Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-06-25

BUToHERY OF WoMAN.-The Detroit
Free Press of Saturday contains the particu-
lars of a cruel butchery, in which a woman
was the victim, near Hastings, Barry county:
1.-The murdered woman was Mrs. Jane
Harding, of Napoleon. She was formerly
with her husband, resident of Barry county,
and lived near John Dillin. About two
years ago, three grain stacks belonging to the
latter, which stood near Mrs. Harding's house,
were burned. This occurred in the daytime,
and was attributed by Dillin to Mrs Harding.
He collected party of five men, and they
proceeded to the house of Mrs. Harding took
her out by force, tGyred and feathered her, and
then burned her house to the ground. For
this act they were arrested, and having for
feted their bail once and delayed the prose-
cution tor some time, the matter was finally
settled by the payment of 5000 on the part of
the defendants. There the matter rested and
the Hardings moved away and settled in Ma
poleon, Jackson county.
Some little time since Mrs. Harding went
back to Barry county to visit her relatives re-
siding there. About two weeks since she
determined upon going home. Previous to
doing so she had occasion to visit post office
mile or two distant, and started 10 the
morning for that purpose. Stopping at the
house of neighbor, she said she desired to
see John Dillin in regard to fence which
enclosed a half acre lot i'll which her child
was buried, from which he had taken and car
ried away some rails.
At this time Dillin had passed by the house,
and she joined him, the two walking into
a dense piece of woods, on their way to
the post office Having arrived at the centre
of the woods, he knocked her down with a
club, dragged her into the woods, and stabbed
her no less than sixteen times. He then threw
her body into a cavity in the ground, caused
by the upturning of the roots of a tree, and
threw a log upon it, together with some bark.
and other materials calculated to conceal it.
Suspicious were excited at the time, from
the fact that he was known to have entered
the wood with her, and to have arrived at the
post office much excited, and with muddy
and torn clothes, alone. 1t being known
that bad blood existed between them, some
| Investigations were made which resulted in
no discoveries, and it was supposed that she
had found an opportunity to ride to the near.
est railroad station and 60 home. A ay or
two since, however, intelligence was received
| from her husband that she was not at home
| and the inhabitants at once turned out to
| look for her They secured the woods eff
fectually, and on the second day found the
body in the same position it had been left in
/ by the murderer. One leg and arm were
covered in rubbish, but the body was I'M
touched The persons engaged in the search
were attracted to the spot by the stencil aris-
ing from the decaying corpse.
Dillin, who had remained in the neighbor-
hood during the two weeks intervening be-
tween the murder and the discovery of the
body, left as soon as he received intelligence
of the search which was being instituted, but
was arrested at Lowell on the Detroit aud
| Milwaukee Railway, and taken back. The
coroner's jury rendered verdict of wilful
murder against Dillin."