RealChoice: March 24, 1941: Body Dumped on Country Road

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

March 24, 1941: Body Dumped on Country Road

Summary: Addie Wilson, age 48, was indicted for manslaughter and abortion conspiracy in connection with the death of 25-year-old Marie Swift, whose body was found on a country road on March 25, 1941.

At 6:45 on the morning of Tuesday, March 26, 1941, truck driver Clifford Taylor was riding his bicycle to work outside of Crisfield, Maryland, when he spotted something disturbing just inside the woods alongside the road. At first he thought it was a bundle of clothing. Looking more closely, he saw that it was the body of a young women.

Clifford immediately went to his employer, Clarence Cristy, who also owned the patch of woods where the body lay. The two men went to Deputy Sheriff Harold Sterling, who accompanied them back to the site, along with the medical examiner, Dr. William H. Coulbourne.

The woman's body was face down, with severe bruises on her face and body, including bruises around her neck indicating possible strangulation. Her clothing was tattered. Authorities said she looked like she had been thrown from a passing vehicle. Likely one or more of the men knew the young women, since they were able to identify her on sight. She was 25-year-old Marie Swift, who had lived nearby with her parents and 13 younger siblings. Marie had left Crisfield High School during her junior year to start working in a local garment factory.

Deputy Sterling summoned Sheriff Fred Phoebus. Marie's body was taken to her home.

I can't even imagine the horror of that scene.

Marie Swift

The police asked Marie's family and neighbors what they knew about her recent activities and whereabouts. Her mother told police that Marie was engaged to be married to 36-year-old truck driver Herman Ward, with the wedding scheduled for Saturday, March 29. She had come home from work on the 24th, eaten supper, then dressed to go out in a flowered silk dress, sweater, and reversible coat. She left home at around 7:00 on the evening of the 24th to attend a dance at Paradise Hall on Main Street in Crisfield. She had been seen there at around 7:30 pm.

Meanwhile search of the area where Marie's body had been dumped led to her purse -- along with something unusual. Though Marie's hair was black, there was medium-length blonde hair tangled in the handle.

Marie had last been reported seen by a taxi driver who recalled seeing her walking alone down a side street at around 9:00 the evening of the 24th.

An autopsy performed locally revealed that she had been pregnant but did not disclose a cause of death. A second autopsy was sought, and the state Medical Examiner said that Marie's lungs had collapsed and she had died of shock.

Owners of the garment factory offered a $250 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for Marie's death. The reward went unclaimed, so the owners gave it to Marie's family.

Clarence Wilson, Addie's 16-year-old son, was somehow the first break in the case. He confessed to helping his mother dump Marie's body. The Crisfield High School 9th-grader was not charged as an accomplice but was held as a material witness. He told police that he had been at the high school on the evening of March 24 when his mother drove over to get him at around 9:15. She told him, "Marie passed out before I could get a doctor." He arrived at the house with his mother to find Marie lying dead on the living room floor. His mother told him to carry the body out to the car, but he found it too heavy to lift on his own. Mother and son turned off the lights and lugged the corpse out to their car, sitting it up in the middle of the front seat.

At first, Clarence said, the plan was to take Marie's body to a relative's home, but his mother changed her mind and decided to just dump the body.

Clarence said that as they neared the area where his mother planned to dump Marie's body, they saw the headlights of another vehicle behind them so they kept going until the other vehicle pulled off onto a side road and turned off its lights. They then turned around and drove back to the chosen dump site. The two of them dragged Marie's body a few feet into the woods, but saw the lights of the other car some on so they hurried back to their car and drove home. The driver of the other vehicle never came forward.

After getting the story out of Clarence, the police questioned his mother, who after seven hours broke down and admitted to perpetrating an abortion. She said that Marie had come to her home at about 8:30 on the evening of March 24 and died about half an hour later during the abortion attempt.

Upon returning home, they cleaned up the room where Marie had died an burned all the evidence of the abortion.

Wilson testified that she knew Ward as "Motometer." On March 5, she said, Marie stopped by at the house of her daughter, Beatrice, and told her, "Motometer wants to talk to you." Wilson went outside with Marie and got in the back seat while Marie got into the front passenger seat. The car was eventually identified as belonging to one of Ward's brothers.

Wilson said that Marie relayed to her that Ward was refusing to marry her unless she aborted the baby. Some haggling happened and a price of $10 was settled on. That's just short of $220 in 2025.

It's unclear why Herman or Marie chose Addie Wilson, who had a 2nd-grade education, whose husband and walked out on her, and who worked as an oyster shucker in a seafood processing plant, as an abortionist.

The jury deliberated for three and a half hours before finding Ward guilty of conspiracy to commit abortion with a known instrument and Watson of manslaughter. Wilson and Ward were each sentenced to 5 years.

Watch When Men Were Held Accountable on YouTube.