The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-06-29

Prom the Chieugo Press, Republican.
We gather the following particulars Of the
murder Of q young girl at Pontiac, Livingston
County, from Mr.. C.. P. Bradley, the detective
ofHcer, who has had the matter 10 hand IRON
the lime the negro was suspected, until the d
nal triumphant Arrest ofths Perpetrator OF the
deed. Part OF our information Is gathered rom
other sources, and the whole reveals = crime OF
fearful atrocity. which the chain oil evidence, as
rslsted TO us, directs at the one suspected as
the usrpetrator OF the a~trocions deed.
ON Sunday, the Gath Of October last, a young
Irish girl named Mary Murphy, aged II years,
whose father resides some i've miles south OF
Pontiac. in Livingston county, on the st. Leuis,
Alton & Chicago Railroad, left her fathers
house to proceed to take place Us a domestic in
a family in Pontiac. Her IA Their did not hear
FROM her, but supposing that the girl was still
At her place in Pontiac, ne took no notice other
silence. About two weeks after, going to Fon-
tiac on business, he thought he would call on
his daughter. Accordingly he called at the
plaoe where he supposed she was serving, and
was surprisd to find she not only was not there
then, but had been there at all. He instituted
a search all through the village of Pontiac, but
without gaining information Of the missing girl
no one had seen her. The father was in great
trouble about her, searching all the time, but
without avail, until the 18th day OF November
succeeding, when some track layers iound the
BODY in the grass, about ~ feet from the rail-
road. The corpse was in a very good state OF
preservation, considering the time 1t had IAN
there exposed. Tit body was recognized as
that Of Mary Murphy, when found. The bon
net laid a short distance from the body. and
had been torn off and the strings were severed.
~, -uu,o .x,ob Aicordarad and thrown
over the deceased's face. Some Of them were
torn, and every thing indicated that there had
been a desperate struggle between the poor girl
and her a~trocious a~ssailant, and that she had lost
her life in the vain epdeayor to preserve her
chastity
The bone Of the nose was broken in and the
skull on the left side had been broken. The
Coroner's inquest was held, but no new facts ell
lcited, and the body was buried.
The tragedy remained without any clue until
soma time in january, when the matter came
into the hands of Mr. Bradley, and he COM
menceed IN the case. He ascertained that q
neighbor "a Mr.. Burch) Of Mr.. Murphy's the
the father of the girl, had met Mary on that
Sunday, near dusk at about III miles from
Pontiac, on the railroad track and going towards
Pontiac. from which direction he was coming
and about n quarter of a mile further he met 9
strange negro. This ~neighbor was the last per-
son who had seen the girl alive. The detective
next ascsrtained that the negro had left Bloom
ington the night previous, after having com
mitted . desperate attack on some poor colored
psople, whom he attempted to rob of $50. In
this he failed, and fed to avoid the conse4uen.
ces Of his crime.
A description of the negro and his clothing
were given BY the neighbor and duly noted BY
the detective. Another neighbor saw the ne
gro on the same day also, and his description
agreed fully with that Of Mr.. Burch. The
officers being on track, diligent search wa
made. and after FIVE months the fellow wa
tracked to Decatur, thence to Chicago, to Keno
sha, to Delaware, and finally to Whitewater
Walworth county, Wis, where he was arres
ted by q requisition drawn on the Governor o
Wisconsin, by the Executive of Illinois.
At oil these different places he assumed dif
fersnt names and told different stories as t
where he came from. He was taken about tn
first of June to Pontiac, by Sheriff Russell
whore no underwent a preliminary ami
ton on Saturday, the 18th inst, at the Coul
House, when the neighbor of Mr.. Murphy
(Mr. Burch,) fully identified the prisoner as th
person whom he saw and met on Sunday, tn
Oath of October. He was also identified by
farmer, living q few miles South Of Pontiac
who saw him the same day on the railroa
track. He was further recognized by a citize
of Pontiac, who saw him pass through the vi
lage on the evening Of the same day. The nj
gro was fully committed to take his trial e
the murder at the next term Of the Livingsto
County Court.