The Fairfield News And Herald

A Mysterious Murder in Charleston.

Charleston is much excited over the murder of Mr. Thomas F. Croghan on the night of the 15th inst. All that appears now to be known is that Mr. Croghan went into his house after his work on Monday afternoon. How late he stayed up is not known. It was stated by one of the colored persons on the premises that Mr. Croghan frequently stayed up late at night and occasionally made or warmed up some coffee before retiring. The assassination evidently took place on Monday night, for a bowl of coffee was noticed untouched on the table yesterday morning. On the floor was lying an old musket undischarged. It is not unlikely that this was simply pushed from its place near the door, where it was kept, by the body as it was being dragged from the room. It is not probable that the murderer would have approached close enough with a gun loaded with buckshot—a certain shot and sure death—to have aroused the suspicion of the intended victim. The most probable positions at the time of the killing were that Mr. Croghan was sitting in his dining-room at the table facing the door that opens on the east piazza. Just behind him was a door opening upon the passageway dividing the two lower rooms. The murderer entered through a window, got into the passage and approached its door. The back of his victim was partly toward him, and he fired the fatal shot which, with well-directed aim, took effect in the left side. The motive for the murder was evidently to get money. Mr. Croghan was an elderly man and was of so quiet and amiable a character as to have had no enemies. Sam Hunter, a negro, made such statements before the coroner's jury as to induce the belief that he was either the murderer or was accessory to the crime. He is now under arrest. The whole affair seems as much involved as the famous McKnight murder in Charleston some months ago.