The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-05-02
sil y From the Detroit Tribape.
The WOOdstOcl< Murder. b

The, following are the details of the
horrible murder,i which occurred in
the town of Woodstock on the
evening of Saturday, the 22d inst
James j. Pennock, TIE murderer, is a
man 6S years of age, but of great mus.
cular power. He formerly resided in
| Adrian, but some Is or 10 years ago
removed to Woodstock, and has since
resided on his farln,0n the shore ofDev-
! lis lake, about two and half miles
from the village of Addison, and the
same distance from the scene of the late
Biyins murder, 40 He is represented as
being avery kind and pleasant man
when not excited to anger, but his pas
sions when aroused are ungoyernable.
lie was generally respected by all his
neighbors, and accounted a good citi-
zen by the community in which he re-
sided, His wife, Rhoda, is represent
ed as being q kind AMI pleasant lady,
and loved by.iall who knew her. 1t
seems, however, that there was some
times trouble between them, though
whether through any fault on her part
or not, does not appear. The circum-
stances leading to the murder were as
follows; Some ten years since, Mr..
Edgar Deitz, who owned a farm near
by, married Pennock's daughter, and
at his suggestion sold his own farm and
went to live with Pennock. Since then
he has furnished his father-in-law with
considerable amounts of money with
which new barns and a house have
been made, Up to this time Deitz has
assisted in working the farm with.
out receiving anything more, than liv-
ling, and being dissatisfied with this he
asked his father-in-law few days since
what share of the profits he intended
to give him this summer. Pennock re,
Piled that he should have just what he
had had, before. Deitz told him that
he could not remain under these cir
cumstances and offered to settle with
his father-in,law, if he, Pennock, would
give him q mortgage on the farm of
about S400. This was agreed on with
out dissatisfaction on either side, and it
was arranged that both parties should
go to Adrian on Friday or Saturday
last to have the. papers made out
When the time came, however, Pennock
told Deitz that he would not go, but he,
rDeitz, could go alone and have the pa
pers made out and they could be sworn
to before notary nearer home. Ac-
cordingly Deitz came to Adrian, ON Sat
urday, and when returning met his faith
er-in-law, about three miles from home,
who got in and rode with him. On ar
riving at the house, Deitz found his
wife in tears, AMI was told that her
father had tried to shoot her. Her faith
er said that it was lie, but that she
had tried to shoot him.
1t appears also that ID D,itz hal taken
his furniture, which comprised the best
portion of that which was in the house,
ana loaded it into wagons preparatory
to moving, with which Pennock was
not pleased, and it is stated that Pen
mock had become enraged at his wife,
because she refused to sign the mort
.gage, which he prop sed to give to his
son in-law. High words therefore en-
sued, and during this time Pennock's
wife left the house and started to n
neighbor's, short distance off, proba-
bly, intending to return when her hus-
bands anger had cooled Off This she
had often done before, and, although
Pennock soon followed her, it does not
appear that any suspicion was excited.
Immediately after he had left the house,
the horse barn was discovered to be on
fire, and by the time the fire was extin-
gnished there, the grain barn was found
to be also on fire. This was also put
out, and then the house was found to
be en- fire. Deitz was assisted by some
two or three men who happened to be
at the place, and soon after they return
cd TO the house to stop the fire there,
Repnock also came back. He after
ward endeavorcd to fire the house
again before thrir eyes, and shut him
self up in, room mp stairs, threatening
to kill any one who attempted to enter.
Mr.. Welcome Wooster, however, burst
fopen the door and found him building
fire on the floor, which was soon stop
ped. During the time when the man
were engaged in putting out the fire at
the house, Pcnnock again set his barns
On fire, and they were afterwards en-
tirely consumed. @ @
Suspicion being also aroused that al
might not be right with Mrs. Pennock,
some Of the men started down the road
in search of her and soon found her
body in a sluice way, about 25 rods
north Of the house. The appearances
are that she was killcdby a blow on the
head, from a. club, and her body after
ward thrown III q Itch. Pennock was
arrested tlnring the, evening by Mr.. +.
a. Wilcox, Of Rollin, the same officer
who arrested Bivins, and since that
time up to Monday morning he had re-
fused to talk or eat. Sometime preyi-
ous to his arrest he attempted to COM
init suicide By cutting the artery in his
left arm, and although lie managed to
make two large gashes he was, unsuc-
cessfnl. He lost considerable blood,
how tver, and has since pretended to be
weak and faint, and on Saturday after
noon after being lodged in jail he said
he was cold and had chill.
Pennock has but two children, a son
now in California, and a daughter, Ma
ry,-sDeitz's Wife. He has been accu-
sed Of numbering a boy named Custer
hout that he took from Adrian to live
with him some years since. The boys
hat and boots were found in the woods,
aad he has never been seen since or ac-
counted for. 1t may be that .Pennock's
trial will bring out some facts in regard
th this casa or lfnnrhans n confcasion