The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-02-10

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Tuesday morning our community was
shocked at report brought into town that
one of those, tragic events which tell of the
deep deprayity into which human nature can
descend, or the intensity of, the feeling. that
can rend the bunaa soul, had taken, place
in onr midst "a man had murdered and
dissccted bis wife. and deliberately hung
+, himself, about five miles west Of Newton, on
the farm of Mr.. l.. ID. Sims Repairing at
| once to the scene of the murder, we were
shown the room in which the murder was
conmltted---a. very, small, low room, in which
was found the bE,oly axe and blood-stained
bed on which probably the deed was done.
Thence, following the clearly marked track
around barn, to a spot where the dead body
of the wife evidently had been laid down, in
to low straw-thatched stable, which was
reaeilei through q law, na-rcn- passage, We
came upon such sight as God forbid we
should ever again witness. Immediately in
front of US, as we catered, lay the head of
the wife and mother partially wrapped in an
old stocking and laid up in the straw; near
by in a rough log manger, ,ay the hcaati,sss
trunk, wrapped in blue-figured silk dress
and bloody sheet, the legs skillfnlly severed
at the knee JOINT, and the stomach opened
just below the breast bone; within few feet
of the head and tnangled body hung the life
less boiy of the husband and father. his feet
resting firmly on the ground, his knees bent,
and his hands hanging careless!y by his side
? He had fastened a strap to rail in the low
roof, had then slipped his head through a
moose, and in the most determined and delib-
crate manner had launched himself into the
presence of his God He could have saved
himself either by gr,sping the rail above him
or by merely Strengthening himself, as he
rested upon the ground. Surely, he must
have welcomed death as relief from the tor
ments of his poor tortured soul ~" d .'.'
An inquest was held in the afternoon which
elected the following facts: The deceased
Harvey Copeland and Lucinda Copeland
were about 30 and 25 years Of age respective
". They came from Henry county, Indi.
ana, where the deceased wife has mother
and other relatives living. Their married
if. had Been unhappy. For awhile they Hv,
. cd near Fort Des Moines, but, Separating, be
went to Missouri some nine months since
and she came into Jasper county to i've with
her friends. 4 short time since, he came
back and sought reconciliation which she
for some tiine refused. Finally asscntinc
they, on Monday moved into small build
ing on t'n pace or Mr. Sims, he saving e
others that ne had determined to do better
and hoped She would The buildin, wa.
some five or six feet distant from Mr.. Sims
dwelling. Monday night loud talk was
heard--principally the wifas voice, forlsDmt
tyo hours. Then some one was heard 10 .,
out and retura in few moments, after whici
a noise as ofa blow, and she was heard t
ery m,t '.0h, don't, Harv.r' Several othel
bows.f llaSel, quickly, and all was STILL
l,aAhout two hours before day, the ellild.
bright little boy three or four years old, wa
heard crying and calling for its mother, bu
nothing strange was thought of these thing
until in themornins the little fellow came h
Mr. Sims door, crying, with his blood-stain
ed shirt in his hand Search was i,nmcdi
ately made aud the bodies soon found as de
scribed above. A post-mortem examination
of the body of the wife showed three severe
blows on the skull. two of which were sn.li
Gent of themselves to have caused instant
death. Hor stomach was found to be open
cd by incisions made at right angles to one
another, and a pail. Of fine CATERS put with
in, one OF which was almost torn in pieces
though evidhntly new. The deceased hus
band was a butcher by trade. He did his
work Of dissecting with razor found in his
pocket. His ohjeet appears at first to have
been to destroy the body and other eviden
ces of his guilt, but finding i impossible, put
an end to his existence. .-lJasper Press,