Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-07-07
HORRIBLE MURDER.

The Cincinnati papers are full ofthe
incidents, suspicious and circumstances
of the horrible explosion of a torpedo
in the Marine Hospital Of that city on
Monday night.s The victims Mr.. and
Mrs. Allisonare dead. He died about
12 O'Clock the same night, and she
about o'clock the following after
noon. The Enquirer describes the
appearance of Mrs. Allison immediate,
ly after the explosion as follows:
Not vestige of the face was left
The flesh had been entirely torn away,
and it presented black undecIphera-
Bile void. The hair, which had evil
dendy been of dark and luxuriant
growth was singed and matted. AS
far down as the waist, the right side of
the body presented a horrible appear
ance, the skeleton being entirely bare,
and the charry hue contrasted horribly
with the livid stump of the arm, which
had been amputated nearly TO the
shoulder The left arm was but little
injured, and as il lay bare across the
body, its snowy whiteness exhibited in
its symmetrical proportion sad evil
dence Of the beauty and personal at
traction of the deceased.
The instrument of the catastrophe is
described by the Columbian, as an OBJ.
long bomb, about 5 inches long, by
two and half wide, and made of a
composition resembling zinc and brass.
1t was filed with powder. and placed
in a box, and surrounded with
powder. The lid of the box was
arranged so as TO slide back and
forth like match box. and a wire fas-
tened to 1t, was connected with the
trigger of pistol lock screwed into the
fuze Of the bomb, in such manner
that sliding back the lid would fire the
pistol. One of the servants found the
lock next morning with the wire and
nails attached.
Theexplosion was hear. two squares
off, and was mistaken for the report Of
a cannon. The Columbian describes
the scene in the room imm ediately af-
ter the explosion as follows:
DIR. Baker who was in the adjacent
room, hurried to the apartment, and
found Mr.. Allison on his knees near
the window with his clothes on fire.
He tore them from him. and discover
ed that his bowels were protruding.
and that he WAS otherwise horribly
mangied. The Doctor asked. Why
Allison, what, mas done this? He an
swered: A torpedo in that box, Doc
tor The screams oi the wife from
the adjoining room, now called the at
tention of the Doctor TO her. and gro
ping his way in the dark, he found her
lying near the bed in the most extreme
agony. Her clothes were on fire, and
the flesh had been blown from the sides
Of her face. Her left arm was also bro
ken and horribly maugled.
The Doctor tore the clothes from
her, and carried her into the lower
part ofthe building. In the meantime
help had arrived, and Mr.. Allison was
also removed from the ruins-and the
fire extinguished. The room or apart
ment, about 10 by l2 feet, where the
explosion took place. is badly torn TO
pieces, the northern portion beng torn
away the entire length, and plastering
shattered from the ceiling, sash, glass
and shutters broken TO pieces. and the
furniture hurled in every direction.
Some idea of the horrid effects Of
the explosion may be formed from the
fact that more than pound of human
flesh torn from the mangled victims.
was afterwards scraped from the cell
ing.