Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1833-05-16
From the New York Commercial Advertiser Of
Monday evening last
HORRIBLE MURDER.


II HORRIBLE MURDER.
Tho annals Of crime in our country dc
not furnish a parallel to the deeds Of a
trocity perpctrated on Saturday night in
Morristown, n. J. The details Of this
shocking events SO far ast they have trans
pired, are substantially as follows:
!. Samuel S. Snyrc, Esq. nearly sixty
! years Of age, and formerly a merchant Of
Pcarl-street, in this city, of the firm of
Sayre s. Toler, being in want Of imam
TO labor on his farm, repaired hitler a
bout three weeks ago, and selected, on
account of the general good character
and integrity of the Swiss, an emierant
from that country, who has ultimately
proved to be his murderer. On Satur-
day evening, the latter went into the vii
lage Of Morristown, which is n short dis
tance from the residence of MIR Sayrc,
and purchased pint Of brandy. lie
came back in the evening, and is sup
posed to have pcrpetrated the crimes
soon after his return.
\ Yesterday morning neighbor who
was driving his COWS to pasture, saw n
bundle on the ground before the door of
Mr. Sayre, whose residence he had oc-
cason TO pass. On examination he found
it to contain female apparel, marked with
the initials of one Of Mr. Sayrc's daugh-
ters. He conveyed it to the house and
knocked at the door, but receiving no
answer he gave an alarm, and the house
was broken open. Traversing the vari-
Gus rooms they finally proceeded to the
garret where they found the colored ie-
male servant dead in her bed, where she
had been murdered probably in her sleep,
by some sharp pointed instrument, in the
side Of her head, near the temple. The
persons assembled next proceeded to
the barn, where they discovered hatch
ct with blood upon it, with traces of blood
upon tho barn floor. The blood was al
so TRACED to an adjoining heap ofmanure
where they stumbled over the feet Of Mr.
Sayrc, whose body was partly covered
up by the manure, and OF further search
they found by the side of him under the
same heap, the dead body Of his wife,
both exhibiting marks Of violence, hav-
ing their heads laid open with hatchct
by this time the Sheriff and a con-
course Of citizens arrived, who were dl-
vided into parties which were sent off III
various directions in pursuit Of the muir
dcrer, who was presumed to be the Swiss
Iaborcr, from the circumstance that he
was missing, the desks and drawers IL =
fed, and favorte grey horse Of Mr.
Sayre's taken from the stable, probably
to aid the murderer in eflecting his es-
cape. Hand-bills were Immediately is .
sued, and the most active means put in
requisition to arrest the offender, which
we are reioiccd to say was accomplished
about two o'clock in the alternoon.-.
Presuming that he had taken the direc-
lion of New York, Zephaniah Drake,
Esq. of Newark, Marshal of the United
States for the District of New Jersey,
Mr. Ludlow, the Sheriff Of Morris coun-
ty, and others, repaired hitherward, and
at the half way house on the Newark
causeway, usually known as the "Mus-
queto Tavern" they found the individu-
al of whom they wero in pursuit. lie
was sitting in the inn, smoking cigar.
They Immediately arrested him, s. found
upon his person a pair Of trowsers and Il
hat belonging TO Mr. Sayrc, and in his
possession two large bundles, containing
male and female apparel, which were
readily identified as belonging to the ia
mily of the deceased. They also found
in his pockets two razors belonging TO
Mr. Sayre, gold watch of Mrs. Sayre,
and about twenty dollars in silver. /.
The wrctchcd culprit had taken with
him bag gold containing about 5000,
which was found at Bottle Hill, about
four miles from Morristown, on the road
between that village and Newark. The
horse which he stole and rode Off with,
appears to have been restve, and, from
the tracks in the road, unwilling to pass
the house ofa friend Of Mr. Sayre, which
caused the wretch to lose a bag Of jew-
elry, belonging to one of the daughters
of the deceased, which was there found.
Since his arrest the monster has confess
sed that the horse threw him on the road
and escaped. This is rendered proba.
bic, from the circumstance that the bag
of gold coins was found near the place
where he is supposed to have been
The horse has been since found,
and the prisoner conveyed in irons to
the gaol in Morristown. 1t is supposed
that Mr. Sayre was induced to 60 to the
barn to examine one Of the horses, when
the monster perpetrated the dccd-and
that Mrs Sayre, alarmed at his unusual
absence, had followed him, and shared
his fate. They were both dressed-hc
had on his boots, and she calash. 4
II is supposed that the only motive for
Al -