Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-10-18
Vol. G--NO. I--yvhole No, 26l.
Horrible Outrage

wcck-the object Of which is supposed TO have
been murder, tor the purpose of screening the
perpetrators OF dark crime. Two men mask.
cd entered house in the afternoon, seized
Mrs. Burdick, gagged her to sile her cries. car
red her into the woods, 10 rods from the house,
threw her into ditch, piled rails and timber
upon her, on which they jumped for the pur.
pose of killing her. When leaving her, the
rurlercrs undoubtedly supposed she was dead.
The woman was soon missed, the alarm was gi.
ven, search was made, and she was found in
two hours md half after her disappearance
She was rescued from her pcrilous situation,
and received every attention her critical state
demanded. Shc was for some days deranged,
but is now rational. and bids fair 10 recover.
Two arrests have been madr, and the individ.
ua's we're undergoing an examination before
magistrate az our latest advces. W. have
slnce received the following account of the
transaction. in the Norwich Journal:
"On the farm Of John Johnson, on the cast
hill, and within the bounds Of the corporation.
lives tcnent 10y the name of Harvey Ham,
m1nd, whose family consists of himself and
wife, sister in-law. brorher-in. law, and his wife.
the latter of whom was the victim of the most
damnhbc transaction that ever came under
Greene observation. She is about nineteen,
good looking. and was married a few weeks
since. Her health is poor, she having been sub
lect tor many years 10 species Of epileptic fit.
On Monday evening. the Goth nit, this young
couple (linrdick by namc) had retired somewhat
early, when the husband, feeling some pain
from wound IN the leg, received some time
before from an axe, arose and went into the
kitchen. where the rest of the family were, for
the po'po-e oi dressing the sore. He had been
there few minutes, when he heard a scream
from the bedroom, and on going in they found
Mrs. Burdlck on the floor. laboring under ex-
tremc fright. She said that soon encr her hus.
band lett the room, she felt hand pass lightly
over her face. but surprising that it was Mr.
Burdick feeling his way TO bed, she was not a.
larmcd nn'ii the hand seized her throat and dis
nbl"d her from making any ou'-cry. immed-
ately another arm was placed under and raised
up her head, whIes third hand graSped her legs
and pulled her from the bed She seized the fea-
ih'r bed with one hand, and with the other, by
desperate effort, succeeded IN releasing her
'hroat and screamed. " hen found she and the
o'" were on 'hc honr' ana an article OF wo-
man appar'I "a cape we D'i'e'e) lay near by
This Gao" was Afterwards identified as her mo-
ihers Mrs. Baxter WHO lives IN the next
mouse, also tenant o' Uncle John.' door
was oFrn leading on' OF The room, but no other
'Fac" OF The perpetrators was found.
On the following day (ruesday, the Both }
Mrs bnrdick, being IN very weak state, went
to the same room alter dinner for the purpose of
rcst having hrst taken the prccan'lon to secure
the binds 10y string, md TO iasien the door
that was entered the previous night The win.
dow was raised ard left up. Between two and
Three O'Clock Mrs. Hammond, hearing a slight
ro'sr in the direction of Mrs. B.'s room, wen, in
and discovered II cmp'y. and the blinds taken
from the hinges, the string broken, and the
door still 5o'lcd. rs the mne members Of the
family were at work in the fields, some little
'imc elapsed before they We're informed Of these
facts, when Mr Hammond immediately mount.
! ~ his horS, and Teve the alarm in the VILLAGE
Tho story that woman was carried off in mid.
day, and within the corporation, in plain sigh,
of tho whole village, gained hrt little crcdencc
aud bc, irmr or five could be induced to 60 NJ
and search. ANcr looking lor nearly two hours