Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-04-14
HORRID MURDER.


town, was barbarousiy murdered on Tuesday
night, the 9th inst in his own bed, as will be seen
By the following letter:
SALEM, April 7.
Dear Sir-An assassination of almost uneX-
amgIed atrocity took place In this town IN the
course of the last night. Joseph Uhhe, Esq. one
of owe most aged and opuent citizens. in the
eiei.J ,econd year of his age, was murdered in
his LED, By some unknown person, who entered
the lover part of his house by one of the back
windows, and committed the horid deed by hrst
striking him on the head with some heavy instru-
menr. and then intiCting ten stabs near the heart
with dirk or knifa-ether of which injuries
would nave occasioned death. There were but
two persons in the house. besides Mr.. White;
these were domestics and slept i'll distant apart
ments. and heard nothingOf the assassin. The
first discovery was made about six O'Clock this
morning. when the young man who resides IN the
family. on setting up perceived a window open,
and srspecting that the house had been enteredby
robbers went to apprise the old gentleman, and
found him dead, and his clothes and the bedding
dreaChed in blood! The sensation created in town
by this most atrocious deed, surpasses any thing
| have ever witnessed here. The whole pop
ulation were amazed and horror stricken. There
is no way of accounting for the act-nothing was
and other valuable property in the room where
Mr.. w. slept The heirs have offered reward
Of 5 1000 and the Selectmen $500 in addition,
for the detection of the murderer.
P. S. A person has been arrested on suspi-
cion of being the assassin, and is undergoing an
examination.
Farther Ilteligsnce.-Bv gentlemen from Sa-
lem. who left the place in the afternoon of yester
dav. we are informed that young man, named
;ckfofd. about % wears of age, distant relative
of Mr. White. aud whose mother was in his fam
ily as a hOusekeeper, was arrested on suspicion
of being the assassin. On examination before
magistrate his statements were not very satlstac-
tory, and he was committed for further examina-
ton. He was arrested in Marblehead, and stated
that he had not been in Salem for several days;
this statement was contradicted by several res
pectabe witnesses. 1t is reported that Mr.. W.
had named Bickford in MS will, (which had been
made sometime) and had intInated to him thathe
should alter the instrument if he did not reform
his conduct. One of the stage drivers noticed a
man going out of the yard of Mr.. Whites house,
about half past three Yesterday morning but could
not identify him.--BoSion Courier.
The Salem papers contain the following addi-
tional particulars Of this most tragic affair:
The murder was discovered little before 6
O'Clock the next morning, BY young man who
resided in the family. On going down stairs, be-
ing the first person up, he perceived one of the
windows open in the back part of the house. and
Surprising it had been entered by thieves, he pro-
ceeded to Mr.. Whites chamber to acquaint him
with the circumstance, when he found him dead.
Only one other person, a female domestic, slept
in the house that night, and their apartments be-
ing distant from the scene of the murder, and
from the rooms which the assassin entered and
passed through, they heard nothing of his move
ments. 1t is beyond doubt that he entered the
back window alluded TO above, from the garden.
by means of piece of plank, which was found
standing against the side of the house under the
window, in the morning. Several footprints of
aman's step were discovered in the back yard,
and around the window, near the plank, when
first examined after the murder was ascertained.
After entering this lower back room, the assassin
is supposed to have proceeded thro' the large en-
try. and up the front stairs, to the old gentemans
bed chamber, in the front Of the second story.
and returned the same way. Some marks of
blood. it is said, were left upon the door aches,
Sc. The report of the murder was soon spread
thro' the town, and universal sensation of hor-
ror and astonishment pervaded every class Of
our citizens. The house was speedily throng-
ed with people anxious to learn the particulars of
the horrid transaction.
At an early hour Coroner's Jury was sum-
moned by Thomas Needham, Coroner for Essex,
who proceeded to hold an inquest over the body.
assisted by two respectable physicians of the
town. It was found in bed, in natural and I'M
disturbed position: his night clothes and the bed
clothing drenched in blood. Ten, stabs were
found on his left side in the region of the heart
of three-fourths of an inch in width. and from one
to three inches in depth, accompanied with
strong mark of violence on the temple. The stabs
appeared to have been inflicted by small dirk.
or some other sharp pointed instrument. The
blow on the temple most probably was inflicted
by Ratchet, hammer, or loaded cane; either of
which injuries, it was thought by the physicians,
were sufficient to extinguish life.
The verdict of the Jury was as follows: :. That
tits the opinion of the jury, that the said Joseph
White, Esq. came to his death BY violent blow
on the left temple, with some heavy instrument,
by some person or persons to US unknown"