The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-04-07 00:00:00

AN EXTRAORDINARY DEATH.

One of the most wonderful murders ever recorded,
says the Brooklyn Argaa, was that of George M.
Cclreton's'. e, awaits to the United States Navy. He
was about 60 years of age rich, and lived happily with
his family at Lichfield, °Ono. His life was insured in
21 unipanies in the aggregate for 193.000 dots. He
was ou hi. wsy from his home to New York to secure
farther insursou on his if. when he was supposed to
have been murdered. That a man should be found
shot by • bullet, with so large an insurence upon his
if., and no murderer suspected upon whom to feces
the crime, of course led to the theory of suicide. It
wes half-past ten o'clock on the night of Jane 3, 1872,
that Captain Colvoooressu left an hotel in Bridge-
port for the stesm-boat which was to leave for
New York at eleven. His stepped into a drug store
and purohseed some paper, and asked the nearest way
to the boat. He was never seen alive after that
moment. • police-officer heard the report of • pistol
jut before the boat was leaviog. lie went in the
direction of the report, and there round the man dying
from the I Huta el a shot in the left side, the ball having
auodered the spinal column. The vest was unbuttoned,
and yet the ballet-bole was through it, conveying the
Impression that the man himself bad cautiously coos.
milted self.murder. But the pistol was found on the
opposite side of the street, where it bad been thrown
against the fence with sufficient force to break the
stook. Ti. satchel was found the next day secreted
under • oar some distenos off, but in it were powder
mad bullets fitting the pistol. Just before eleven o'clock
a railroad oonductor, peening by the junction of the
street where the aseptain's body Was found, saw three
men standing and acting suspiaiunsly. As he teethed
his residence, tee blocks away, he heard the sound of •
pistol shot. Soon thereafter the steam-boat whistle
blew. Taal the time was fixed. At the same time •
woman swears that the was on the opposite side of the
street from the conductor. She passed the three men,
and woe frightened by their appearance; she ran into
the house of • friend, and asked for au euort home.
While a geoileman was prepariug to sooompany her,
the report of a pistol was beard by ail the members of
the family, followed by the hasty steps of two mita
running pest his bouse. Here is a publics street of •
populous eity, bet wean half-pest ten ands quarter to lion
a summer evening, • pistol use fired, and a man was
altno.t immediately fueod deed of a pistol wound. Yet
for over 20 months no oleo to the murderer hue been
found. to the desk Of tbe deceased at home was lodged
a woefully prepared memorandum of securities. It
d ea not seem to be known that his family were aware
of his possession of these securities. Their theory,
however, is that he had them, and was
ounvoylog them to New York. Under this state of
tithe, all of the insurenee sompaniee having risk upon
the itie of Captain C— refused to pay, &sluing thst
be bad ocanocitted minute. Their theory was that be di i
not have the securities, but deposited the rnetuorandum
for the purpose of deoeit—that he pl...ced his satchel
nudge the freight our, where it WM fuuuci,od tLen
w•Auel ai..rig the street, opened his vest, :usd shot hint-
ee'sf —in the act throwing the pistol serou the wsy.
They have traced every bond ever issued by the Con.
neutiout Valley Railroad, and Sod that none of them
were ever In the possession of the decou.d. On the
other hood it is asserted that it can be shown when,
where, and of Wham he pu,clineed these securities. On
investiog the weenie...noes, two of the 'neural/ea
oompacies —the Nur York Life and the Nautilus—
b,,suln so well asii.fied that it was murder and not
suicide, thst ous i•aid lie po.roy of 10,000 dole and the
otter 5,w0 dials. Tee remaining companies' are still
ocutesarog the claims brought against tent by this. is
who:is/swear the policies were made. It is out doly a
straws awe and • remsrkable tragedy —intessified in
Interest by the extreerdinary amount of nearly 200,000
d,4. inauranoe, and that no arrests have tern made
upon ono aide—and upon the other, that three suss
pleious toes were been following him, and that a large
amount et Hounded was supper...el to bets his POl4OllllOO,
mid missing from his utohei. The mystery may never
be unrateited.

An otter, weighing 24gitek. end measuring four feet
from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, has been
eaugl.t in the river Kidder, near Salisbury.
Tb, I..obourers* Unioa Oaronitft has dean east in CICO
damages tor tnlol on Rey. J. ditargsoo, •iosr of Holt.
haw, ta stating that the res. gentleman took two tons
of charity coal.
Two burglars were seen to Isere the house of Yr.
Beas, at Wis.,leer on Tuesday. and were obaaeJ, wit,st
ono fired a revoleer at the pursuing constable mad this
beat Mao about the Mad vita It. However, both were
eoplarei,