Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-04-30
SKINNING CATS ALIVE.

0hlN NING CATS ALIN t..
! At Bow street, on the 23d ult.. Mary
Beckett. dirty, ragged and very i'll favor
| ed woman of about 45 years Of age, was
brought up in custody of policeman Stead
man, of the f. Division, charged with
skinning two cats alive. 1t appears that
this horrible practice has of late been very
! much OIL the increase, as is shown by the
number Of skinned Gals found every morn
ing in the areas and cellars of back streets,
such as the coal yard and Nottingham
court having been thrown away during the
night. The prisoner had been long sus-
Pected, and had frequently teen watched
by the constable. She was constantly
about The streets at all hours of the night,
IN the very places where the cats were
usually found, but until the present occa-
sion she had never been detected in the act
of disPosing of them. At about o'clock
that morning Saturday, a costermonger,
named William Payne, living in Noting
ham court, saw the prisoner skuIkng about
with something bulky in her apron. lie
watched her, and presently saw her stoop
down and thrust two skinned Gals under
the flap of The cellar. He then went in
search Of Steadman. who took her in
charge, and led her back TO the place point
ed out by Payne, where he found Two
skinned cats. They were both quite warm
and smoking, and one OF them still quiv-
cred. The prisoner then said, They
were the first two ever DONE and after
wards added, Don't make it very bad
against me, will stand drop of GIN -
He took from her the apron and couple
Of knives, and took her TO The station house
On examining the carcasSes he found
mark OF a spike at the back of the head
Of each, the usual mode of performing
this horrible operation being 10 fix the
head of the animal 10 spike, by which it
was "half stunned so as to be incapable
Of fighting against lis torturcr.
Mr.. Henry asked what was the usual
price OF their skins.
The constable said he believed they
fetched 2s. Sd. when taken from the living
animal; but otherwise they were utterly
worthless. The fur lost lis gloss.
The prisoner denied that she skinned
the cats alive. She found them in the
streets, already dead, the previous day. -
Mr. Henry said that could not be, for
they were still warm when found by the
constable. The utmost punishment he had
power to inhict was three months impris-
onment with hard labor, and he should
sentence her to the full extent of that pen
alty.-L0r1don PAPER.
Horrible Story.-The Upton Advert
ser, published in Iowa, contains story
apparently in imitation Of Poe's Case of
NJ. Vademer." 1t is contained in letter
from one John Moreton, and relates to the
case of a patient of his who disagreed
with his wife, she believing in spiritual
manifestations while he secuted them.-
She died telling him with her last breath,
that on his death bed she would appear TO
him in the body. A few weeks after he
died, Dr. John Moreton being then present,
and as he was gasping his last, a most hor-
rible body, through whose decaying flesh
the white bones cleaned, and from whose
rotten limbs dropped loathsome grave
worms upon the floor, entered the room.
This horrible form said, "Come Will
liam they wait for you-I watt" and fell
TO the floor, where it remained the next
day, and the body Of the husband being
conveyed away, the house was burned.
This story is supported by two or three
afiidavits, taken before James Maylor, No
tary Public for Grand Traverse county,
Michigan.
D@The best capital to begin life on is a