Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-04-05
Nrw-YoRK. March 90.

NEw-YoRK, March 90.
TIE murder Of Miss Hdmiiton.- have
been ohligingly favored with the follow
ing extract OF letter FROM the Rev. DIR.
BLATcnroRD, of i.ansinsburg, TO his
sons i'll this city, giving circunsiaptial
disclosure of the facts in relation TO this
unhappy and awful event. This extract
viii he read with deep interest, and the
community viii rejoice HAT the inl,uman
monsters are at last detected
LANsISGbURG, MARCH 90.
"1presume you have heard that Tho
mas Lent, ofthe borough about six miles
above Waterford, has been committed to
iail as one Of the mArderers of Miss
Hamilton.-He was engaged in this gull
ty business with another, of the name Of
Sickler, anative of the same town. Lent
has confessed all the particulars, TO which
he has subioined his signature. They
are briefly as follows. Lent and Sickler
had enlisted in thearmy, from which they
deserted and '.,rned home but being
pursued, they, to prevent to be taken,
determined to 70 to New York. Sickler
resolved 10 violate the chastity of the first
female lie should conveniently meet.
They met Miss Hamilton in Athens, near
her fathers house. iSickler seized her
with one hand round the waist. and with
the other pressed upon her mouth. Lent
took her by the legs. They carried her
about quarter of a mile up TO the fatal
bridge. There Sickler committed The
rape; and Gas Lent saws on account of
her strugghngs andiagonized resistance,
Sickler asked Lentfor his Cub, with which
SiclSler broke IN her scull, and having
robbed her of iler gold car rings threw the
body INTO ,he creek. JEey both rap and
reached a harn;about two mills below
CaisI1i,l, where they slept that night. In
the mnrhing.tlicy got on board Troy
sloep, arrived soon after in New York,
tarried there day or two, aud then re-
turned OH the west side of the river; stop
| ded near Catskill, hired themselves out
tor a month, stole two horses, were over
taken, and committed to Catskiil js,l for
the theft broke jail and returned to the
borough. After shine time Sickler went
to the westward, where he has resided
| nearly ever since, i'll the county OF Cayu-
ga. Yet the eve of God is upon the
wanderlngs of the murderer, and he of
ten takes from him the common prudence
of the human mind.-lt was so in this
case. Seeker had given frequent hints.
(obscurely indced) that he and Lent had
perpetrated the crime in QUESTION, but
these hints were not regarded az any
thing more than the vain boas.ings Of
abandoned villany. Atlsst, however, the
thing was brought TO light. Lents wife
was found by her husband reading he
asked her what: she said the bible: he
snatcled 1t from her, swearing bitterly,
and threw it into the fire she got it out
again, and a quarrel issued, in which he
| threatened her life, and told her he had
| killed one woman already, and would
| kill her. Her sisters husband, Isaac
| Armstrong, came in at this lime, and
heard the words. lie mentioned them
alta Mr.. Trips, at whose house Seeker
had been brought up, and where he had
boosted of the crime
| This brought TO their recollection what
| they had heard Sicklcr saw in Lent's pre-
sence, and mentioned it to Isaac Arm
! strong. He came dewn TO Waterford. and
told il to MIR. Franklin Livingston, the De
putty Sheriff. who went up and took Lent
at his own risk ; summoned the witness !;
and after veraIexaminations, Lent con-
| fessed the whole. Mr. Livingston. en-
powered by the Recorder of Albany and
the Lieutenant Governor, sat off in pir-
suit OF Seeker last week and, I hope, by
fins time, has got in safe custody the 9th
er monster Com. Adu.
Capt. Baxter, ofthe British brig Rob
ert, who arrivedthis morning. in 10 DAYS
from Iobago, informs, that severe epi-
demic, supposed the yellow fever, had ra-
ged among the inhabitants of that island,
thro' the greater part of the winter. He
believes tliatthe disease has swept off at
least one tenth ofthe population since tie
LIST OF January. The disorder is aftribm-
ted to The long prevalence of northerly
| winds. accompanied with unusual cold
ness of the weather. 10.