Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-11-09
Shocking Murder in Tonsham

One of the most. brutal murders we have
been obliged to record, occurred in Topsham,
on Wednesday night last. The particulars
of the case, as we learn from the Tribune, are
these g.
Son the day preceding the murder, Charles
| Grips was about moving from the house he
was then occupying, to another about a mile
and half distant, and had sent to this city and
obtained half a gallon of N. E. Rum to be
used on the occasion. The business of NOV
ing had progressed without any unusual oc-
currence till about sunset, when the last load
of moveables was placed upon the cart, and
Grips and his wife were both too drunk to
proceed on foot, as they had intended, to their
place of destination.
The team proceeded on its way, accom-
panied by the two sons Of Grips, one I6, and
the other Is years old When they arrived
at the house they proceeded to unload the
furniture and put up the bedsteads
Before the boys had got through, the father
came and stated to them that he could not in
duce their mother to accompany him, and
wished they would 90 and see what they
could do. They at once went back TO the
house and found their mother lying upon the
floor almost entirely naked, weltering in her
blood, and just gasping in death.
They took off their coats and covered her
up as well as they could, and ran for assist
ance. In the meantime their father had been
to neighbours, by the name of Ward, and
told him that his wife was sick and appeared
strangely, and requested him to 60 with him
TO see her. When Grips and Ward arrived,
Ward at once perceived that the woman was
dead, and seeing her situation, ran to alarm
their neighbors.
Before any one having sufficient knowledge
of such matters arrived to prevent it, Grips
had obtained horse and wagon, and with the
assistance Of the boys had taken the corpse
from the place Of the supposed murder to the
house where his furniture was When the
neighborhood had become thoroughly alarmed
and the corpse had been followed to the house
to which it had been carried, Grips was found
asleep on one bed with his clothes on, and the
stifIened and bloody remains Of his wife lying
IN the next room upon another. The boys
were awake, crying.
The examination before the Coroner's in
YuUo, si'o''OI trrat the whole body OF the de-
ceased had been badly beaten, particularly the
face and head. the skull being in some in
stances fractured. Pieces of board and small
otiCho vi "Oou "ClG lOuuu ABOUT Iflc room
where the deceased was killed, indicated that
they had been used about the head and face of
the unfortunate woman
The Mirror says:
In the room where the body wa. found by the
children, was a piece Of spruce, about a foot
and half in length, and two inches in diameter,
which was stained with blood, and had locks
of hair sticking to it. There were also two
pieces of board stained with blood having the
appearance Of having been nsed IN The assault.
There was also piece Of sleigh shoe in the
room, but from its appearance and the appear
ance Of the wounds, there was nothing to lead
to the supposition that The iron had been used.
The head was pounded to Jelly, and the gem
eral appearance Of The body was revolving TO
look upon.
Grips had four children. three boys and
one girl. He is about 40 years of age His
appearance is not that Of a bad man, and il is
SAID that when sober, he exhibits a good dis
position, but is made ugly and furious by rum
Grips resided about four miles from Tops
ham, on the road to Bowdoinham. He was
examined before George Rogers, Esq, on Fri
day last, on charge Of numbering his wife,
Rebecca Grips, on the night Of the 1st inst,
and committed to the Jail at Wiscasset to await
his trial at the April term of the Supreme Ju-
dicial Court in this county.