Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-07-22
u.URDER MOST FOUL.

From the solemn hanging of a horse thief
by band of regulators, or tie shooting of q
political opponent for an offensive expression
of opinion, to the killing OF two old persons
for the sake of little money, is, says the
North 4uaerican, a considerable descent in
crime, though, perhaps, not so great as an un-
rejecting public may imagine. There is al
WAYS some incentive to the sacrifice OF human
life whenever it is taken by violence. The
atrocous act OF killing man in a political
dispute is excused by the perpetrator as done
in ungoyernable rage, and under proVoca-
ton. The robber, on the other hand, who
breaks into a farm house, kills the aged farmer
and his wife, and steals the money so carefully
boarded up, is stimulated by the appetite for
plunder. In either case murder is commit
ted ; and, as there are few robbers who desire
to kill their victims, while there are many
gentee! brawlers who stand ready with load
ed pistol a bowie knife to intlict mortal
wounds on slight proyocation, perhaps, after
all, the latter is more of nuisance than the
| former.
| But there IS something revolving in a muir
| der committed for mcre plunder, and however
we may reason on the subject, human nature
| stands aghast in horror of it as the deepest
| atrocity in all the dark catalogue of crime.
| N ore especially in cases like the murder at
| NJ M'Keesport, Allegheny county, do we shud-
! der to find relatives OF the poor victims con-
spring 10 the fatal plot to obtain little money
| III SuCB IL uIcdulu VI COSI. IuG
formed our readers on Monday that the three
wretches who were arrested as the murderers
| of the Wilson family, have been convicted of
| the deed. 1t is to witness the cxecu-
! tion of woman, that possibly the female,
| Chariot Jones, who is among the convictS,
may escape in this case; but such mercy is a
great wrong upon the community. If ever a
criminal deserved hanging, she certainly does;
and we hope that no maudlin sympathy viii be
| invoked in her behalf to secure her immunity
| from punishment. She was the niece of Mr..
| Wilson and his aged sister. These two poor
old persons have given her shelter at their farm
| house many time; and only few days be-
! fore the murder she had been staying there
having no where else to go. She it was who
found out the fact of her uncle having saved
up some hundreds of dollars which he kept in
the house. She left his hospitable root to con.
! sort with robbers. and aid in their desperate
scheme of plunder. She appears, from the
| revelations made upon the trial, TO have beer
an utterly abandoned wretch Her brother
was in the gang and saw her practices The
murder was deliberately planned, she ha:
confessed. In pursuance of the arrangement
she went with her horrible associates, at the
dead hour of midnight, to her .uncle's house
Knocked at the door and sought admission
| UnsuspC ctinglv the old man descended anC
let her in. She has told us that there, unde
the roof TO which she was welcomed, she stood
by and saw her uncle and aunt murdered be
fore her eyes by the men whom she had guideC
there to commit the deed. She showed then
where the money was concealed and shared i
with them, and then they all escaped. Sus
picion was fastened upon her as th
murder discovered. 1t was known tina
she had been staying at the house, and he
reckless character and destitution of mean
| supplied the motives. She was met going il
a difierert direction to that she had indicate,
when she first left her uncle. and her contra
dictory accounts of herself increased the sus
picion She was arrested, and her accomplice
were also soon taken. She confessed her par
| ticipation and told the story. If ever set 0
criminals deserved hanging, she and the tw
men who have been convicted with her, do be
yond all doubt. The atrocity of the deed ex
ceeds anything OF recent date.