The North-Carolinian., 1844-01-13
THE NORTH CAROLINIAN

Ihe PrO7ldence journal OF Jan. 1st, cou-
tains the following details of a most deplora-
bic murders
MOST ATROCIOUS MURDER.
Ii is with the deepest pain we have 10 record
the awful death of Amasa Sprayue. Esq, of
Cranstou, senior partner in the extensive
man nufacturing house of A. s. W. Sprague,
who ~iuy and cruelty murdered OF
his farm yesterday afternoon. He left his |
house abou. O'Clock to gn to potion of
his farm lying in Johnston for the purpose Of
looking to the proper shelter of his cattle +; |
and at abou, o'clock ne was found prostrat-
ed on the earth, dead. Upon examination
ball was found to have entered the front /
and passed out of tho back Of his head. A |
pistol was found some distance from his body |
and under such circumstances as 10 lead to
the belief that has,y attempt was made to
conceal Il. 1t was reported that he had re- |
ceived another wound in the body, but when |
our informant left, the Coroner's verdict had |
| not been rendered. and We cannot, therefore, |
state it fact
This deporab!e event will undoubtedly
| cause the Hon. William Sprague, brother of
the deceased, TO immediately resign his seat
IN the u. S. Senate.
(Four men were arrested, believed to be
the mutderers. Three of them are brothers
other is O'Bycu. They are all Itishlnen.)
! A case ofbreach of promise Of a rather novel
character: was brought up for trial i'll the n.
York Circuit Court on Tuesday last, the par
! ties to which were Willis Cutler Va. Dr. Joel
S. Oatman aud wife. 1t appeared in evi-
dence that DR.. Oatman's wife, who was for
merly The widow Coles, had received and ac-
knowledged Cutler TO be an accepted suiior,
and although no positive promise was proven,
| it fairly established that the fair widow
had talked Of getting married to him. and mad
even allowed him to put his around her
waist and kiss her, only ohlect:ng to this ia
mi!iarty by saying ''ain-t you ashamed to act
so before foks,'' to which the gallant sutor
would reply, Why Harriet, you know you
! IRE mine - Whilst this intimacy going
on, the father of The widow died, leaving her
$50, 900, when DR.. Oa!man stepped in, court
ed and married her, and Cutler was non-suited
in the court of Hymen. On tue part Of the
defence it conteuded that the acquain-
tance between the plaintiff and the widow was
commenced by suse on his part. liz calling
upon her under pretence of hiring house
which belonged to the Iady's father. That it
was continued under the idea that he
decent, quiet, orderly citizen, and that the
lady cot his acqua lntauce when she found out
that be was coarse, vulgar fellow; gambler,
a sol !; and had no kind Of pretension to the
hand and person of the beautiful widow ard
her fortune That at the time when it was
pretended tina, Mrs Coles had encouraged his
addresses, and suffered his kisses, tha, he was
ia the practice Of counting other women, one
OF whom he has since married Several wit
nesses were examined who bore out by their
testimony all those allegations. The amount
OF damages laid is $4,000.
The evidence fully proved that the plaintiff
had been engaged to be married to several
other females at the same time he claims to
hase been engaged to the widow Coles, while
it also showed that DR. Oatman had been in-
timaie with her for several years previous to
the death Of her father, and her accession to a
large share of his fortune. Judge Kent. in
charging the jury, remarked that 6 contract
tn marry may be inferred from the conduct OF
the parties. But j; mus, be IN express prom
ise TO marry, and must be mutual. mere
Intention to narry-prooi OF strong affection
on o: both sides, will not answer. un-
like other promises again, this promise may
be invalidated by the acts of one of the par
ties-by proof of deception or conceaImen.
by the other party-of bad character or unfit
ness on the part of the party claiming fulfil
ment of the promise. ."-1be case was given
TO the jury, and they rendered a verdict in the
course of few minutes for the defendants.
A DREADFUL MURDER.-W illiam C.
Clarke, Esq, gentleman highly respected
: !. in Mississippi, deliberately murdered ia
the Town of Carroli'on, on the 18th uh, by a
printer named Joseph Lancaster, VINO shot
him dead in front of the court house with a
; double barrelIed pistol. The balls entered
the eyes of Clarke, and be fell dead on the
spot.-Baitsmore Sun.
REVEREND SENATOR.-Senator Col
; quit, of Georgia, who is local Methods
: minister. breaches occasionally at the differ.
: ent churches in Washington city. He is one
of the most eloquent and powerful preachers
IL connected ith that Church.-Bais. Sun.
II The Small Pox prevails to a considerable
II extent at Columbus, Ohio.
u. S. BANk.-A meeting Of the stockhold
ers of the United States Bank was held il
g Philadelphia on Tuesday last. The 'epo
O showed that The amour: of notes Withdrawn
;, from circulation is about $2.S0O,00O, ant
a that the amount outstanding is reduced IL
ST 100000. A move was made towards tht
rednc tion cf the salaries of the trustees. which