Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-08-18
Homicide and Suicide in Pittsfeld,
Inrain County. O.

We learn that on "Wednesday morning
of the present week, the wife of Mr..
Williams, a wealthy farmer living in
Pittsfeld, Lorain Co., committed suicide
by hanging herself by a strip of a sheet
TO a corner Of the house. A deaf and
dumb daughter of the deceased, who was
some twelve years of age, was also found
dead. Ii is supposed that Mrs. Williams
first hung the girl, and her hung herself.
No satisfactory reasons are now known.
Mrs. Williams had commenced an action
for a divorce in the Court of Common
Pleas Of Lorain Co., which a few days
before the killing of herself and child was
amicably settled. and the suit withdrawn.
-ReUieU.
We get some additional particulars
relative TO the above sad occurrence from
a gentleman who has jus, returned from
Piltsfield. and is well informed upon the
matter. The tragedy occurred on Mon.
day evening the 9thinstant; the settlement
of the divorce case took place on the
same day. Mrs. Williams had filed her
bill against her husband giving for cause
cruelty and neglect of duty, and the
sympathy of the entire nsighborhood-
and a neighborhood second 10 none for
respectability-was with her, as her huS-
band, Benjamin Williams, is a shiflless,
.dissipated man. Ms. Williams was a
woman respected by all who knew her,
bat on The. Monday referred 10 charges of
gross immortality were made against her,
and witness were said to be ready 10 prove
them, and the nature of such charges
were if proved against her, such as to
defeat her application for divorce. un-
der this state of things she Withdrew her
divorce on receiving from Williams
forty dollars of money, a promise for four
hundred ard sixty dollars more and a
deed for fifty acres ofland for the benefit
of the deaf and dumb girl. This deed
was drawn but remained in the hands of
Williams lawyer. The belief of the
neighbors now is, that Mrs. Williams
was the victim of a conspiracy and after
she had settled the suit, her agony of
mind at The position she was placed in
drove her TO the preparation o. the Terri
bic deed.
The body of the deaf and dumb daugh-
ter was found hanging By the neck, and
the feet tied 10 the rounds of a chair; i'll
her feet had been free they would have
touched the foor. Mrs. Williams used a
for the purpose. tearing it in two,
hanging the daughter with one half and
herself with the other haf. A neighbor
saw Mrs. Williams, early in the morn
ing, hanging dead at the corner of the
house. The family with whom Mrs.
Williams was living were all away from
home, except a child of perhaps four or
five years. This child says that in the
she got up and saw the deaf and
dumb girl ga swinging in the back room,"
that Mrs. Williams took the deaf ana
dumb girl down, and put herin bed with
this little child, and thai the deaf and
dumb girl "felt Cold" This, of course,
is a child's story, but it is supposed that
prehaps Mrs. Williams did take the body
down and Put it in the child's bed; so as
10 induce the child again TO 20 TO sleep.
Four letters were found, written, as Is
supposed, by Mrs. Williams, as they
were in her hand writing, but unsigned.
One was directed 10 l.. D. Rose, one 10
Benjamin Williams, one TO Charles Can
field, and another TO Daniel Williams or
Mrs. Norton. The letter 20 Rose was
read before the C%oroner's jury, for
prudential reasons, and in this connection
NAV mention that a warrant has been
issued agains, Rose. The contents Of
the letter to Rose, although not given to
the Jury, was in effect that he had been
the means of running her. The letter 10
wilkins or Mrs. Norton gave d.
REGIONS as 10 her burial, telling them TO
lake money from her trunk for the pur-
bose.
The verdict 0 fihe Coroner's Jury was
hat the deaths were produced by the
hands Of Mrs. Williams. The funeral Of
he two was on Thursday, and called To-
gether an immense c%oncourse Of people.
Villa ms was in Brooklyn when his wife
md danghier were hanged. and went
as soon as he learned of their
remaining there TO the fnnrral.- s
Cleveland Herald. '