The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-10-19
TIU0I M lN1UV Via, Olf I,
THE TERRIBLE MURDERS At IVES
TERLO, NJ. Y.
6tHtsI AND .coMMrrAL OF ruE MUIR
DERTR.

We have given before particulars of the
disappearance of David l.. Lcstcr. aged ten
wears, and stephen Lester, aged eight years.
ncphcws and adopted children of David Les
ter who u now appear. were bath inhuman-
" murdered At Wcstcrl6 on SATURDAY last
They were missed on that day On sunday
the nclghbors turned out to search for them.
The search Was continued ly hundred, or
citizens until Wednesday, when the body of
the youngest was found some thirty rods from
the house of Mr. Lester, the upper part of il
covered with stones and the lower with leaves.
as'we have described. On Thursday morn
ing the body of the elder brother was found
suspended hy rope from the limb ola tree
some twenty feet from the ground. II had
evidently been murdered and placed where
II was found. IL was found some sixty rods
from the house, and ia direction different
from where the youngest was discovered
There were evident marks Of the grippe Of 4
mans hand on the throat
The budpcon with which the youngest was
kllcd,was found some ten rode from, tho body
concealed under log. II was what is called
n swnglc or flail. There were marks ofbood
and hair upon il although IT, had evidently
been washed. The head and face of this
child had been literally broken to pieces low
this weapon and upon its breast had boon
thrown rock weighing some twenty-five los
which had broken in the ribs and chest and
crushed the lungs.
Coroner Winnie held an inquest upon the
bodies yesterday. The verdict of the Jury
was that David l.. Lester and Stephen '.
Lester, came Ia. their deaths from injuries re-
celved at the hands of, and violence inflicted
10y Reuben Dunbar and some other person
or persons unknown to the jury Dunbar
was Immediately arrested on the Coroner's
warrant, anu committed 10 prison 10 await his
trial.
The circumstances which directed suspic-
IONS against Dunbar are, that he is a son of
Airs Lester by former husband, and all the
other children having been provided for, he
ana ms mother both supposed that the prop
crty of about $4,000 would 90 To him ON the
death of MIR l.. When the two nephcws were
brought into the family, the mother and son
were dissatisfied. The son, Dunbar. was last
seen with the bOys,and is proved To have tax
en- them successfully from thu house When
the search was made he did all he could 10
divert tue seareiteFs from the ravin,-tt.llia.
them to 90 up the creek and guiding them
past tho raNlnc, and on u subsequent day tel
ling them that the ravinc had been searched
lis demeanor on the discovery of the BODY
was suspicious. The fail with which the
younger was struck was taken from the barn.
and was found hid under log Tho ropc
10y winch the younger was hung was also tax
en- from the barn.
The evidence showed that the elder boy
had been strangled by the hands of a man
before being suspended To the tree. There
was no such dscolomton of the face as fol- /
lows hangfng,and from the mark. on the bark I
Of the tree, ut was clear that booted man
had climbed up and attached the rope. The |
boys were barefoot. IL was evident that the I
murderer had designed to have il rh,ucbt
that tho elder boy had killed The Younger
and then hung himself But the blows were
such rs no lsay OF ten could lave made, and /
the weight of rock which was upon the BODY I
could only have been cast 10y man,
Great excitement is felt among the nciph-
Tors, who accuse another oihaying instieat-
- Dunbar to crime