Mariposa Democrat., 1857-05-13
Horrible Tragedy.

W american of the 26th March:
Near the Inlet of Lake Owasco, in the town
Of Moravia, and some IA miles from this city,
resides farmer named VIM. Clark. In his
family has lived, for months past, young man
named Albert Wood, and young woman
named Shaw. They were employed as SER
wants in the house and on the farm. They
have been very intimate with each other for
some time past.
On Tuesday night last, Mr.. Wood and Miss
Shaw were in conversation with each other in
Clark's house as late as IL O'clock and parted
with apparent good feeling. Yesterday morn
ing they were again in company with each
other in Clark's house as late as / o'clock, and
there was no manifestation made Of ill-feeling
or misunderstanding
AT this hour Wood entered the room where
Mrs. Clark and Miss Shaw were sitting. He
had pistol in his hand, and commenced load
ing it. He tried ball, and found it too small !;
Miss Shaw volunteered to procure a "patch"
for it She did so. The patch" was not
large enough, and she procured another, and
then the pistol was loaded.
Wood then said" What shall | shoot 2"
Some one said-"Shoot into the wood box
He replied-"I won't do that" Mrs. Clark
exclaimed" Don't fire in the house. If you
are going to shoot, go out of doors and do it. 4"
At this moment Miss Shaw cried out If you
want to shoot, shoot me, and shoot me so that
won't kick more than once."
He turned towards her deliberately, and
placing the muzzlc of the pistol against her
breast, fired The ball entered her body just
below the heart, and she fell to the floor with
shrek.
Mrs Clark exclaimed in horror" You
have shot that girl! Go and call the neigh
bors |"
Wood then took two letters from his pocket,
and throwing them upon the floor, directed
Mrs G. to show them to the Coroner. He said
nothing more, and paid no attention TO his vic
tim, who was lying upon the floor in an appa
rently dying state.
lie commenced reloading his pistol, and Mrs.
G. rushed from the house to alarm the neigh
bors After she proceeded few rods, she
heard another pistol shot, but ran on. The
neighbors turned out, and on reaching the
house, found Wood dead, he having sho. him
self directly through the heart
Miss Shaw had recovered sufficiently to con-
verse. She said she heard him breathe several
times after he shot himself She produced one
Of the letters that Wood threw upon the floor.
and directed that il should be read if she died,
il she did not, that 1t should be burned.
A physician from Moravia probed the wound
and extracted from it the ball and hook and
eye that had entered it from her stays. The
ball had evidently glanced off from contact
with some resisting substance. Otherwise in
slant death must have been the result.
AT daylight this morning, Miss Shaw was
still alive, but it was not believed possible for
her to survive She refused to converse in re-
gard to the matter, or give any information re.
lative to the cause.
The incidents connected with this dreadful
affair would seem to indicate very clearly that
il was the result of mutual determination on
the part of both the actors in il. We learn
that circumstances of a domestic nature, at
present kept private, will, when promulgated,
confirm this hypothesis.