The Sun.
London, England, 1806-08-23 00:00:00

AMERICA.

DREADFUL MURDER. " .
AUGUSTA (KII4NRBEC), JULY 1 I.—At an 'early'
hour on Wednesday morning last-the inhabitants of,
this town were alarmed with the dreadful 'informa-
tion, that Capt.`James Purrington, of this place, in
,cool blood; had 'murdered his wife, six childrea, and
hiMself oldest son, with a slight wouhd,.
escaped, and his second daughter was found des-
perately wounded, and probably,supposed dead by
thefather. Between the hours of two:.npd three a
near neighbour, Mr. Dean Wyman, was awakened.
by the lad who escaped, with an 'incoherent:account
of the horrid scene- frOm 'which he had just fled ;
he, with a Mr. Billard„arrOttier Peig,hbOur;bistantly
repaired to the fatal spot ; 'and .bere4, after, having
lightpd ascandle, a scene was presented that beggars
all description.. /n the outer toom iar'prosti-ate_on
his face, algid welteriag in his gore;-the,perpetrator
of the dreadlid c..eed--,-his throat cut in amost Shock-
ing manner, and the blOody razor lying on a table
by his:'side; in an adjoining bed-room lay Mrs.
Purrington in her bed, her head alMost severed .from
her body ; and near her, on the floor, a little Haugh-
ter, about ten years 'old, who, probably, heiring th 6
cries 'of her mother, ran to her, relief from 'the
apartment in which she slept; and was murdered by
:her side.. In another apartment were found the two
eldest . and the youngest daughters, the first aged 19,
dreadfully butchered; the second desperately- wound-
ed, reclining her head on the body of the dead in-
fart, twelve, months old, and in a stake of horror.
and almost total iusensibility.
In the room with the father lay in bed, with their
throat:i cnt, the two youngest :sons,., the Oile eigW.
the.other six years old. And ill zinoiher rborn-Was:
found on the hearth, most dreadfully manglcd, the_
,second son, aged 1.2 ; he had fallen. with his trowseri
.under one arm, with which he IWI attempted to
escape.; ..on, the breast-work c;fer the fire-place was
the ditin6timpresision of a Woody hand, where the
unhafipy. Vain peobably supported him-self -before
he 'fell:. The whole -housd seemed covered with
blood„ and,itear the-body of the murderer lay the
.deadly axe. From the surviving daughter we lave
to account-of this. transaction ; -her dangeous
.pon.prevents any communication, and. but faint
pe.6Wions are eutertained of her recovery.
~
Froth. the son, aged, 17, we learn the followitige„....
Thatbe:yi"-as -awakened by the piercing 43es of his
mother, and involuntarily shrieked himself;.he leap-
d from his' bed,'and ran towards the dopr of his
...apartnienf; he was met by:his father witkan axe
in his tiakid:kti;ip. moon shone verybriglit)lio struck
at him; 110 being so near each other, the axe passed
over' his shoulder,' and' one corner of it entered his.
back, makitig.a-slight-wound; hisfather then struck
at hit-a-once:or twice, andlnissed him. At this silo=
ment'his 'y,outiger brotherovho slept in- the same bed
with Inrnjurnped from it, and attempte4 to get out
at the door ; to prevent this the father attacked him,
Which gave the eldest au opportunity to escape.;--
During this •dreadful coafliCt,. nut a' word was -at-
Liered.. • _

From the appearance of the wounds, generally, it -
seems to have beer the design of Purrington to
sever the heads from the bodies,. excepting the two
youngest, whose threats; it is supposed, .were'cut
• with .a razor. The,oldest -daughter: and second soa
had several wounds, the probable consequence of
their resistance. We-have no evidence to lead us,
satisfaCtorily, to the..Motives.for,-this barbarous and
:unnatural' deed. Capt. Pur.:in;vton was 4.6 years of
:Ise,. and had lately removed from. Bowdoinhaim_ to
this town ; an independent firmer, with a hendsorne
estate.; of steady, correet, and industrious.habits
Of a,good charaael,,.and fair reputation ; and stron,i-
ly attached to his family. He had been heard lately
to say tnet he felt 'much distressed at the unpro-
mising appearance, of his faun ; that he should-be
destitute ..of bread for his family, ,and hay for
cattle, and dreaded the-consequences.
. The Sunday before his death, it is said, he wrote
to his brother, and informed him, that on the recep-
tion of the letter he should be dead, and requesting'
-him to take charge of his family. In the. letter was
a death's head marked out, and it was sealed with.
It was found on Monday hy his wife, and
gave. -her the greatest alarm and uneasiness. This
her .husband perceiving, and I,earning the cause,
'he attempted to console her by k assurances that
had nojntention of comatitting suicide, but had a.
Tresentimeritof approaching death.
Capt. Purringtob was a warm.believer in the doc-
trineof.Universal-SalVatiort,.tiroagh it is not said of
`hicii• that he•wasa bigotted 'maniac-or a religions en-
thusiast. -; His whole conddet .the .day preceding, and
• during thelast and
,bloody scene of his life seemed
marked with the utmost coolness and deliberation.
Towards the'close of 'that.dgy, he ground the fatal
. axe, and when the familyretired to betflac was left
reacting .the The Jury df 'lnquest have brought
hint in. Obsiity• of wilfid murder on.his wife: agd sift
children, and that;:as.alelon, he-did kill and murder'
himself. We' dog not recalled that the annals of
Massachusetts can furnish a transaCtion-so distress-
lug. •