Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-11-26
SHOCKING DOMESTIC TRAGEDY


NErHODIsr CLAss-LEADER ATTEMPTING TO MURDER
HIS W1Fg-ilIs. ESCAPE JusTIcE-Thcrc j. vet no
positive knowledge Of the causes which led TO the attemp
ted murder of Mrs. HolcOmb. OF Souhwck Mass by her
husband, Thursday Nov. 18th although IL appears
by the Springfield Republican that the two did not live
happily together. Henry Hocomb the husband i A
son OF Amasa lIolcomb formerly Methodist minister lie
is about thirtyseveu years old aud his wife, whose mai
den name katurah Dibble, is his senior by about
one year. They have been married about seventeen
years. Mr.. Holeomb was strict temperance man,
upright in all his dealings with his nsigbhors and
believed 10 be Of perfectly sound snind He was
apparently very piOus-is member Of the Methodist
Church, leader in The choir, and always held
daily family payers. lie was very stern in his dis.
position and lacked those finer domestic feeling
that impart happiness to the family household and he
carried the idea that is inferior TO man. and that
she should always be subservicnt to him. Mrs Holcomb
on the other hand, possessed remarkably loving and
tender nature and not receiving that sympathy and at
tention which she had right expect felt that he did
not care for her and became jealous whenever he showed
attention 10 others. or late however they seemed TO
be living happily together aud during the after
Of Thursday relative who called found them both
10 apparent good spirits This about four o'clock Az
FIVE their returned from school found everything
quiet and his parents he supposed absent He went
TO his unce and told them that his father and mother
had gone away.
The family concluding tbat they had gone to rci.
giOus meeting ~ the village several mca distant thought
nothing strange Of H. The boy being accustomed 10
rERoftcn through the night at bis unclcs remained
thetc ti the next morning. when he returned home and
uot uuug any ono IN the mouse hunly opened the Ccl
lar door, and called "Motheri" when some one, as he
thought, answered "Whaty"
He procured light, and went nearly down the stair
way when he discovered his mother lying In ouc corner
Of the cellar the foot Of the stairs nscnsibc and
covered with blood. lie frightened and returned
TO the kitchen, where he found his cousin, Emma Ho-
comb, communicated the fact TO her. and she went and
informed her iaihs, who took 70 remove Mrs
Iocomb from the cellar She was still nscnsiblc and
unable 20 give account Of what had happened Her
LEFT eye badly bruised and backened and tho back
part Of her head beaten almost TO a Of jelly
In the cellar found heavy OAK scanilng covered
with blood, and piece Of scalp adhcring 20 ", and
blood found the cellar aoor the wall boxes etc
No signs Of blood were found out Of the cellar except
on NJ. Holcomb's clothes which he had taken on and
len 10 the bedroom Tho supposdon y that Ms Hol.
comb went 10 The cellar for something aud that her hus.
band followed aud attempted 10 murder her aud then
took Eight thinking he bad accomplished his purpose
Mrs Holcomb, when the physician arrived, was asked
Who had beaten her, and she replied Henry" meaning
her husband After that she said nothing aud was com
pleely insensible until Sunday, when she rallied Her
skull is not broken
Mr. Hocomb socn IN the woods about mile from
bis house BY some boys Thursday afternoon, sine,