Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-12-11

snnRuinary and Horrible Murder of n
Widow in New YOrk-Particulars of the
Tragedy.
The telegraph has announced the assasina-
ton, in broad day light, of Sarah Shancks,
and Saturdays New York Herald gives these
particulars:
The victim is Mrs. Sarah Shancks, widow
who, for many years past, has kept small
lace, embroidery and furnishing store in the
Fifteenth Ward. She was a native of
Boston, about fifty years of age, but much
younger in appearance and in manner.
Among her acquaintances she was esteemed
as a person of good reputation, and her
daughter is the wife of Mr.. William Smeaton,
principal of the Fifteenth Ward Grammar
School. By thrift and economy in the
management of her business she had ac-
cumulated few hundred Collars, most Of
which, however, she seems to have un-
fortunately lost through over-confdence in
the honesty of some male acquaintances. 1t
| appears from what has been learned Of her
| history, that Mrs. Shancks was susceptible
TO flattery, and through this weakness OF
character had been more than once made the
dupe of designing men, who, under profess
sions of regard and promises of marriage, had
persuaded her to loan them the savings Of
her industry.
A most horrid spectacle was presented.
Upon the floor lay the mangled corpse
Eighteen jagged wounds were found upon
the face and forehead, while frightful cash
in the throat, reaching back to the vertibral
column, and severing all the veins and arter-
les of the neck, had nearly separated the
head from the body. Scattered about the
remains, and partially immersed in blood
were fragments of broken bottles, a large
earthen Jar; also broken, table knife, 1
small hatchet, without handle, with bloody
finger. prints upon it, loaf Of bread cut il
two, and broken mahogany chair. Arount
both rooms, on the counter, sofa and table
were newly made garments Of her customers
many oRwhich had been apparently used b.
the murderer to wipe his blood stained hands
The money. box, in which she was accustome
10 keep the proceeds of her business, wa
, found upon the bureau in the room wher
the body lay, emptied ofits contents except
, ing one penny, and the blood marks wit
which il was covered were the only index
the motive of the murderer.
J, The fact that the key of the front dool
i and the door-pOst in the.vicinity of the loci
were both stained with blood indicated thi
the assassin had quietly entered the plaC
!, while Mrs. Shanks was in the rear apar,
L ment eating her breakfast and locking u
! door had stealthily approached his victim
4 whom he struck powerful blow upon Il
q head. probably, either with the hatchet {
4 the earthen jar, followed by repeated blow
70 from the other articles found near the boo
n -splinters of the bottles having been left
n the wounds, and pieces of the jar being eT
X bedded in the skull-closing the murdero
ID work by cutting the woman's throat. ~
le persons living in the upper part of the hoqG
ID state that about nine o'clock they heard
le noise similar to that made by hammerin
but no screams or any thing extraordina
10 attract their attention. The blood foul
c, upon the key and door-post seemed to
al ffesher than that about the body, leaving {
ss inference that it had come from wound
10 the hand of the murderer, who must ha
20 passed into the street with the evidences
u his crime about him.
That such crime should have been p
at petraied in broad daylight, in public pl'
.r- If business, is scarcely less surprising III
he that It's perpetrator should have escaped
he Dctice either of the police or Of residents
le-Le,g gLb0lhv0d