The true Democrat., 1857-04-07
Remarkable and Extraordinary
 Murders

Occasionally in the history of crime a mur- der of trghtful character, surrounded by cir cumstances of the most mysterious and excit- Ing nature startles the public mind, and sends a thrill of horror through every nerve of so ciety.
 Iwenty-seven years ago, the quiet town of oalem was aroused from its usual state of tor DOT oy the discovery that Mr. Joseph White. one oi the oldest and wealthiest of its citizens liao been murdered in his bed, in his own house, ln the very heart of the town. The whole community were aroused. The excite meht spread throughout the country, a com- mlttee of vigilance was formed of which Io. sePh J Knapp, prosperous merchant of Sa- lem, was amember. The dreadful mystery was brouShtto light through his means. A let ter addressed to him from Maine was received lie could not understand its contents and laid u before the committee. From the ceue thus furnished the perpetrators were bror ght to ius tlce and-horrIble for that fathers heart-two or the murterefs proved to be Mir. Knapp's own sons Richard Crowninsheld who inflicted the blow, committed suicide in prison J. J.. Knapp J., and F. J. Knapp were executed in the Sa lem jail yard. MT. Webster assisted the oo- vernment in the prosecution, and made on the | occasion one of the most remarkable and mas terly arguments ever uttered A few years later, the case of Maria Cor nell, a factory girl in Fall River and member or the Methodist church in that place, absorb ed the public mind for months. Rev. Epbraim h Avery was implicated in that murder. i'm proper intercourse with the victim and a fear of discovery were urged as the impelling motives to the deed The clergyman was brought to trial, but was not convicted
 About the same time the murder of Helen ,j eWptt. COurtpSar in Nau- N,,ri 1 on~hlch community fed for while. She was a sort ol mistress to young man named R. P. Robinson; who, after living with her for some tune, now desired to leave her in order to get married Before severng the connection he deSred to obtain portrait and letters which sne had ot hls, and earnestly desired her to surrender them. With the tenacitv of a female Who was herself on the point of being discard ed, she clung to the memorials of her liasons She refused to yield anything. He insisted She remained firm to her purpose. Such was the state of their mutual relations at the time when she was found murdered in the house of l Rosina Townsend After the coroper's innucst
 Robinson was arrested. His trial followed: and after full and fair hearing of the murder, he was acquitted, there being nothing but cir cumstancal evidence against him.
 The case of Adams, who was murdered by John C. Colt, in New York city, near fifteen years ago, will occur to every ones memorv.-| The New York Herald thus gives a succinct | remembrance of it:
 "Colt taught book keeping; Adams was | printer. Colt wrote book on the special bu- siness to which he devoted himself. Adams | printed that book, bat did not get paid. sum ot three or foNr hundred dollars remained due from Colt to him, greatly to their joint discom- fort. Adams was anxious to obtain the money; Colt dlsllked excessively to be dunned Thi, being the state of affairs between them. Mir j " heeier, q writing master, who occupied the next room to Colt, heard sounds in that room Mhlch alarmed hnn; he communicated with the police bat they thought light of his ap- prehenslons; finally he saw Colt packing some thlng III box, and pressin-, it down by kneel- Ing upon the lii. Meanwhile the printer Adams was missed. Itwas known that he had an appointment with Colt at his office on the day on which he had disappeared. It was dis covered by the evdeuce of Wheeler that scuiile had taken place in Colts room that day. It was ascertalncd, by the disclosures of the carman who carried the box away from Colts office, that it had been shipped on board the Kalamazoo That vessel was still in bort. Her hold was searched, and the box found It was opened and the dead body of Adams was | trial and convicted. Notwithstanding the most severe pressure, pardon or communication ot his sentence was withheld; and just before the time when he was to suffer the penalties of the law, he committed suicide.
 The public will not soon forget the shocking | murder of Mathews in Augusta, Me, some ten years ago, by Dr. John c. Coolidge, a medical practitioner of that town. The case was al- | luded to by Rev. MT. kallach two Sundays ago, Tn his sermon on slanderers. Coolidge | invited Mathews to a social sit down. Liquors were introduced, the party was gay, but the fell murderer introduced hvdrocvanic acid into the social glass, and the doomed victim fell n- simultaneously corpse before his entertainer Coolidge was tried, convicted and sentenced, but died Tn prison before the time had expired | for it's execution.
 Dr. Parkham was murdered, like Adams, in | the room of his debtor, in sudden, violent and l savage manner. The improbabi;ty that man could take brother professors life for such trlfie shrouded the case in mystery for d long while. But when the truth came out, it was made apparent that, from the first, the gene ral conviction of the public was correct, and that suspicion had been properly directel to- ward the guilty party. Dr. Webster, as is | known, was rghteously executed in Boston for his crime.
 The murder of Parker, in Manchester, few years ago, is another of those startling cases which have been shrouded in impcnetrable | mystery. Mr. Parker was called for at his | house one evening, and by representations made to him b.; his visitor, was induced to ac- company him in a sleigh, but whther, or for what purpose, or who his visitor was, have ne yer been known Mr. Parker did not return, and on search being made, his body was disco vered, horribly mangled, in a wood a short dis tance from Manchester Three persons were arrested on suspicion of being concerneI in this murder, and lengthy examinations were made in Saco, South Berwick and Manchester In the latter examination Frank Pierce acted as counsel for the accused. The minute and care ul investigations that were made failed to con- nect the prisoners with the murder, and the perpetrators are to this day, unknown.
 The New York Herald calls to mind still later case that of pr. Lutener, the oculist of Grand street. in that city. The Herald says:
 This case is very similar in some respects to the one which is now absorbing attention. pr. Lutener was a man of gallant habits, and amo- rous acquaintance was large; and though the eye and tRe ear were the organs he profe,sed to treat, he was successful in the management of others also. He made the acquaintance of Mrs. Hayes, from whom he obtained in some way package of curious private letters. She asked pr. Lutener to restore to her this package He refused She insisted. He, for what req. son can only be conjectured persevered in his refusal and was found like Dr. Burdell dead in his room, having been shot by some one who had escaped. Mrs. Hayes was tried for the mur- der, and acquitted.
 The recent shocking tragedies in our State prison are too we'll remembered to need any remarks at this time.
 Taking everything into consideration, the present case of Dr. Burdell is as startling and terrible as any of the old ones.-Boston Her. ald
 Grapeshot Sunk.
 y Louisville March 27.-The Oglesby run in- ..l-- e. L L L