The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-12-28
5 hoe king Tragedy I'm Westfieid,
MASS.

month, in the Goth year of his age.
- -
shoe ki g Tragedy In westfieid.
Mass.
| The Springfield Mass Republican of the 2a,
inst, gives the following details of terrible ira
| gedy, which has been noticed briefly heretofore:
| The most dreadful murder on record IN this sec.
| tion of country was discovered ut Westfleld on
"Wednesday morning. II is no less than the slauch.
terinS, III cold blood, Of wife and tive children
! by the husband aud father, who has fed Nhst IL
| most remarkable, too, about the tragedy. il that
| it was committed on Tuesday morning. December
| To- more than week ago-in hou.e occupied.
also, by another family and directly In the centre
Of the yillage-sud yet only became known on
wednesday morning.
| Albert Stoubs, the perpetrator of this dreadful
crime, is native of Switzerland a cigar maker bv
tfaue, an Intelligent, sober and professedly reli-
glous man, member OF the Baptist church and
apparently fond of his wife and children whom he
| has now so brutaly tutehered He was about 35
years old. has lived in Westfeld many years. was
well known and respected, and had constant work
and go ID wages In kneil's cigar factory He mar.
| ried his wife some six years ago in Sufield Ct :
Her father, Charles Mott now lives in Soutbwick
adjoining Westheld. and is poor, laboring man
The children by the union were two one about
hve, and the other two years of age
This family, apparently happy and united and
prosperous, occupied one half Of double house.
within six rods of the village green. On Tuesday
morning week, December l5 Stouts was seen to
leave homo, and has net been heard from since =
Neither his wife nor children had been seen l,v
one OF the neighbors since before that hour: and
yet, as the family were frequently absent for seys
raj days together, the fact seems to have excited
no especial attention. On Wednesday mornipy
however, persons who occupied the other half Of
| the house became curious, if not alarmed nj the
continued silence in the adjoining apartments.
and, procuring ladder and lantern gained access
to the window of the bedroom, and looked in
Shocked at tile discovery tha hndy Of
child, covered with blood in the bed they ioined
by another neighbor, broke in the front door and
entered the rooms.
The family occupied the basement and the first
hoor above. Access to this floor was had by means
of stairway aud piazza, aud door opened direct
ly into the sitting room, Upon bursting this omen
the body OF the unfortunate woman was discovered
lying ON the floor, partially under table above
| which the mirror hung. Her throat was horribly
cut, and a deep slash across one hand, together
| with the appearance of the body, gave evidence Of
a desperate--if brief and noiseless-struggle Unon
her bosom lay an empty razor case. aud the razor
itself, covered with thick clot of blood lay be-
meath her. A bread knife. also smeared with blood
lay upon the table, and 10 is supposed that she
seized this to defend herself but was almost i'm me-
diately overcome Around upon the floor lay the
shirt and pantaloons Of the murderer, lberally
marked with the evidences of his crime IN the
bedroom, adjoining, lay the two children the eld
est in the crib, the youngest the bed with their
throats most brutally cut. The head of the young
/ a.
er had been 80 thoroughly gashed as to bear two
distinct cuts upon the spinal column. In the room
below, the table was spread for break fast and the
coffee was in the eofee-pot untouched, leaving no
doubt that it was just at the breakfast hour that
the murders were committed.
This treble murder was quite apparently com.
mtted last Tuesday morning, before breakfast a nd
after its preparation Mr.. Stoubs changed his
clothes, and fled from the scene of his guilt
where, no one knows.
The wife was stricken down first while before
the glass, aud SO suddenly aud completely did the
razor do its work, that the victim could make no
outcry. Then the children, undressed, perhaps
asleep, in their beds, were dispatched with the
knife that lay upon the table; and no voice. but
the still small voice of conscience within the breast
of the husband and fsther-and we would fain
hope, for the sake OF Humanity, that this was ST.
lenced or dethroned by madness-was raised in de-
precstion or lament of the horror.
Stcubs has been heard to express desire to 90
to New York, hindered only by not knowing what
to do with his family and this is the only sugges
tion of motive for the crime. 1t is thought he
may have now gone to that city, and there he
could hardly escape detection and arrests but with
eight days time for fight, if he has extended IL
iurther--to Europe, or the remote parts of our
country-he will probably succeed In escaping
earthly justice altogether.
He is short, thick set nian, Of good manners
and more than ordinary inteligsncefo for foreigner
A CATHOLIC PRIEST BURNED 20 DEArH--A few
nights ago fire occurred at the residence of the
Rev. Bernard MeCabe, the Catholic pastor in q viii
lage in Franklin county, Canada, by which that
gentleman lost his life. 1t is supposed the flames
communicated TO the bed clothes from a lamp
The door and easis3ss Of the room and the bed.
stead were completely charred, and everything in.
dicated that the fire had been buraing long time
and it is more thar probable that the priest was
dead before the fire discovered Tho body
when taken from the room, was horrible sight
blackened and burned and crisped till the fesh
fell from the limbs, aud of his arms burned of
to the elbow.
DEATH OF A VENERABLE SCOTCH CLERGYMAs The
Rev. DR.. Duncan Maefarian, principal of the Uni
yersty Of Glasgow Scotland, who died in that city
on the lst instant, was 50 years Of age, and the
oldest clergyman in the Church of Scotland, hav-
ing survived nearly two generations of the minis
ters Of the church. He was nearly 67 year, an
ordained clergyman Of tho National Church, and
commenced his studies In Giaagow In l7S7 lie
WAS one OF the Queens chaplains for Scotland, and
preached before Her Majesty at Craithie The ffl-
mediate cause of bis death was the breaking of one
OF his legs august last.
GLORIOUS UNCERTAINTY or THE Law.--At the re-
cent term Of the Gircuit Court Of Tazeweli. Tenn,
fellow was arraigned for stealing raw hide. He
The Attorney for the Ccuimonwsalrh admitted his
statement, and he was acquitted. He was irnme-
diately indicted for trading with negro. There
upon the accused introduced two witnssses to
prove that he had stolen tha hide, when he was Of
course. discharged, and having already been tried
for stealing, he eeuid not be tried second tssas
for tho same o1ance, and was ths turned loose u-
punished -tofrgfos rrgiasaa.
sDRsrxucrIyl RAMs.--The continued rains In ahs
southwest, have caused great destruction bstween
Chattanooga and Nashville, and on the line Of the
Charleston and Memphis road. Many bridgss
hHvs been swept away, and many more submerged
for days together. In tho meantime the Tennes-
sss river vas out OF its benks and passengsrs, aE
ter laying over st Chattanooga several days were
c0mpeIied 10 take q steamer for Alabama