strawberries of unusually good quality here during the season. He was known as a hard-working man and owned his little place adjoining the Beaver dam meadows, which farm he bought from ex-Judge B. P. Wills, of Mount Holly, a few years ago. On Monday a jury was impanelled by Coroner Seeds, the body was viewed and an adjournment taken to Friday next, when the inquest will be held, Prosecutor Atkinson conducting the inquiry for the State.
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