Washington sentinel., 1854-02-26
From the New York Tribune.

of Michael Jennings for the murder Of Mrs Esther
Bradley, of North Haven, on the 2lth OF July last,
has occupiedthe superior court, Judges Ellsworth
aud Hinman presiding, for the last few days. The
circumstances of the murder are briefly these
On Sunday, July, 1883, about 10 O'Clock, a. m, Mr.
Bazillia Bradley, with his two boys, left home for
the purpose of attending church at their usual
place of worship in North Haven. They left Mrs
Bradley in charge of the house Upon their re-
turn in the afternoon, about o'clock, they found
her in pool of blood, lying with her ieet towards
the outside door. She was leless and cold There
were marks ofblood upon the walls and door, and
upon bureau which contained some thirty DOL
lars in money and other vauables. Mrs. Bradley
was horribly mutilated by cuts and stabs upon her
head, face, neck, arms, and chest. The nose was
cut entirely of. The neck was pierced quite
through by knife which passed Just back Of the
windpipe. Several severe stabs were upon the
head two or three penetrated 10 the lungs, and
one just pierced the heart. In ALL there We're
some fifty stabs upon her person. The neighbors
were aroused, and diligent inquiries made Tor inc
villain who perpetrated this atrocous offence ;,
Suspicion was fastened on a person who had
been seen by several individuals approaching the
house IN the forenoon, about loa O'clock, and by
others going in opposite direction about one
| o'clock, p. m. Some who saw him approach also
saw him walking very rapidly in the opposite di-
rection in the afternoon.
The witnesses were mostly at the distance oil
| hall a mile or more from the house, and not in
view of it.
| They were all unacquainted with the person
whom they saw passing, but from the description
| which they gave, Mr.. Bradley and others supposed
| il might be the prisoner. who had worked for him
/ a few weeks before, and who probably knew
| where he kept the money, and who had reason TO
| suppose that the whole family would be gone TO
! church at that time, as the usualcustom when
/ he lived in the family
/ A description publicly given of Jennings,
and on Monday al about o'clock, a. m, young
| man, named Samuel B. Miner, who was waiting
| for The cars in the New Haven station, saw per-
| son coming on ihe railroad track, who answered
| the description of the supposed murderer SO well
that he determined 10 address him by his supposed
| name, TO which he gave hesitating assent. Jen-
nings soon after acknowledged TO Mr.. Miner that
he passed the house of Mr.. Bradley the day be-
fore. Miner then procured his arrest. A. COM
mon knife, three inches in length, and between
twenty and thirty dollars in money, were taken
from his pockets. His travelling-bag was ex-
amned, and found to contain some wet garments.
The point of the knife missing, and the
knife and boots were taking 10 North Haven by
the surgeons and officers who conducted the post
mortem examination. Drs. Knight and Jewett,
who made the post mortem examination, searched
minutely the wounds which pierced the skull, un-.
| til they providentiay discovered the point in a
| fracture Of the skull. This point exactly matched
| the broken blade which was broken by an irregu-
lar fracture, leaving spur upon one piece and
| corresponding cavity upon the other. The length
ofthe knife corresponded with the stab through
the neck, the width with most OF the stabs in the
breast, The physicians concurred in the opinion
i that no one of The wounds would have caused in
stant death but that il from the loss of blood
The result ofthe wounds taking in the aggregate and
that there was doubtless long struggle, in which
| the murderer held her from behind.
/ The boots fitted tracks from the house through
| a neighboring field, and the money corresponded,
| in denomination and character, with that found
| upon individuals who swore that Jennings ex-
changed with them. Under this state of circum-
stances the jury, after an hour and a half's con-
suaton, returned verdict of guilty of murder
in the first degree, the punishment OF which, by
statute, is death. Jennings is not yet eighteen,
and was attended during the whole trial by his
| father, fine, benevolent and highly respectable
looking Irishman, residing in Brooklyn, New York.