The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-06-15
Friday Evening, June 0, 1854

Friday Evening, June o, 1854
HoRnD MvRDERs on LoSc IsLASD-
ihree Persons ProboJly KiHed-TAe Mur-
derer Suspected, de.-About twelve O'Clock
on Friday night, two servant girls in tbe
employ OF Mr.. James Wickham, at Culch
ogne, in Souihold town, L. l., were awak-
-ened by the cries Of some Of the inmates Of
the house, and on listning, heard repeated
blows as IT somebody was being struck on
The head, and also heard Mrs. Wickhan ex-
claim, "Nicholas, don't kill him, don't kill
him" Upon this, the girl supposing thai
Mr. Wickham was being murdered, got
out OF an attice window and fed to tie near
est nelghbors, and gave the alarm.
The house was Immediately visited. aad
presented horrible spectacle. Mr.. Wick
man, who was formerly merchant in this
city, and wealthy farmer, lay wel.ering
in his blood, his head eutliteraily 10 pieces
and when our informant left the scene he
was yet breathing, although unconscious,
with no hope of recovery. Mrs. Frances
Wickham, his wife, was dead, she having
had her brains completely knocked out,
which, together with her blood, was scat
tered about the room. Mrs. W. was but
thirty-fve years Of age. A negro boy, a.
bout fif.een years old, who was living in the
family, was also beat and Gu. ab0u. the
head to such an extent that he cannot sur.
yive his injuries; and he, TOO, is in such a
condition as to be unable to give any &C.
count Of the desperate murder. The deed
was committed with post axe, an imple.
ment used for the purpose of holing post;
for fences.
From the cries Of Mrs. Wickham, which
were heard by the servant girls, it is sus
pected that an Irishman. whose name i
Nicholas Dane, and who had been in III,
employ of Mr.. W., but was discharged o.
Wednesday, is the perpetrator ofthis horri;
deed; but no traces of him had been founc
up to yesterday afternoon.
Itis the opinion of the einhabian 5 that h,
sought to be revenged on Mr.. w. for dis
charging him, and determined to murde
his whole family. He sometime since de
sired to marry one Of the servant girls
but, on her refusing to have him, he swor
vengeance against her. Nothing in th,
house was carried away, which indicate
that revenge instead of robbery instiyate,
the monster to the perpetra:ion of this hor
rid crime.
THE MURDERER CAUGHT.
The Express ofyesterday says:
| Nicholas Dane the supposed murder. wa
captured yesterday Mondey) morning, a
about ten o'clock. He was found lvins
partially covered up, among some brush
wood, in swamp, with his throat partially
cut, but not so badly, as to render his re
covery doubtful.
1t is supposed thai Dane, finding himsel
hard pursued by pursuers, endeavered il
this manaer to Glide discovery and thai
afraid, after all, that discovery was certain
attempted 10 shorten his miserable exist
ence, by adding suicide to murder
Leaves and bushes had been accumulat
ed in heaps at the spot where he was found
1t probable thatthe party in pursuit woulc
have passed by the murdeler and his hid
ing place, but for the fact of his boots pro
truding from the rubbish.
AS soon as the murderer was drawn ou
from his lair, he was conveyed to wagoi
near by, and driven of to barn, shor
distance off. Two physicians Drs. Lor,
and Tucker were in attendance, and her
made an examination of Danes wounds.
1t was found that the apple of his throa
was badly cut, while two deep incisions hat
been made on his windpipe. A Mr.. Josep'
Corbyn, one of the party took his hand
kerchief and ti,d it around his neck, t
staunch the wounds. Bleeding soon stop
ped, and when our informant left the spo
the opinion prevailed that the wretche
man would recover.
Dane seemed conscious enough of hi
awful condition, and the proceedings a
around him, but not syllable or whi>
per escaped his lips.
The spot where the murderer was foun
is about quarter of mile from the Hel
mitage Station. About one thousand pei
sons were out in pursuit. Indeed the whol
of that part of the country seemed to b
thoroughly aroused, and never before, W
are told, was such an excitement seen o
Long Island. The indignation against th
murderer was universal, and women ever
and children too, for that matter, are sal
to have joined in the chase.
The funeral OF Mr.. and Mrs. Wickhal
took place yesterday afternoon, and was a
tended by an immense concourse ofsorroN
ing friends, relatives and neighbors. Nan
personal acquaintance Of the family ha
come from New York to attend.
We learn, further, that the colored ho
whose life the murderer also essayed
take, is getting worse, and but little expec
tation is entertained of his recovery. tt
servant girl, Ellen Holland, is said to be
state of mind bordering on insanity.
TEMPER OF THE PEoPLE.-A letter fro
: Mansfield, Richland county, the Gibera
ter of Democracy, to the Cleveland Lsade
gives an account of how things stand ther