The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-07-24 00:00:00

ASSASSINATION IN NEW YORK.

A somewhat remarkable case of assassination has
occured at New York, which is thus described in the
Sew York Tribune:—
"Some time ago Mr. Walton, a distiller, married a
widow lady named Ellen M. Russell, who was at that
time the keeper of a boardinghouse in this city. Lately
the Supreme Court have been engagevl in trying a suit
for separation from bed and board, brought by John
Walton against his wife. The ground on which this
application was based was cruel and inhuman treatment,
which rendered it unsafe for I • to live with tier.

It appeared that the widow had been previously mar-
tied two or three times ; that it wait doubtful whether
she [rid been legally divorced from one of her husbands,
from whom she b.a been aeparated ; that she had two
grownup sons by the first husband, and an illegitimate
child by a man named Veliverton ; and that her conduct
for years had been of a very questionable kind.
Mr. Walton now coiumenced legal proceedings for a
separation. This was particularly distasteful to Mrs.
Walton and her two 1101111, am her IlUbbAlld MAY wealthy,
and, in the event of his application proving successful,
they would lose all claim to his wealth. They accord-
ingly thought to intimidate him, using all kinds of per.
sonal abuse, and frequently threatening his life. On
one OCCAMii.II one of the boys showed Min a pistol, which
he said had been bought expreasly to shout him with.
At another time Mr. Walton was suddenly taken siek,
and always expressed the belief that he had been
poisoned. He was afraid to walk the street,' alone at
night, and never dared to venture into the presence of
either his wife or her sons. He frequently remarked to
his friends that he was fully con eineed he should meet a
violent death at their hands. About three months since
he summoned a lawyer and made his will, saying that
he stood in fear of his life every moment, and thought
it absolutely necessary. After the document warn drawn
up he expressed Minitel( as feeling much cattier in his
mind, and said he felt less dread of his wife and step-
sons. On Saturday night, after having transacted their
hosinesa, Mr. Walton and Mr. Pascal (whose company
Mr. Walton had requested for protection) left the dies
tillery in Eighteenth-street, about half-past 11 o'clUck,
and walked up the north side of Eighteenth-street to
Third-avenue. At this corner they both observed a man
leaning against a tree, but paid little attention to him,
and walked directly peat him. They bad proceeded but
fi..e or six feet, when this unknown man darti d up
behind Mr. Walton and discharged • pistol at his h tad.
The slut{ with which the pistol was loaded entered Mr.
Walton a head just behind the left ear, and with •
scarcely audible groan, and without a word, the injured
man sank to the pavement. The murderer instantly ran
acne" Eighteenth-street, and thence acmes Third-avenue
toward Irving.place. Mr. Pascal immediately raised an
alarm and started in pursuit. A number of per-
sons joined in the chase vociferating' Murder r and call-
ing for the police. Foremost in the pursuit was John
W. Matthews, • well-known railroad coutractor. He
was followed by another person and Mr. Pascal, the
main bud, of pursuers being a short distance behind
them. When the flying murderer was near the corner
of Sixteenth-greet and Irving place he turned about,
and seeing Mr. Matthews very near him, he having out-
stripped the others, the murderer drew hie pistol and
fired at Matthews. The shot took effect in the unfortu-
nate man's breast, and, simply exclaiming, ' nit a dead
man,' he sank unconscious to the pavement. The pur-
suing party soon came up to the dying man, and in the
loontuoa produced by this aeread murder all trace of

the munlerer was lost. Several policemen wbo hid
joined the crowd, one of whom was aufficiently near to
catch Mr. Matthews as he fell, endeavoured to volition,
the chase, bat were entirely thrown off the track sa
none could tell the direction taken by the MIA who
heal the shot.. Souse of titr persons present lifted Mr
Matthews up and carried him to the drug store at OW
corner of Sixteenth-street and Third-avenue, but he
died in their arms before reaching there. Others still
endeavoured to follow the perpetrator of this downs
murder, but without avail. Meantime Mr. Walton haa
been conveyed to a drug store at the owner of Eighteenth,
street sad Third-avenue. He still breathed, bin
was wholly unconscious, and never gave utterance to aw
intelligible word. He WILS soon removed to &nem,
Hospital, where every attention was paid to him, but
without avail, as the unfortunate man iied at halp.iwas
eight o'clock on Sunday morning. Mrs. Walt.,
at the hospital the following day to view the hod,
of her murdered husband. She manifested great grit./
at his untimely end, weeping excessively all the tin.
Her evidence I afore the coroner was given intelligentli
and in • perfectly audible voice. She is an educated 'Only
possessing an intellectual countenance, and has, la bet
younger slays, been quite beautiful. She is DOW baet..
thing 4ever 40, we should judge, and dill retains a
pleasing appearance. This is one of those startban
occurrences which sometimes break upon our city, ansi
which are be incomprehensible to the public generally.
That Mr. Walton's death was lung premeditated there
little doubt. and warrants were speedily hefted for tho
arr,t of Charles awl Esla in Jefrersls. but as neither
lies :set been fennel it. ia isuppowal that they have fled the
city At the inquest Mrs. Walton, site of the mot.
dem! man, DA: elalliioo.l, and gave the following
evidence : --* I reside at No. 119, West Twentycecond-
street. I leave not Well my son Charles since this day
week, and do not know where Edwin is, but I believe
Win to be in New York. I do not recognise the pistot
now shown muse; do not think I ever saw it before.
gave my son a revolver when he was in the Poet-office,
hut this not the one. I know nothing about the chloro-
form whirls was found in my room after I had left. I
never heard my sou threaten to take the life of Mr.
Walton. I think that Mr. Yelverton had an animosity
against Mr. Walton; they were not good friends. Mr.
Walton had made an accusation against me in which
Mr. Yelverton was implicated. The accusation was that
Mr. Yelverton had had an illeMtisnato child by me.
This accusation was published in the papers, and Mr.
Yelverton was very indignant see coniseiinence. I haws
heard Mr. Walton say that be never would make a
will ; he said his relatives were very anxious he 'should
do so, but he utterly misused. I think Mr. Walton
eotertained very hard feelings toward soy son ('bathes;
Ido not think Charles felt hard soward him. I had not
spoken to deceased since the lest of May; I saw Mr.
1 elverton last week. Mr. Robert Yelverton is a
medium-sized man, rather delicate.' On the Monday
following the murder Edwin Jefferds was arrested, and
his loother Charles sumnidrrrd himself to the pollee, to
whom he asserted his innocence."