Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1858-01-23
uorrib,e murder at POolviIIe.


Father 0nd Mother Butchered =
Their Hearts taken ont THE Bod
aes Cut Up IA Portion Of One
Roasted and Eaten By the Murderer
--.4uempted Murder of Sister,
Brother and fife !--.4rrest and Full
Confession Ofthe Murderer g!
The annexed are the particulars OF the
horrible parcide at Hamilton, New York,
briefly announced by telegraph, day or
two ago, copied from the Utica n. ~
Telegraph of Tuesday
A tragedy, unequalIed i'll the annals OF
crime. occurred al Thompson's Mills, a.
bout five miles southeast of Hamilton Vii
Iage, on Sunday night. Jared Comsiock
and CIarissa, his wife, were brulaIly muir
dered by their own son, VIM. ComstOck.
The murderer was arrested by officer
Tucker, on warrant issued by Justice
Peck, about o'clock A. NJ, yesterday.
The paricide is man 81 years old, a.
bout 5 feet 7 inches in height; his cloth
ing was besmeared with blood when
found. lie has been drinking hard for
some time, and is evidently laborng I'M
der the effects Of mGnia-a-pOtU.
He converseG calmly in relation 10 the
awful deed, manilesting no concern Tor
himself, speaking ofihe manner in which
he deprived his parents of life, as If he
had been buchering hogs. He says, for
about four or five days, something seemed
to tell him lie must have a number o.
hearts; this was repeated TO him. many
times during the day; he seemed 10 live III
Sherburne, and wire came over the hill,
connecting with the room, telling him he
must have a number Of hearts; some one
who lived in Sherburne seemed to teIe-
graph for them.
"Three or four days ago attempted 10
kill my father TO get his heart. Yesterday,
| went again, placed an axe in the room,
intending, if | could find my brother and
his wife setting down to kill them both
al once. Ii seemed as if | must have both
their hearts, but did not find them so Sill
uated. About dark went over 10 my
fathers, and found him and my mother
silling--she was sewing. | Immediately
struck her with skillet Oil the head and
broke it.
then struck my father over the head
three or four times with the remains OF the
skillet, and attempted to get the aAe. AZ
ter knocking my. father DOWN. got the axe
and cut out their hearts, and put them i'll
the stove and burned them. This voice
seemed TO tell me that the hearts must be
burned. After the deed | washed my
hands, and after remaining in the house
short lime, left and went down 10 a. Gus
tjngs.
When arrived found my brother and
his wife there, visiting. | told them |
had some fresh meat up 70 fathers; alter
remaining there a short time,i went down
to The house of Harmon Guslin and told
them to get me quart of cider and bottle;
and after obtaining it, lctt loE my father
house without mentioning anything con.
corning the deed. On arriving lay down
upon The Iourge,near my father and moth
er and slept for some rme--untII near
morning-.on awakening left The house
and met several persons coming towards
1t.
do notreco!lect who had Informed
Of the deed previous to this. As they ap-
preached me some one said Here is
Bill This was about eight rods west OF
my fathers. They a. ked me what | had
been doing. told item il was none OF
a e Al hrl