The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-05-29
The Horrible Murder nesr PbiIadsI-


ough, on Friday nightMeek. and which "A
only equalle,l by the murder Of the Crosden
family in Maryland The North american
says:
The spectacle was awful to behold.
female, PROSTATE upon her back, ut full
length, in a pool~of CONCEALED blood ; the
whole front of her skull stove in, and her
brains ooziBg in masses from the frightful
wound. A man extended, also nj full length,
on the damp earth; his face Buried 10 the
mud, and the posterior part Of his head beat
EN- to atoms, with a complete destruction OF
the brain.
The house was entered, and here was
disclosed the most touching sight Of ALL
In the corner of room, as though it had
crawled there and expired, lay crouchesl up
on its face, a dead infant. As one of the
policemen turned it over, he wept. The
side, front and back Of itscranium had been
fractured; and though lfrless for several
hours, and It's countenance distorted and
disfgured bv the shocking injuries received,
there was still such life-like expression Of
innocence in its looks, thai it was difficult
for the spectator to realize the idea that it
was really corpse he was beholding. In
deed, the murdered baby appeared as If on
~ sleeping. To 9nA
/. A glance around the room showed that
desperate villain had been at work. The
room into which The front door opened,
bore evidence of powerful struggle. A
table, upon which meal had becIi evident
W spread and partaken of, stood by par
tition wall. Its furniture aud the remains
of the meal were in confusion. Plates, cups,
saucers and dishes were broken, and some
of the fragments scattered about the floor.
! Upon the Clearly scrubbed boards were
splotchcs Of blood aud bits of hair. On
the wall, close to the jam5 of the door, was
large mark Of blood. Every apartment,
both up aud down stairs, had been invaded
by the unhallowed footsteps of the murder
Eer, and there was not solitary depository
Of valuables that had escaped bis rifiIng
hand; for robbery and not blOOdshed alone.
must have entered into the motives that
prompted the diabolical invasion Of this
happy household.
| Drawers were pulled out and emptied !;
/ clothes strewn in all directions: closets fore
ed s. rumnaged beds upturned and exam
! med; and even the clock takea 10 pieces IN
pursuit Of plumber. The lids of TWO chests
/ in an upper room hal been ripped open
with new axe, when the hands Of the muir
derer were yet reeking with the blood in
which he had STEPPED them.
! Spots of candle grease in the chambers
Indicated that the murderer, after the per-
petration of the monstrOus crime, had de-
/ lberately gone about the search he made
| for money and other booty; and as further
evidence Of the GOODNESS Of the ntrocious
criminal, in the identical apartment where
the attack upon the farmer aud his wife and
babe must Ind commenced, was a bucket
! of water and shoe brush, with which the
fend had washed his cory hands and scour-
ed his blood -spattered clothes.
What valuable effects the murderer car
ried away were not known with any GER
tainty. He must have purloinei consid-
cradle sum Of money, aud took some good
articles of wearing apparel, with, perhaps,
jewelry and trinkets, as the deceased farm
err was pretty well TO do in the world. s.,
This alarming and heart-rending affair is
wrapped in no little mystery. The facts
and circumstances, as far as disclosed, seem
to he these: The family consisted of Val
/ en;ine Bartle. aged forty six, his wife, Gar
o!ine, aged thirly-both Of Germany, and
their four children, born in this country, viz /:
Elizabeth, aged seven, Frederick, aged four,
Margaret, aged two, and Lana, aged twelve
months. The husband, wife and infant
were killed the other three were spared.
The mother was enciente. 2liFtiJ
/ The imrellng motives of the triple MUIR
der was, doubtless, revenge. One Of its OBJ
ljects, beyond question, was pillage. e4. ot
Suspicion has alighted upon man NAM
ed Robert, who formerly worked with Bar
lie, as being concerned in the murders
This man worked for him about three
weeks, and suddenly left. The day he went
away, they had quarrel. The story of
some Of the neghborS is, that the difficulty
arose about the refusal of Bartle TO come to
a settlement of wages, because the hired
nan insisted upon leaving before The month
( for which he agreed to stay, was up. He
broke his bargain, and Bartle deemed this
forfeiture of his pay. or3 ~THoa ru,'i io
Nothing was known of this stranger, ex-
cept that he was called Robert. Few Of The
neigbbors ever saw him, and those who oc-
casionally got look at him never talked
with him. He was distant, ulorose and SUI
picious. His appearance was remarkable !;
so mach so as to occasion forehodngs of
evil at the minds of those who behela him.
After be left, Mrs. Bartle was always in
dread that he might DO them harm. No
more appears to have been heard of him,
until Friday evening, when a man answer
ing his description, was seen lurking near
THE house. Enough has been elected from
4 the eldest child to leave scarcely a doubt
that this man came to the house that eve-
Iing. 1s -al,ft,e .t.,9 s.t h1e mod,r
4 The murderer, up to q late hour Sunday
night, was still at large. The officers of
justice were guarding every entrance to the
city, and watching every exit therefrom.--
The authorities and inhabitants Of Roxbor-
ough were securing the country in all direc-
tions, and handbills giving description Of
4 the supposed murderer, despatched to all
neighboring towns. The telegraph, ike
wise, has been busy; and the, wretch, it is
thought, can hardly escape. =
The Hon. NJ. P. Gentry, of Tennessee-the
gentleman whom Gen. Taylor invited to seat in
his cabinet--not only one of the most powerful
debaters ever in Congress, but also man of re-
markable political sagacity, whose Judgment is
] H..