Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-08-19
COLtHBUs, O., July, 1858.
The Murder and suicide in Pirt,n.Is


The Murder and Suicide In PittsheId.
The Elyria Democrat gives the circumstances
attending the extraordinary murder and suicide
committed in Lorain county last week They
agree in the main wiIh the account already
published The continued drunkenness and
brutal treatment Mrs. Williams received from
her husband, and his success BY persuasion and
threats, aided by ! Cleveland lawyer, in finally
inducing her to relinquish the divorce suit, and
quit claim her interest in the property, in con-
sideratiOn Of certain promises made by Williams,
the supPOsition is dsthroned reason, and led her
to destroy her offspring and herself The fol-
lowing details of the tragedy are derived. the
Democrat say, from the testimony taken before
the acting Coroner;
Mrs. Whitehead was not at home, and no
person staid there that night, except Mrs. VIII
hams and her daughter, who was deaf and
dumb, and another little girl some five or SIX
years of age. During the night, Mrs. Williams
took her daughter Juliet into the back room
and hung her by the neck with a strip of cloth.
Her cries awakened the little girl, who went in
to the room, and saw her hanging Mrs Will
liams then took her down and put her into the
bed with the other girl. After they had gone to
sleep, she must have taken her to the barn, or
hung her until she was dead in the house, for
when the little girl awoke, about four O'Clock in
the morning, she could find no one in the
house She went to the house Of neighbor,
near by, and boy returned with her, and
searched the house all over. They then went
to the log barn, and found the mother hanging
81 10 -, -. L
tie daughter hanging from 4 pole in the barn |
Both were dead.
When the neighbors were aroused, they |
found several letters on the table which she had /
written to different persons, Just previous TO |
tte horrid act. In one Of these she |
Iays;
Oh, that anguish OF heart l will have No
=" This was written with pen,
md Immediately following was this sentence,
written with pencil; a do not wish to live
cannot DO not know half the time what l 1
IN about"
In another letter she says: " Benjamin VIII
ians, (her hn=band,) has done all he can to in
uTe me, but It will soon be at an end / am J
lmost done with trouble in this world. The
ieIt cannot be any worse than it has been in
his l cannot live in this world will not"
=" never felt so willing to die
s 1 do now"
One OF the letters addressed to her husband,
ontains this passage:
L" I have bot few words to say have al
7ays prayed in my hesTt to do what Is right. !
Whatsoever you did, always said must try
D do my duty. left you, in order to have
ome peace of mind but found it not"
One letter was found addressed to L. D. Rose,
harging him with being the means of her ruin;
nd i ia probable that her husband, having, 5V
1n1e n1eaas learned of the transaction, used the
-guments 1t afforded, to induce her 10 with
raw her divorce suit. Such we are informed !
the fact. None Of the letters found were I
gped, but the handwriting was proved to be a
lat of Mrs Williams.
She was married to Mr.. Williams in Is47, h
nd has undoubtedly suffered enough violence
i'd cruelty to craze any ordinary brain; and she =
ok this methed 10 separate herself from the Il
ute who had driven her 10 madness, and rather
IAN leave her daughter in his care, she, with :
,speTate nerve, took her innocent life also
he was much respected In Pittsfeld, and had
e sympathy of all her neighbors, in her en- !
france of the cruel treatment of her husband
The scamp, Rose, who was implicated in the !.
ttsfield tragedy, was arrested last Monday and
ken before magistrate in Wellington, charged \
ith committing adultery with Mrs Williams,
ho was alleged to be insane. Our informant = =
ltes that a large portion Of the male popula-
IN Of Pittsfeld was in attendance at the trial, Z
d that the greatest excitement prevailed
1ong them. We have no. learned the result 9
the examination, but circumstances indicate p
at Rose was employed by Williams to seduce es
; wife, that he might defeat her petition for G
vorce and alImony. We hope he may be 9
ought TO severe punishment. g
S =,