Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-02-11
The quincy Murder and suicide.

Quincy. We copy the following from the Times
Before the Jury of Inquest, Mrs. Prudence Wood,
a very respectable lady who has accommodated
boarders in Quincy, testified that early in the month
of November, two young persons, strangers, came
to her house to board, and that she now distinctly
recognized them in the persons OF the deceased
Their dresses as well as their features the same.
The young man gave his name John Greene, %
wears of age, from Cincinnati, Ohio The name of
the female was given as George Sands, IA years of
age-represented as half-brother TO Greene. They
deSi ed to have room and bed exclusively 10 |
themselves, Greene saying that his haf-broher was
10 poor health, and that they wished to be by them
Selves and out of the way of any source of annoy
ance. In this respect they were accommodated, and
for eight days soiourned at Mrs. Woods Their de-
pertinent during this time was unexceptonable but
there indications Of hidden sorrows, and they
attracted considerable attention.
Both of them were much bound up in the Spirit
ual Knocking" subject, so called 1t was the chief
topic of their discourse. They had with them sew
eral copies of the Spirit Messenger printed at
Springfield also copies of two works entitled the
Universalum, and the Great Harmonia,' also a
copy of Madam Dudevants worst novel, Indiana.
At time, during their short stay, Sands went to
Charlestown and consulted La Roy Sunderland
Their conversation, according to the testimony of all
who were acquainted with them, quite inelli
gent, especially that of Sands, who had evidently
been well brought up. Their intention, they said,
to remain at the North for six months, and then
to return to Ohio, via New Orleans. In the mean
time they desired to dive deep into the mysteries of
the spirit world, and the younger desired to prepare
to teach the science
Captain Bracket, in whose shop Greene worked
testified that Greene represented that he had come
here from Ohio to become acquainted with machine
ry used here in the different departments of boot and
shoe manufacture, and also with view to effect an
improvement in the health of his brother-in-law,
Sands, for whom he was in hopes to get a situation
as accountant in some mercantile house, saying that
he was excellently well qualified Sands was an
excellent reader and spent great deal of time at the
shop in reading to Greene.
The man and woman were deeply imbued with
the characteristics of the school of philosophy
-transcendentalsm s2iritualism, and belief in mes
merlsm and the phenomena known as spiritual rap
pings in one of the books which they left was found
several sheets of note paper close by written with
speculations and details Of experiments. On one of
these sheets appeared the date, New York, Oct
3d. and it went TO say that the writer had that
day crossed the East River to NNilliamsburgh, and
there in conjunction with Messrs. Hatch of Roches
ter, Summerfed, and Peterborough performed exper-
lments In mesmerism and spiritual rappings. This
memoranda covered six pages, and was written in
pencil, well puncuated land very correct in grammar
and spelling
There were also found several slips of paper,
with references to certain pages in the works of Sun
derland, Days It I'd genus omne, and all these pas
sages so referred to are arguments and speculation
upon DEATH and the transition to future state. One
OF the sheets OF note paper contains the following
very singular sentence
''To the oppressed and down trodden to those
who are bowed even to the grave with grief-to the
suffering and afflicted, would say-Fear not, but
follow Truth; tread boldly where it leads and
with NH no
on, through the seemingly mysterious process off
death; TRUTH still guides with LIGHT revealing
to the awakening and more interior senses, hab-
tatlon of harmony and blessedness.''
Following were brief quotations from transcend |
entail writers relative TO the philosophy of DEATH
On the morning after the general election in No
yember, Greene complained of being unwe and |
did not go to his work. He spent hour and half
In reading, and then invited bis companion 10 90 and
walk, who complied with evident reluctance, telling
female in the family that was only to oblige John
They stopped at the Union store, In the village |
where Greene went 10 and bong some powder and |
percussion caps. After they left the Union store, |
they were seen passing along with hands joined and
swinging. They were again seen as they mounted |
the hill, IN the direction where their bodies were
found-but no saw them afterwards
The two appeared to be American born Greene
was about five feet eight inches high, with dark ha-
eel eyes and black hair. He had an affection of the
throat. Sands was not over five feet high, with a |
dark and rather sunken eye, brown hair slender and
delicate HANDS and waist, and was on the whole very
beautiful.
After Mr.. Gushing, employed in Wicher's shop,
had given in his evidence, confrmaory of the fore
geing, the jury retired, and after due deiberaton,
they agreed upon the following Verdict That the
deceased came to their deaths, in the following man.
ner-to wit that the death of George Sands
was occasioned by ball discharged from pis-
toll by the hand of John Greene, which entered
the head about half an inch above the left ear, and
probably causing instant death-that John Greene
came to his death by a ball discharged lfom the same
pistol by his own hand''
Here follows description of their persons, and
the time they disappeared (Nov. l2th) and stating
that Sands proved to be a feinae1 Signed by Lew
is Bass, Coroner; Abraham Bartlett, Nathl White
Whitcomb Porter, George Nightingale, Benjamin
Bass, Lloyd G. Horton.
The Jury performed their painful duty in the most
faithful and excellent manuer, and they were untr-
ing IN their efforts to ascertain the real names of The
deceased
On Saturday afternoon the bodies of these two I'M
fortunate victims placed in neat stained collins
and deposited in the receiving tomb in the burying
ground at Quincy, to await requi ition from their
friends, should any yet be found. We should state
IN addition to other things and with n hone that Il