The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-02-17
An Extraordinary And aorri-
bic Crime.
a Triple Murder by Bsoruiting 0f
cer---His Arrest and STRANGE Conduct

4 Triple Murder BY Recruiting Or
cer---His Arrest and Strange Conduct.
From the Clevelana Leader, Of Saturday.
We learned yesterday tie particulars OF one
of the most startling and atroc!0us mus7ers
which have ever been put on record, the details
of which surpass III their accumulated horrors,
the triple murder of the Coy family. year a
90, in Mcn@ina, or that more recent. and per-
haps more horrible, murder OF the Roosa fam
iy, in DeerfeId, in December last; s. terri
be Is tic story which we are about to relate.
that it seems incredible. We were reluctant
to believe II, and only accepted it as true. oa
hearing It's facts confirmed by unlspgtahla
rity-AIr Quinlan, Of this CITY, vino was
present at the time Of the arrest Of the mur-
darer and heard lis confession. The facts are
rs follows:
4 young man named David T. Bivins ab9n.
twenty-five years Of age, Of progressing ad-
dress and appearance, made his appearance a
few weeks since a Grafton, Lorun County,
and establishe.; there recruiting Office r5r one
Of the regiments now be.9g raised in this State
in which he held a IecrGuiag commission. lie
passed as a single man. Soon after con.ine. 10
Grafton, he formed marriage engagement
with a lady living al Grafton Station. the laugh
ter Ut Il grocery keeper there. who had arcg-
'nulsltcd some property. Whether because ne
WAS IN love with this girl Or merely because
hcg Father lad promised TO SET him up IN btlsi-
ness, this sc0andre deliberately formed Tie da.
bo,ical purpose of returning 10 Co.iwatar
Michigan where His wife was liring. and kill
Ing her, in order to be free 10 marry the vounc
lady in Grafton. On Monday last he lef. Graf-
ton for his former home. bear Coidwater Mich
igan, arriving there on the same dav. and De-
in- cordially received by bis young wife, who
was hyng y@ilh his father and mother Oa
Tuesday morning he hired horse and sleigh
api drove out 0. town, returning in tho eve
ming, and hiring another horse and sleigh at an
other stable This was about / / o.c,ccL at
night
( During the aoze1cs CT Tivins in the evening,
his wife was suddenly seized with the pains Of
chlit-h!T;h, onG, as his father was Spending the
evening n neig5bors the old lady went cot
to find him and send Cor doctor, leaving The
sick woman entirely alone During her absence
the husband entered tie hcrsa, and. unmoved
10y The delicate condition Of his wife. dejiger-
atcly killed her. While eDsaga,in consumma-
/
crime, his father ana mother entered, ana the
fiendisA villain not shrinking at any amount
of crime, shat both his father and mother, kill
ing both. He then hid their bodies in the ceI-
lar, set the house on fire, and hurried 10 the
railway station forgetting his horse and sleigh.
which he left standing in front Of the burning
house. lie took the night train, then due, from
Co3watcr, arriving in Grafton on "Wednesday,
Meantime. the horse, which he had left at
the scene OF triple muvjcr, became frightened
at the burning house and, breaking the hitch
ing strap by which he was fastened, ran HON,
to his stable When the house was discovered
to be in flames, and. the conaagration quenct-
ed the bodies were found in the cellar, the
presence of the broken hiIchiug strap tied 10 q
post in front Of the house. at once threw sus.
picion on Bivins The Sheriff Of The county
with deputy, Immediately started in pursui.
Of him. and arrested him in Graitoa, on Tues
day. On being arrested he confessed the crime.
4 number Of peculiar pieces Of silver were
found on his person. which were known to be
the property Of his father
The bearing Of Diyins after his arrest. was
% peculiar and extraordinary as the unprece-
deuteiiy horrible deed which ne had done, and
suggests the charitable conjecture that the man
is insane. lie cOO.,Y c3HIessos the crime. and
seems astori~hed at the excitement which il
causes. lie distributed among the crowd who
gathered around him, number Of his auto
q apis written rs follows: ''Davil Z. BiynS,
murderer Of his wife. father aad mother" HI
jocosely bade goodbye to hjs acqaaintances in
Grafton, inviting them to comc mp an see him,
and tclag them HAT they would find hin, play
inr checkers with his nose on the iall window"
This bearing of his. together with the horrible
atr }ciiy Of the murder, 81 inccnsed the crowd
ci spectators at Grafton Station, that they
were for lynchjng him on the spot. Indead,
bad not the Sheriff who had him in charge been
4 Mason. and called on Masons IL the crowd
70 assist him In preventing i, the indignant
crowd would have dispensed summary justice
10 the scoundral. He was however. saved from
lynch law, and placed on board the Toledo
train and taken back 10 Collwatar. lie IS in
no dancer Of meeting his deserts there, as cap
ilal punishment IS prohibited in Michigan by
special enactment--an enactment which this
case, if anything. will cause the repeal Of
Mr. BLAIR's second visit to Richmond result
ed in bringing Vice President Stephens, L. NJ.
II. Hunter and Judge Campball TO Fortress
Monroe for tie purpose of coniening with the
Federal authorities az TO terms Of peace. They
were met first BY Secretary Seward, WAC iele-
crapho9 to President Lincoln 70 come on
There they lave been consulting, bu. We have
no positive information of what passed between
the parties. Sensation rumors are plenty. Oa
Monday telegram announced q general an