The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-20
the FIEND AGAIN AT WORK.
An Old Lady is Butchered
in Gold Blood.
Will Vengeance Overtake
the Guilty Onep

The spirit of the Foul Fiend seems to have
taken up its abode in our midst. Since Probst
slaughtered a whole family, under circum-
stances of the utmost atrocity, he has had half
a score of emulators in and around this city,
and every now and then we are called upon to
record fresh tragedy to be added to the fear
full list
The last occurred but Yesterday and is
remarkable for being perpcTated IN the very
heart OF the city, and in the broad light OF day.
The victim was Mrs. Eliza M. Miller, q ladg
sixty-three years OF age, who, with her husband
and sister-in-laH, resided in two-story dwell
ing house at No 924 Buttonwood street. Here
the family have lived tor more than quarter of
a century in peace and happiness.
The husband, Mr.. Milo Miller, IS a millwright
by trade, and is employed by Mr.. E. R. Cliff, at
No. 400 North Twelfth street, His sister, Hettie
Owens, works at band-boX making, at Second
and Pine streets. Mrs. Miller attended wholly
to the household duties. and is represented as
having been an unobtrusive person, at peace
with all the world. AS she had been accustomed
tor many years past TO remain alone in the
house from morning to evening, she had no
thought OF the fearful tragedy which was des-
tined to mark the close of her lite. when her
husband and sister-ln-law betook themselves TO
their accustomed tasks at an early hour in the
morning.
I'll ey both started out for the day before 7
o'clock, and nothing occurred to disturb the
nearest neighbors until about haltpast7. At
that time the screams of a woman we're heard
by several families residing IN Williams court,
N
few minutes before the screams were heard,
person residing in this court saw Mrs. Miller in
the yard, engaged in her household abors. No
attention was paid to the screams by any one
save Mrs. Fncke, who lives in the hJuse at the
end of the court, and nearest the residence of
the Millers. She sent her daughter TO the roof
to discover the meaning OF it, but the child on
her return reported seeing nothing.
After this, matters went on quietly until about
hall-past O'Clock in the afternoon. At that
hour, Miss Sallie Wood, who lives in the house
adjacent to the one occupied by Mrs. Miller, ran
in to see the latter. She went up the alley way
between the two dwellings, passed into the
yard, and thence into the dining-room, the
door of which. as well as the two yard gates,
one openixg into the alley. and the other into
Williams court, were standing open.
When Miss Wood entered the dinlng-room she
was horror-stricRen by the scene which she
encountered. On the floor, nearly in the cen
tire of the room, lay the body OF Mrs. Miller,
with face upturned. Her arms were stretched
outward from her body Near her right hand
lay an open razor and small iron poker. The
floor was covered with blood, which had pro-
ceeded iIom cash in the throat of Mrs. Miller
reaching from ear to ear
Miss Wood alarmed the neighbors at once,
and some of them entered the house. The news
spread rapidly, and the house was soon beseigel
by large and excited crowd. But Lieutenant
White soon arrived, at the head of posse of
police, and took possession of the premises.
From the general appearance OF things in the
house, and the relative position of the body and
open the CdSe dl DrbC SlSuU was one OF
suicide. Not a thing in the room, or elsewhere
| in the house, had been disturbed. Mr.. Miller
keeps his earnings in the house, and consider
able sum of money was at that very time in a
| drawer on the second floor.
| Against the wall, and within two feet of the
| spot where the BODY was discovered, stood a
small work-stand. The drawer of this stand
| was open, and it is evident that the razor was
| taken from it, although the other contents were
all in their proper place.
| The front door and front shutters were closed
and fastened. The back shutters were open, as
well as the back Hdoor and the gate leading into
! the yard, as we have already said, Not q soul
had been noticed by the neighbors to enter or
leave the house or yard, from the time tnat Mrs.
| Miller had been seen at her work 10 the dis
coyery OF her mangled corpse by Miss Wood.
| Everything thus pointed clearly to suicide
But an examination revealed the startling
fact that all this orderly arrangement was but a
device of guilty wretch, whereby he hoped to
throw the officers of the law Off the track by
| shifting suspicion from himself to his unfortu-
| nate victim.
When the oap was removed from the head OF
| Mrs. Miller three fearful wounds were disco
vered, one OF them upon thesforehead and the
others upon the back of the head. These
| wounds were evidently inflicted by some heavy
instrument, but whether it was the poker lying
by her side or cast-iron stove damper which
was found upon table near by, and spotted as
if with blood, cannot yet oe ascertained.
On the table on which was found the stove
damper there was colored hood belonging tc
the deceased. IL was marked with blood, al
were also the table and the wall near by.
But this bloody work was not the whole tina
the murderer had resorted to, before he had de
prived his victim of her life. On her neck anC
bosom were marks of discoloration, pIainl,
showing that he had attempted to strangle he
before resorting to more brutal means.
The struggle had probably been fearful one
as there was also confusion on the left elbow
caused by striking against something like tn
wall or table.
Coroner Taylor viewed the body about
o'clock, when DR.. shapleigh conducted the pos
mortem examination. The regular inquest vii
not take place before Tomorrow afternoon.
At O'Clock the body was placed In q cotii
and removed TO the adjoining room, where
} remained during. the night, guarded by th
police and several neighbors
; Chiefs Frank kiln and Ruggles, with their assis
anus, went TO work at the case early in th
evening, and Will not give it up until the perpt
! traitor OF this foul deed is brought to Justice.
I 1t would be imprudent at this writing TO d
!: vulge the result OF their nights labor, as
: might lead to the ulumate escape of the a
: sassin. The public can rest assured that L
effort to discover his whereabouts will be lie
}, untried, and that with the clue OF whicn IL
y authorities are at present possessed his ear
Z capture is probable.