Quasqueton guardian. (Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1856-1858, 1857-08-01
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.
CINCINNATI ITEMS.

The Commercial says there are seventy.
two prisoners at present confined in the
Hamilton county Jail.
The city has recently been the scene
of several most terrible tragedies. The
| first of which occurred on Wednesday
last, the particulars of which we collect
from the Gazette:
Itappears that Joseph Loefner, young
German of 22 years, had been in the EN-.
ploy OF Nicholas I. Horton for two years
as coachman, and usually slept in the
basement. He had manifested on several
occasions very violent temper, which
had drawn out an occasional reprimand
from his employer, but had not been
deem ID sufficient cause for his dismiss
al. About eight months ago he had
married a very amiable and beautiful girl,
who soon expected to become mother,
and who it now appears, was the object
of her husbands jealousy. On Tuesday
morning, about o'clock, the mansion
of Mr.. Horton was discovered to be on
fire, and the smoke aroused Mr.. Horton.
He rushed out into the hall and met Loef-
ner, who Immediately attacked him with
with butcher knife, and inflicted sew
eral ghasdy wounds. Just at this time
the mother of Mr.. Horton rushed into
the hall, when she perceived her unfor.
tunate son-in-law staggering towards
the bedroom of his wife who had but
recently been confined, and exclaiming
"Oh, mother, | am stabbed" He fell
upon the floor and soon breathed his last.
Suspicion having fallen upon Loefner,
some one ran to house upon the corner
of Vine and Green streets, in which his
wife resided. In few minutes afterwards
and while the party assembled in front
of the house were yet in state of hor-
rid bewilderment, Loefner was seen stag
gering towards them from a neighboring
orchard, bleeding profusely from a cut in
the hand and horrid cash across the
throat.
In the mean time the party who had
first started in pursuit of him arrived at
the residence of bis wife, but found the
door of the room locked. Subsequently
they burst it in, and there, stretched near
y naked, but with her shoes on her feet,
they beheld the dead body Of the Inflated
wife. No wound was upon her person,
but she exhibited marks which made it
evident that she had died from strangu-
lation. Having been taken to the Hos
pital and placed in comfortable position,
Loefner wrote on slate that he had
killed both his wife and Mr. Horton, be-
cause he suspected that all was not right
between them. His design was to des-
troy the whole family by the fire, but
meeting Mr.. Horton, he, determined to
make finish of him at all events. He
was not expected to live. Mr.. Horton
was gentleman of wealth and enterprise.
lie was largely engaged in the manufac-
turing of Iron Nantes, and his firm was
lately that of Horton d Macy.
The community, says the Commercial,
had hardly been allowed breathing time
since the terrible tragedy enacted by the
murderer Loefner, before we are again
called upon to recount deed which in
hellish iniquity beggars description and
throws the legendary poisonings of the
Borgias in the shade.
Yesterday afternoon, between the hours
of 2 and o'clock, couple of boys, APP
parenuy from IA 10 l6 years of age, were
observed sauntering up Buckeye street, a
densely populated German neighborho God,
scattering small lozenges over the side
walk, about the size of peppermint drops.
In another part of the street, rather ro-
bust looking man, dressed in black
coat, white pants and white hat with
box under his arm, was also observed,
occasionally distributing similar des-
cription of lozenge, only in large guam
titles. AS is usual in German localities,
quite number of children were PLAYING
upon the street, and they greedily seized
the tempting candies thus thrown gratu-
itously thrown in their way. Occasion
ally the man would give a package to
persons he met, but in these instances
the parties declined tasting, suspecting
something wrong. Not so, however,
with the unsuspecting children, who
greedily deyoured the dainty waits, and
in short time afterwards they were
taken with violent vomiting. The
neighborhood became speedily alarmed,
and Drs. Smith, Davis and Fries were
summoned, who speedily detected the
action of poison, and upon chemist in
the neighborhood, Mr.. Eckel, Analysing
a lozenge it was found to be composed of