The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-04-07
MURDER AND SUICIDE.

A horrible tragedy occurred in the town
of Moravia, n. Y, about IA miles from Au-
burn, on Wednesday morning last. of which
the Auburn American gives the following
account:
ION Tuesday night last, Mr. Wood and
Miss Shaw were in conversation together
in Clark's house as late as IL O'Clock, and
parted with apparent good feeling. Yes
terday morning they were again in compa-
ny with each other as late as 10 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 sit
ting. He had pistol in his had, and COM
menced loading it. He tried a ball and
found it too small Miss Shaw volunteered
to procure 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"
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, At this moment, Miss Shaw
cried out, ''if you want to shoot. shoot me,
and shoot me that l won't kick more than
once!"
He turned towards her deliberately, and
placing the muzzle 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. c. to show them to the Cor
oner. He said nothing more and paid no
attention to his victim, who was lying on
the floor in an apparently dying state.
He commenced re-loading his pistol and
Mrs. c. rushed from the house to alarm the
neighbOrs. After she had 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 shot himself directly through the
heart.
Miss Shaw had recovered sufficiently to
converse. She said she heard Wood breathe
several times after he shot himself. She
produced one of the letters that Wood
threw upon the floor, and directed that it
should be. read if she died-if she did not,
that it 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 evidently glanced of from
contact with some resisting substance
Otherwise, instant 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 con-
verse in regard to the matter, or give any
information relative to the cause.
The incidents connected with this dread
full affair would seem to Indicate very clear.
ly that it was the result of a mutual deter
mination on the part of both the actors in
it.
ANOTHER SUBMARINE TELEGRApH.-
Telegraphic communication between Eu-
rope and America will be far too profitable
an enterprise to be monopolized by sim
gle company. Already there is a rival
corporation started in London. under the
title of the European and American Inter
national Telegraph Company. They pro-
pose to lay submarine cable from the
south coast of England to Cape Finisterre
in Spain; thence through the Atlantic west
ward to Cape Cod. The whole distance
will be 1850 miles. The work is to be
completed in 1883.