The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-06-04
HoRRID MURDER.

L
OF the writer, (Which should always ac.
company such communications) our first
impressions, produced by the extreme
horror of the transaction, were, that the
whole was iictioD--the production of
some mischievous wight, who was dispo.
sed to practise on our credulity-but "a
rumors, which leave no doubt of the per.
petration OF the bloody deed, are afioat.
We publish the statement as we received
IT, presuming 1t is, as II purports to be.
correct ye7eresentdtior, of an act so f|apiti
Gus and brutal, that the bare recital Is @.
nough o"curdle the blood" g1fn. Rec.
Las. evening we we're summoned to
witness scene from which humanity
with Indignation recoils a scene, perhaps
without a parallel, since the first organi.
cation OF civil society. Twilight had
but just made its appearance, and was
throwing its sable shroud over animated
creation, time we'll calculated for the
commission OF the blacklist deeds. when
the shrieks Of a helpless female broke in
upon our hearing, supplica,ing relief
aroused, we fastened to the spot and he.
held once lovely form, now lying, as il
were ga lifeless trunk without head"
The circumstances are as follow II
appears there had been q fishing party
during the day, composed; perhaps of
relations; OF which party John NJ. VIII.
liahs, the person who perpe;rated the
shocking deed, was one. On their re-
turn in the evening, accompanied by his
brother.in>iaw and wife, he appeared To
be in an ill-humor with his wife; and de
scended even TO abuse; but by the in.
terposilion of those present, he desis,ed.
and the storm that appeared lowering,
passed over without leaving any vestiges
indicative of lis recurrence but alas ] il
was a fatal security into which he had
lulled their suspicious When about "a
depart, he babe the sister of his wife IN
an impressive manner, to bid her fare.
well but not suspectiDg the import of
this prophetic observation, they procetd.
ed homewards. Ere they had bean alb.
sent 5 minutes, he commenced the kxe.
cution of his demoniacal designs. bv I'M.
braiding her with incoDtinency aud bv
stabbiDg her. She immediately fIfd, bnt
in consequence other debility, OCCASION.
ed by giving birth to an innocent then
not ten days old, ne easily overlook her.
and with severe blow brought her sense.
less to the ground. Commanding the
assistance OF negro girl who was close
at hand, he recoDducted her 10 the
house, and placed her on the bed, when
| animation was soon restored then, with
| uneXampled ieroCiiy he Caught up The
| infant, and with unrelentess FURY, cast il
violently into the yard returning to the
bedside with his knife drawn, he recon-
menced his abuse of his wife, and attemo.
led TO extort confessions By repeatedly
| stsbbine her, renewing his ipquiries with
hellish satisfaction, at each successive
| stab. The negro girl proG,ing by his
| position, seized bin and cast him with.
out the door, giving to Mrs. VIII
liams time 10 escape, which she embrac
cd with as much alacrity as her situation
would admit OF, and had fed perhaps so
yards, when this monster retook her, and
dragging her by the hair some distance.
despatched her by cutting her throa,
from car to ear in the most horrid manner.
BY this time the alarm had reached
the Dearest neighbor who fastened to the
scene of misery. He had BY this time
exchanged his knife for a razor, and
kneeling in the attitude of prayer near
the body OF his murdered wife, was at
tempting to dispatch himself; he had
completed part of his design, but finding
the task more arduous than that of muir.
deTing his wife, he only succeeded, as is
believed, in making an incision in the
windpipe, and it is thought will recover,
10 enswer before an earthly tribunal for
this Unnatural deed Four helpless chill
dren bcwail the loss OF their mother
This is another fatal example of that in
Iuriate passion which embitters conau-
bal bliss
"Tri1e5 light as air,
Are to the jealous, combinations strong
Asproofs of Holy Writ"
N. B. An inquest has pronounced it
malicious murder, and he now stands for
trial at our next superior court.
Eight miles gvest of Clinton, Geo. Nay Is.
Charles Forrest, living near Salem, N.
J. has murdered his daughter in drunk>
en- FL. II appears that the wretched man
came home drunk, and his wife and
daughter had hid his rum jug-this so in
censed him, that he began to beat both
mother and daughter in most shocking
manner. The girl died almost immedl-
a,ely after he had Deutschland her
mother is now confined to her bed in con-