The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-11-02
GouIdy Tragedy In New york.


gives the principal incidents. 1t is certainly
the bloodiest and most dabolical deed ever
committed in the country by any one but a
/ raving maniac:
The family consisted of Francis Gouldy,
Jane A., his second wife; three sons, Fran
els A., the homicide, Nathan, fourteen years
old, Charles Wesley, four years old; a
! daughter, Mary Eliza, fifteen; two small
I children, two and four years, old, and two
servant girls, Elizabeth Carr and Joanna
/ Murphy.
Itappears that the yonng man Francis had
contracted some habits which displeased his
father. He was out too late nights and
wanted too NV III money. His father re-
fused to give him night key, but would
! get up and let him in when he came home
of nights, and, perhaps, rebuke him for his
I unreasonable hours. 1t is stated, also, that
/ Frank, as he was called, yesterday took n
! bank book from his fathers drawer, which
/ the old gentleman pronounced no better than
I stealing.
| Whatever the provocation or cause, Frank
/ went home about ten o'clock last evening"
/ The family had retired with the exception of
/ the father, who was sitting in front room
! the room adjoining in the rear, and the two
small children were in crib in the room
with their mother.
/ Mrs. GOuldy says that as Frank came in,
she was just retiring He passed into the
room where Mr.. Gouldy was, and she heard
/ some unpleasant words pass between the
I two, and finally heard a heavy fall on the
| floor. At that moment Frank came into
fall lr hn
around the bed, and dealt her a heavy blow on
the head with hatchet. She screamed
and sprang up, and he repeated the blow
twice when she fell heavily on the floor,
breaking down the netting as she fell
The murderer then passed through the
hall bedroom where his brothers slept
| They had both gotten up, hearing the noise,
and he struck each murderous blow on
| the head with the hatchet he had used upon
his father and mother He left them both
IT o. ate and cJve:e | with leo |, an | pas; cd
on to the stairs aud asccnded to the third
floor.
The apartments on the third floor were
occupied by himself, his sister Mary ard the
two servants. The servants had heard the
noise and were in the hall of the upper floor
as he went up stairs. He Immediately at
tackled them with the same fatal hatchet,
prostrating each with frightful blow on
the head
Mary, hearing the struggle and screams
Of the servants opened her door, and look
ing out saw the girls covered with blood,
but did not recognize her brother. Believ-
ing it to be burglar, she locked her door
| and remained in her room. uad she known
it was her brother she would probably have
rushed out, in which case she would proba-
/ bly, have been murdered.
After committing this series of crimes it
is believed the homicide went down stairs,
pulled off his boots and coat, donned slip
pcrS and morning gown in which costume
lie returned to his room
But Mary meantime, had raised her win
dow and .cried "murler" and officers
OF the Goth ward police, who were stand
ing on the corner of 9th avenue and 3lst
street, heard her cries her room being in the
rear of the house.
They immediately went TO the house, but
it was locked, which delayed their entrance
for some time; but they succeeded with
some labor in forcing the door
1t is probable that Frank heard them and
found that he was detected. BE this as it
may, before they found him he took a three
shooter, which was heavily loaded, and,
placing the muzzle to the head, fired The
ball entered above the right ear and passed
out just over the left eye, causing instanta-
neous death.
The alarm having been given, the neigh
borS rushed to the spot, and behcId scene
of blood and horror to painful to describe
The father lay upon the floor entirely
unconscious, with his face and head: bathed
in blood. In the next room the mother lay
helpless, and in the hall bedroom the two
boys were proStrate, and one of them sense
less, and in the upper hall the two servants
lay also covered with blood, one of them
tossing her arms in delirium while the
author of the appalling tragedy lay lifcless
on the floor of his own room, still grasping
the fatal pistol in his right hand.
The two small children and Mary were
the only ones unharmed. As the affrighted
neighbors passed through the room in which
the crib was, the little girl, two years old,
sprang up and exclaimed pleasantly, al am
not hurt"
The carpets and furniture in every room
through which the murderer passed were
stained with blood.
The father remained entirely insensib!e, and
his wounds were pronounced mortal. One
of the servants died on the succeeding morr-
ing, and the recovery of the other was
deemed hopeless. The condition of the
mother and elder brother was very critical,
and that of the younger one dangerous. His
sister Mary and the two small Children in
the mothers rooms, escaped unhurt.
The mother made the following statement
to the Coroner:
Jane Gouldy, being sworn, deposes an d
says-Deceased was my stepson; since July
last be has not been in any employment;
| he had been clerk at Sullivan & Hyatts,
hardware merchants, on Platt street since
then he has been in the habit of being at
home usually at ten o'clock at night; his
| father has been strict in this respect he was
at tea in his usual good health and spirits
at six o'clock last evening; after tea he
went out; soon after he went out his father
| discovered that handbook for $50, which
had been in his desk, was removed, and he
at once suspected deceased, and spoke to me
about it; then asked Mr.. Gouldy if he had
not given this book to deceased, and he an
swercd that he had not; deceased returned
to the house ten minutes before eleven
o'clock; his father asked him if he had been
of his desk deceased answered that he had