The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-08-18

Ave and a Ruschef
i'm Money the Object.
From the Hartford Times Aug. |.
The suiet village of Oakland, Manches-
te- ahont nine miles east of this city, was
sroused this morning by the news OF tne
most fearful crime ever perpetrated IN TINS
vicinity. ,, ~.
.,o soaner Mrs. BENJAMIN Starkweather,
s;s,orO;n-Iaw of Nathan Starkweather, of
this CITY. aged 46, and her daughter, Har-
riet Ella, aged IA years, were both foully
murdered while sleeping together in their
house ~
They were killed with an axe, but they
were also stabbed in various places with a
butcher knife.
We saw the bodies after they had been
laid out, and hope to never see another
such sight. The mothers face was cut in
two with a powerful blow from the axe,
which divided the nose crosswise, and cut
open the face entirely across, crashing
through the bones Of the upper jaw and
cheeks. Over the right eye was another
cash from the axe, sinking through the
skull and into the brain; and there was
another which cut open the side and back
of the head, and also great cash near
the right temple Besides these wounds
there were others made by butcher
knife-one through the lower part of the
chin, the blade penetrating deep into the
throat; one deep into the right breast,
ard another deep one in the left breast.
Ella, the daughter, presented q still
more shocking sight. Her right eye was
entirely gone. The axe had cut terrible
cash across the brow, eye and cheek, evil
IDENTIFY at one blow, letting out all of the
eye, breaking in the skull and cleaving
down to the cheek bone. Above the right
eye, near the top of the forehead, was an
other fearful cash from the axe, sinking
it into the brain; and she was stabbed
through the bosom with the butcher
knife.
The first information of the murders was
given by the son, Albert Starkweather, at
4 O'Clock. He came to Mr.. Horace
Whites, neighbor, rafting, or rather
falling heavily against the back door, and
arousing the inmates with his call:
sect up get up!-Come over to our
house. don't know but our folks are all
killed, and the house is on fret"
Mr.. White ran over, followed by Albert,
and found his (Alberts) room full ofsmoke
and the bed on fire. He took the bed out
and put it out of the window. Then he
went up stairs, through the smoke and 80
thick he nearly suffocated. Albert did
not follow him, but paced hurriedly up and
down the lower rooms, sobbing and cry
ing.
On getting into the chamber, Mr.. White
found the bed ali in blaze, and the bed
room covered with blood. He lifted up
Ella aud found her still alive, though
bathed in blood and presenting a shocking
sight. As he lifted her a bloody axe slip
ped off upon the floor. Mr.. White took
it, and lifting the window, placed the axe
under it to let out the smoke, while he
next got Mrs. Starkweather off the burn
ing bed, and finding her dead, ,placed her
on the floor while he rolled up the bed
and threw it out of the window. His
hands we're blistered and his clothing rem
dered very bloody.
The dying Ella he carried in his arms to
q back window in the adjoining room, ia
order to give fresh air; and then sent the
Tired man (who, with others, had arrived)
- rnce for doctor. But the poor girl
S s.s n few minutes. Her blood cover
icy 49, vindowsill, on which she rested,
eu III 49, a ,or near by. Mr.. White atonce
:.S.;t-,t.d search for tracks about the
t hn",~ Int wa, unable to discover any dis
nouse, o oI Of :. yet except in the garden
Albert StarkweA 'ther, "a years. OF age,
slept on the lower IL TOT In inc nortneast
room. His mother AID Ella slept IN the
northwest room above ne says noise
m stairs. lust before own, awakened
him. and rushing out of bis 1oom ne was
knocked down, near the fsot of the stairs,
hv a man or men coming down; that be
recovered. and had scufae in the dark,
and was overpowered, thrown down, and
the man or men escaped. he shows q
AGAR over one eye, which he says was
caused by the blow the murderer gave
him. This mark, unfortunately, was OBJ
viously of an older date than this morning.
Abert's butcher knife was subsequently
brought out, during the session of the jury,
and its appearance before bis eyes caused
him to start and tremble. A very ugly
fact is that the knife was found in bis
drawer in his own bed room.
The Hartford police were speedily put
upon an Investigation, and Chief Cham
berlain, accompanied by officers Oowles
and Pope, went over to the scene of MUIR
der. Chamberlain arrested the son, Al
bert. and locked him in the front chamber
with himself and Oowles, CATER the in
quest proceeded to subject him to an ex-
animation.
. While the examination was going on,
Edgar Green, man whom Albert had
hired to work about the place during the
summer. arrived from Mansfield, where be
lives and where he had driven on a visit
leaving Oakland last Saturday noon. Al
bert had paid him at the rate of ss4 pc
month for services which never seemed t
amount to much, the neighbors said; an
they think Albert never could have afford
ed to hire him at that rate. he wa
evidently thunderstruck to hear of tn
murder. an =. ps,
Albert's reputation is not good. He