New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-14
The Long island murder.

The murderer of Mr. and Mrs. Wickham, at
| Catalogue, on Long Island, was examined be-
fore q magistrate Immediately after his arrest
and committed for trial. He is an rishman,
and gave his name as Nicholas Beheehan (pro-
bounced Balm, or Bayan). Subsequently to his
examination, he madssg full confession of the
crime, the substance Of hich is as follows;
/ walked around the premises and finally
pulled off my boots in the yard and placed them
near the kitchen door; / then went to the wood
house and got the post-hole axe and came back
to the kitchen, raised the ground floor window,
under the room where the colored boy slept; |
got inside, heard the dog rustic, but he knew
me, and passed onward to the stairs leading to
the second story of the house. first went to
the negro's room, and finding him sound asleep
struck him three or four blows with the axe
on his head and then left him for dead; from
this room went to the long hall, where was
situated the bedchamber of Mr.. and Mrs. Wick
ham; all this time had q LIGHT in my hand,
and as | got on the hall Mrs. Wiekham was
aroused and awoke; she opened her bedroom
door and exclaimed, &c Who is that why,
Nicholas is that you - I Immediately passed
in front of Mrs Wiekham and set the lampdown
in the other end of the hall; by this time l
heard both Mr. and Mrs. Wickham, and upon
looking around found them both out Of bed.
Mr. Wickham came to the door with his wife
and cried out: ss Nicholas, what are you doing
here' go away Instantly" l now approached
them in the doorway aud pushed them both back
into the chamber; then raised the axe and made
blow at Mr.. Wickham, but he caught it with
his right hand and jefked it away from me, and
while attempting to use it in return, used my
fist and knocked Mr.. Wickham down, but he
raised and struck at me with the axe; how
ever caught it by the handle and leyeled him to
the floor with blow, and then gave him three
more in rapid succession. During this struggle
Mrs. Wicham caught hold of me and tore my
shirt off my back Mrs. Wickham then made an
effort to get out of the window, and as she got
upon the sill pulled her back into the room and
gave her several blows with the axe; she then
fell prostrate and as turned to 60 out of the
room saw Mr.. Wickham was raised up again,
and I again felled him and beat him until it
seemed to me he was dead.
/ then went from this bedroom through the
apartment of the negro and fastened the door
with piece Of rope, to prevent the girls coming
out and escaping into the street; then passed
down the stairs to the kitchen, thence to the
parlor and up another pair Of stairs to the third
floor, to the bedroom where the girls always
slept; / found their window open and both of
them had gone; | FASTENED away and made an
effort to find my way down the stairway had
come up, but had no light at this time, and
got completely bewildered and lost, SO that l
could not get down; was then compelled to
return to the bedroom of Mr.. and Mrs Wick
ham, walk over their bodies, raise the window
and leap out on the grass plot, As / reached
the ground | heard the girls off at a distance
screaming very loud to the neighbors; this was
the first | heard of them that night; before
jumping out of the window threw out the axe
on the grass and left it there. I now went
to the kitchen where had placed my boots, and
after putting them on started off eastward at
ull speed across corn fields, orchards, etc.
Then follow the details of his concealment,
discovery and arrest.
Monday afternoon, the day after the murders,
was time of solemnity and sorrow in the quiet
village of Catalogue, on the occasion of the flu
neral Of the victims The bodies were placed
in collins, with silver plates. bearing the follow
ing inscriptions
JAMES WICKHAM
Died June a. 1S54-Aged 53 years and 4 days.
FRANCES wIGKHAM.
Died June 8, 1S54-Aged So years and days.
The burial service was performed in presence
of vast number Of persons, some of whom
went to the place from distance Of 40 miles.
The church bells tolled, and when the pro-
cession was formed it reached nearly two miles
in length, and upwards of two hundred vehi-
Giles were in it. The corpses were conveyed to
the Presbyterian grave yard at Mattituck, and
both were buried in the same grave. Nearly
every man, woman and child in Catalogue was
at the funeral, and the town presented a most
gloomy appearance.