The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-08-10
MURDEn IN coNNEoTIorT.
A Young Man Kills his Mother and
Sister. ~ 1ns' r'ss 3


Two terrible murders were commit I
ted the other day at Oakland, Conn, |,
near Hartford, The Hartford Times
gives the following particulars: /
The quiet village of Oakland, Man
chester township, about nine miles east !
of this city was aroused this morning
by the news Of the most fearful crime
ever perpetrated in this vicinity. AT
four O'clock, or little sooner, Mrs. |
BENJAMIN Starkweathcr, sister-ih-law
of Nathan Starkweather Of this city, !
aged, 46- and her daughter, Harriet
Ella, aged IA years, were both foully
murdered while sleeping together in |
their house. They were killed with
an axe, and they we're also stabbed in
various places with a butcher knife.
The mothers face was cut in two by
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 tie head, and
also great cash near tho rightitem-
pie. Resides these wounds there were
others made by a butcher knife--one
through the lower part of the chin, the
blade penetrating deep into the throat;
one deep into the right breast and an
other deep into the left breast.
ELLA, the daughter, presented a still
more shocking sight. Her right eye
: was entirely gone. The axe had cut
terrible cash across the brow, eye
and cheek, evidently at one blow, let
ting 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 another fear
full cash from the axe, sinking into the
brain; and she was stabbed through
, the bosom with the butcher knife.
> Tho first information Of the mur
der was given by the son, Alber
: Starkweather, at four o'clock. HI
y came to Mr.. Horace Whites, a neigh
. Dor, rafting, or rather falling heavily
3 against the back door, and arousinG
the inmates with this call:
: "Get up!-get up!-Come over tt
Q our house! l don't know but our folk
! are all killed, and the house is Oh
u fire |"
: Mr.. White ran over, followed b,
9 Albert, and found his (Alberts) roor
= full of smoke, and the bed on fire. II
:, took the bed out and put it out of tn
u window. Then he went up stars
lc though the smoke was SO thick h
'e nearly suffocated. Albert did not TO
u low him, but paced hurriedly up an
'u down the lower rooms, sobbing an
=, crying
eI On getting into the chamber M
White found the bed in blaze, an
'h the bedroom covered with blood. Il
n, lifted up Ella and found her still aliv
III though bathed in blood and presentin
n shocking sight. AS he lifted her
"s bloody axe slipped off upon the foo
10 Mr.. White took it, and, lifting Il
- window, placed the axo under it to /
3D. out the smoke, while he next got MI
nc Starkweather off the burning bed an
finding her dead, placed her on Il
C. e, floor, while he rolled up the bed al
.; threw it out of the window. II
GU hands were blistcred, and his clothil
:, rendered very bloody.
~ "Tho dying Ella he carried in |
OF arms to back window in the adjoi
" ing room, in order to give her fresh a
NJ and then sent his hired man (w
'p' with others had arrived), at once
IN doctor; but the poor girl died in
nv, few minutes. Her blood covered t
.Vl window sill on which she rested a
',n 1, the floor near by. =
NV "Mr, White at once Instituted
ma search for tracks about the house, |
ny was unable, to discover any distiI
'h- marks OF feet except in the garden.
HAlbert Starkwoather, "a years
81, age, slept on the lower floor in
nu northeast room, His mother and &
nS slept in tho northwest room abo
90 s.h He says noise up. stairs just bet'
Ihe dawn awakened him, and rushing
ss'SS,, of his room he was knocked dov
le,, near the foot Of the stairs, by n mi
Iu'. or men, coming down. that he rec
"a. cred and had sculflo in the dark, q
GUS QUE was overrowercd. thrown down, a
on tho man, or, men, escaped. He she
ms q scar over one eye, which he st
ioh was caused by the blow the murde
ing gave him. The mark, unfortunate
'hu was obviously of an older date I'll
; losS this morning.
rel "Albcrt's reputation is not good
mes lie has been rather fast young m
N.Y. and his associations are said to h
1ayj been not OF the best. We hear
hq- he was soon to be married. In
on bureau was found sum of money
'ere .N national bank bills, amounting toat
Vne S362 There were three 500 b
one $50, and some smaller He
ring two hundred dollars of the money
n q his, and the rest his mothers.
ner, family were in moderate circums
lpon ces, and had but little spare mon
I Of --.e.~----f
ding OF Soldiers Discharge
u,os Jt "a not renerllv known, perh