The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1864-03-11
Murder i'm Rockford, wright County.

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RocKroRD, March 5, 1864.
To the Editor Of the Pioneer:
On the afternoon of Thursday last Cthe
Sd inst.), Thomas Shippy, a resident of
this town, shot and instantly killed Fred
erick NJ Raymond, resident of the town
of Woodland, in this county. AS usual in
such cases, there are various and conflict
ing stories about the affair and in regard to
the parties; and I desire, if it will not oc-
cupy too much of your valuable space, to
give you true history of this sad occur
renee, and sketch of the actors therein.
OF the latter / know something, having
been personally acquainted with both of
them ever since they came to Minnesota.
l may also state that in the capacity of
Justiceof the Peace, heard the evidence
against the accused at the examination
which followed his arrest.
Thomas Shippy was the first settler in
the town Of Rockford, but he is native
of Glen Falls, in the State of New York.
After spending one or two years in Cali
fornia, he came TO Minnesota in 1855, and
settled in this town about two miles from
the village, then without an inhabitant.
He has no family, having never been mar
ried; and, although his principal, if not
his entire, business consisted in cultivating
about six acres of land, he never owned or
used horse, or OK, or cat, or dog, or
any other living creature. He cultivated
his small farm with his hoe only. His
hoe, axe and rifle were about all of his
tools or personal property. He is about
| fifty-fve years old, and has been on the
same place. in the same shanty, for nearly
nine years, living entirely alone. He has
been to Minneapolis or St. Anthony during
that time some six or seven times,-not
averaging once in year. He has been in
the habit of coming to the village of Rock
vile, to the store or mill, once in about
| three months Aside from these periodi-
cal visits he is alone, seldom or never 60
ing to neighbor's house. He holds com
munication with nobody, and does not
seem to feel quiet or easy if even one that
he is acquainted with chances to stop and
speak with him at his hore or in his field.
He is and has been looked upon as very
| curious and eccentric individual. He
probably had considerable money when he
came here; how much no one knows He
most always carried with him good rifle
and one of Colts revol-ers.
Frederick NJ. Raymond is native of
New Brunswick, Canada. He was thirty
seven years old and unmarried; he had
been in Minnesota about four or five years,
living for some time at St. Anthony; he
was lumberman. river-driver and trapper,
and had spent the most part of three win
ters in this neighborhOod trapping and
other business working on the river driv-
ing logs, &c. He was volunteer in
Company A, Minnesota Mounted Rangers;
served one year and was discharged last
fall. He was considered an insane man
when he had been drinking was rather
noisy neither of them have relatives in
this State.
On the first day of March, Raymond
with three other residents of the town of
Woodland, in this county, where he was
then stopping at work for Mr.. Daniel
Friedler, came to this village on bus
mess, and on his way home, when OPP
! posite Shippy's about two miles from the
village, one of them proposed to go in and
get drink Of water-Edmund Morse
and Raymond, went over the fence
towards the house. Shippy was standing
at his woodpile. They asked him for a
drink of water. He made no answer, but
walked around back of the house, they
following him, supposing he was going for
water. After going part way around the
house he suddenly turned, and told
them to leave his place. Some few
words passed between them, when Shippy
went into his house and got his rifle, and
followed them out to the road, some four
of FIVE rods, when Raymond turned and
said: "Now we are in the highway, shoot,
if you want to-" ct the same time stepping
out from behind a tree, where he had
been standing for moment.
Shippy took deliberate aim and fired,
the ball passing through the left lung and
the heart and right lung, and coming out
on the right side. Raymond made two or
three steps forward and fell dead.
AS soon as possible one of the men who
were with him returned to the village,
and a number of the citizens went out
with "a team, and took up the body and
brought it to the village, and having ar
rested Shippy, they brought him in the
same wagon-the murdered man and the
murderer side by side. Shippy seemed as
unconcerned as though he had merely shot
squirrel.
Coroner J. S. Locke held an inquest on
Saturday, and the jury returned a verdict
in accordance with the facts as above
stated On the same day the prisoner
bad an examination an. was committed
to the county Jail to await his trial. 1t
seems that Shippy, by living alone SO long
and perhaps from being little insane, be-
lieved that he was acting in sef-defence
in shooting Raymond, although there was
nothing elected before the coroner's jury
, or on the examination to show that Ray
mond or Moore used any threatening
language or made any demonstrations
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