The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-09-11
THE DAILY DISPATCH



ssy..slpses - II, ISo0.
SHOCKING TRAGEDY IN PHrLADELPHrA.-Mur
der ana attempted Saicide-It was briefly stated
yesterdsy that on the day before, In philsde,pb,,
Nathaniel West, q citizen of that place. had mur.
dered his wife, and attempted to taxa nj. ovr ,f.
The Ledger, Of Tuesday, giyea N. so,lowira a.
count OF this distressing tragedy:
About half past ak O'Clock yestsrd.v !. .f,srnoo,
the neighborhood Of Merchant and Fiffh snd Eorr,h
streets, was thrown into great excitement hv |.
iemaie running down the former street towards
e ourtn street, crying murder and "he has killed
ms wife A number Of citizens aud police officers
instantly ran to the place from whence she came
and found at house No "a, Merchant street. oecp.
pied by VIM. Nathaniel West and his wife. q scene
OF blood shocking to behold The woman was
lying ON the second story floor, upon her back, in
= pool OF blood, just breathing her last. and her
husband. iaint also with the loss of blood, was
lying upon the floor directly opposite to her. On
the approach of the officer to him, he said that he
had done IL, and at the same time reached out hi
hand with the bloody dagger, apparently tende 4.
ing Il to the officer.
He was sensible and expressed hone that the
work of death had been eifectually done. both
with regard to his wife and himself He told the
officer that it was the result of the green eyed
monster, and desired that he shouId be buried In
North Bath Cemetary. New York, where the he.
he said were inferred. West il about thirtvone
years of age, whip and cane maker by trade.
and a native of Baltimore He has been out of
work for some time past, and from all accounts
lived uuhsppiiy with his wife, and was several
times temporarily separated from her She was
about thirty five years of age, was a widow when
ne married her, by the name of Arabella Decamp
They have had two children both living, one about
six and the other about three years of age She had
another child by her former husband, all being at
home with her.
1t appears that, since last Monday night, West
and his wife have been separated, q personal con.
hct having then taken place, resulting in his ar.
rest and her quitting the house. Yesterday after.
noon she resolved upon removing and was sngag-
ed IN sending two loads Of furniture from the
house when West came home. At the time q
sister Of West was in the house. and, Also one or
two female boarders He made inquiry in regard
to some medicine, which, it appears, had been q
short time previously brought to his house by his
order Her answer to him was that she did not
want, and did not intend to take any medicine
sent or procured by him. The story is, that in q
very short time after, West and bis wife were in
the third story rooms OF the house, where one Of
the females heard an alteration between them,
and upon her breaking the door open she discov,
cred pistol in his hand
All was quiet between the parties soon after,
and she left them. Almost Immediately thereafter
the bloody scene was enactediin the back second
story room, and the man and woman found as be-
she should remove to some house up town, where
he could take care of her and the children, and
pressed the warmth of bis love for her. He asked
the question whether she would live with him or
not to which she replied she would not.
This conversation Immediately preceded the
skirmsh which terminated Sc fatally. The posi-
ton in which she laid upon the foor-her left arm
partly raised, with deep cut on the inside sfthe
hand, also one or two cuts upon the right hand.
which lay upon her breast-all bore evidence OF
her resistance and the violent scene which proceed
ed her fall upon the floor. Upon the examination
OF the body, by the Coroner, five wounds were
found upon her breast each of them being fatal
Besides these, two fingers of her left hand were
nearly severed and the joint of her left hand were
parted There were also several cuts on her
right hand-all given the strongest evidence that
the scene was q violent one between her and her
murderer.
The wounds inflicted upon himself were two in
the region of the lungs, ono penetrating great
depth, within hairs breadth OF those organs One
or two physicians were soon in attendance, whose
opinions were that the wounds were not necessa-
rily mortal but might prove so.
The wretehed man was sent to the Pennsylva-
mia Hospital in about an hsur after the deed, at
which time, though exceedingly weak, be was en-.
tirely sensible of what he had done, and what WAS
going en- around him. From all we could gather
from these knowing the parties, and their hab-
its for the two months they have resided at the
house, the unfortunate woman, with other inmates,
and those visiting there, were not of very rep
utable character. The bloody tragedy is undoubt.
edy the result of jealousy on the part of the hus'
band.