The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-01-22
T III e DISPATC IT

IT H E DISPATC III.
sATUsDAY moANih "a, is,y
DOUBLE TRAGEDY.
MURDER or A roUNG LADF By RE.
JEcTgD L0YEG-HfS SUBSEQUENT SUI.
| eide
The telegraph has noticed the fac. that In South
| Franklin, Mass, on Monday night last, about IL
o'clock Miss Susan Whiting, while returning from
| surprise party was shot through the head and
| instantly killed, by Jonathan Wales, a rejected
lover, who immediately after blew out his own
| brains. Miss Whiting was only 10 years of age.
| OF highly respectable family, aud school teacher
by profession, aud had for some time encouraged
the attentions of her lover. Wales was Is wears
old, the son OF well to do farmer, and Young
man of mild disposition aud peaceable character,
The Boston Traveller, says:
The parents Of the young lady were very much
opposed TO the match, aud urged the ineu uaIty of
age between them as an important objection Tor.
bidding her keeping his company. They were un-
doubtediy engaged each other at one time III
Susan denied the fact to her mother. But it ap-
pears that they pighted their vows to each other
and Knowing the opposition which would be en-
countered from her friendsa to wait two
aud to form other attachme mt during that tima
Before they were engaged, Wales had made her
small presents of jswe'ry, and afterwards he pre,
sented her with a gold watch aid chain They al
. 30 exchanged miniatures
About six or eight weeks since, an arrangement
took place. probably caused by a change in her
ieelihgs. or sense of duty to comply with the
wishes OF her parents. He wrote her a pote re-
questing the return of her eweIry, aud she a. once
returned all his gifts.--the young man who was
with her at the time of the murder, being the mes
senger.
That evening he appeared changed aud uuusu..
ally sad. A portion of solioquy, God knows
what know" convinced his friends that his feel,
ipgs were deeply panied. He gave the watch an d
chain to his mother, requesting her to keep il
to remember him by. He also distributed the
other gifts, giving ioeket to sister, chain
to another, and ring to young lady ffiend-
From this time he began to change, acting listiess
aod growing hagsard in appearance. Soon after,
visiting Boston, he purchased five bsrreled re-.
vover, and since theu has frequently practced in
the woods: this conduct led hia friends to fear
that he meditated suicide at one time after he
had been shooting, he called at the school use,
ard requested to her at the door, but she re-
fused TO go. He vas at one time heard to say that
this and similar Sights caused him more pain than
/ the single act of rejecting him as a lover.
I ABOUT fortnight since. at meeting of the
South Franklin Lyceum, several young men, who
had heard the circumstances of the rejection of
Wales by Susan, willing to sacrifice his feelings
to their love TOR sport, arranged to have discus
sion on the sUi ject-"Reseved that married man
should be ten years older than his wife"-and to
complete their plan for amusement at his ex-
pence, managed to have him speak on the affirma-
tive. The school.hOuse was crowded, and, as was
intended, the discussion soon assumed personal
| character, an6 his affairs alluded to with
such freedom as toexssperate him greatly. After
| this be frequently joked on the subject, and
IL ia thought that this disregard for his nest feel
| Jugs caused the deliberate commission OF the
double crime.
| Last Wednesday evening he met Susan in the
street, having waited for her TO pass. He accosted
| her with " How do You do:" aud Immediately
| threw her note, which was merely folded aud
without an envelope. aud then left her. The io-
lowing is an extract:
| Susan. do have feeing for me- l ask Of you in
| the of God, f~r ii cant have you care not
| how soon / am ont of this world of trouble, for
ever O. ds not ieai ne thus far and then quit me,
| l ask of you. will have you. sIsan. any day when
| withus few Gays. AJAX you and we will be mar
ried il you viii. will always you well. If y u
| will go with me.
| j viii tell you way we can do, and the folks
will not istrust any thing about 1t at AL do right
by Dle. ask you susan, and you shall have & ,od
house, aud be free from the control of your fpks,
for thry will never be willing fof any Of you to have
| any body that you know. il they can help it, Re
| member me as a true lover. Let all old afAra
pass aw ay and all things become new, and all
| thugs right. Fergive and be forgiven Yours
truly; please answer this and hand il to me.
| JONATHAN WALES
| The following lines are written after the sigma
| ture:
80. how | wish you had gone home with ms
that night from the school house How much diff
feTeot this affair would hare been than it is
| Your not going huct my feelings yery much "
| Ey this time both families had been led to fea,
that he intended violence, and On Sunday after
noon last Mrs Whiting, while in church. was 81
annoyed by his appearance and the manner is
which he watched her daughter that she lett ths
church accompanied By her.
Last Monday evening surprise party wei
given at the house of Mr. Nathaniel Hawes, abou
100 rods from her fathers house, and she wal
an xious to attend, but her mother had premoui
tion of tronble danger, and refused her consent
She finally granted it on condition that she woult
ride home with her uncle, Mr.. W. Whiting Sb,
went, and Wales was also at the party. lie ap
peared sayer thar usual, and laughed aud play
with the rest but was noticed to keep his eye rivet
ed her. At about half past Il o'clock she left th
house in company with young man name,
Ephraim Follar. They had scarcely proceede,
fifty rods, aud were nearly opposite the house o
James Mcpearson, when Wales, having crossed
field from the house of Mr. Hawes, came up be
hind them. They turned little one side to ALLOW
him to eass, but he deliberately walked up 10 her
aud, raisirg the pistol, discharged the contents
one barrel, with the muZZe nearly touching he
right temple. lie instantly climbed over the fence
aud disappeared over the bill by the roadside
The young man with her felt her lean ou bi
shoulder and then drop. He was much frighten
ed, and ran to the house for aid.
Assistance came, aud the wounded gir
was removed to the house. She never spoke O
recovered her sepees afterwards, DIR. King,
skilifui physician, WAS promptly called, but onl,
to see her life ebb ont with its purple flood. Sh
died at about two O'Clock, surrounded by he
fisnds, almost laii PROSTATE by the blow
of grief.
Early yesterday mnrnng party proceeded T.
trace the footsteps Of Wales who, it was antici
pated, had committed suicide. The father baC
been previously advised Of che murder and ha,
expressed the hope and prayer that his son nigh
be found dead They tracked him for about
mile through swamps and pastures, to Bald Hill
where they found the body at 5 o'clock, in a piec,
of young woodland, flooded with blood, and will
the pistol lying at the feet. He had removed hi
clothing sufficiently 10 place the muZzio Of th'
pistol directly 20 his body without injuring tb,
clothing, and had thus discharged it Just beoa Y
poorer suit OF clothes than usnal TO the party, t.
be prepared for the event. He looked perfectly
natural, and wore a smile even in death.
A singular coincidence in regard to the sad af
fair is the fact. that for some months past ageG
relative of the deceased young lady has frequent
| ly expressed her almost certain fear that ''some
thing dreadful vas to happen TO her family
(which they would never get tower" How fatally
her prediction has been realized
| SINGULAR iNcIDENT.-A MN Digs HIS Our
Graae.-0ur readers no doubt recoeet that SOM.
weeks ago We echroncled ia the Herald the acci
dental shooting and killing OF a DIR. Jones, neal
Waterford. His friends at Waterford had mad.
all necessary arrangements for the burial: Mr.
| Mckinney employed to make the coffin anc
dig the grave. But previous to the intermen
the relatives of Jones appeared, and the corpse
| was removed for interment iu distant church
yard. Thus the grave dug by Mckinney remain
ed open. Aud now comes the strange part of thir
chapter OF strange incidents. Nick inney, while
| riding few days since, was throwa and killed -
His CT fin made Of the panks sawed by hi:
own hands, on which the lifeless body of Jone,
had repesed; and he was buried in the grave
which he had dug for Jones. Thus is presented
the unnsu8l nlp of a man who sslaaps