The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-10

search was made for them All night long re atives
friends, and noghbprJ kept uD the search. Nes-
sCnPeTs were sent to the woods and the hgh-
ways in the vicinity but no trace Of the lost Onss
could be found. II was not until Sunday forenoon,
left on their hohoa ay excursion, that gentle
M, MN n, strollipE in tract OF woods Known ,sS sS
young girl stabbed in several places.
1here was every indication OF a most terrible
struggle between the girl and the person who mur,
dered her, her hands and arms benz cut in several
places, as she had grasped the knie or otner sharp
Inst fument by which her life hld been taken Her
mouth was found fiItd with grass p.ObablY 70 pre-:
vent her outer he body of the boy was not
discovered until about N hour after that OF ms
sister had been found. IN q thcket, lying upon ms
face, HI BODY horribly Pushed in many places, the
poor bCy discovered by party OF lads VINO had
been announced that the st had been lou ID
Appea ances md led hat the lad had fed IN dis
been overnken by his hort ess brutal pur5uer, and
had been cut and gashod 10 death. Near the body,
of The pir were found some unfinished wTeaths Of
forest leaves from which 1t inferred that the
CbI dren had been engaged IN twining wrea hs OF
oak dawes and constructing mounds of moss, when
the brute appeared before them, and the fndsh at
tack was made. ho g1C'- hat, lying on the ground
near by was tas'elu l. trimmed with an oa.. eayed
WI eath ~ d the bows cap found subsequently, vas
OF course tie discovery of this double murder oc.
easioned the most intense excl ement IN the inme-
dlate vicinity, and IN the CITY, ana Safe as wei,
Every person considered him eli a selt-appomted
detective, AVID no effort was spared 90 find out the
perpeTRtor of the atrocioUs crime. Several persons
we're arrested but as uOthing could be proved
complete tesumony could 10 obtained was taken
before a corouer's jurv biJ no clue could be found
TO the murderer. De eC'Ives Visited the grounds,
asked quest collected notes, but did not appa-
rently meet with success
Heavy rewards offered, both by the city
authorit es and bv private indiyiduas; bu5 money
Gid moi succeed in urngBr the guilty party or oar
ties TO Justice The bodies of the murdered children
were tender carried TO Lynn, and solemn ano
TOUCHING funeral services were nsld, IN which the
school children sorrowluilY joinei. For time the
matter was liked of in the newspapers aud in pub
lie and private circles, aud was then dropped for
more exciting aud tresOer TOPICS. Meanwhile the
mother mourned Tor her cl1ldren and The murderer
Toamed at large. During the mdd the month
of July O man was arrested, who, it was confidently
supposed, committed the murder.
lie was one John Stuart, resident of West Rox-
bury and q notorious bounty-iumper. de was ar
under the order Of the Chief eff Police, and was
brOupht to Boston and locke up III the 1onbs ON
the Goth of the same month the prisoner was brought
before Justice Worthington at Dedham, charged
with the perpetrahon of the terrible crime Di trct
Attorney B. W Harris appeared for the Government,
of the counsel Tor the Cover nment, the case was
postponed When il was again brought up, Stuart
was discharged, and clearly and tutlY eXonerated
from the guilt OF SO horrible CRIME.
SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OBJ THE CASE.
On the afternoon OF saturday, the 5th day OF
August last, Mr.. Marshall We'herbee, OF Ashburn.
ham, deputy sheriff OF Worcester county,
informed that the house Of Mr.. Brown, Of the
town Of Gardner, had been entered that morning,
and robbed of silver watch, and several other arti-
cles OF less value Sheriff Wetherbee az once started
in pursuit Of the thel, tracked HIM successfully, and
arrested h m near East WI ton N. h.. at about noon
Of Sunday, the following day. The culprIt eiused
to give any other name then Scratch Gravel" say
ing thai his parents were too poor TO give Rm any
better.
Although well armed, be offered no resistance to
arrest, saying substantially to the Sherf-who was
without arms of any nd don't care q d-n tor
beng arrested for steaIuy silver watch; but have
done something which It would oe q leather IN your
cao 10 fasteR on me. mad rather go to Prison for
two or three months than be travelling about the
prisoner in JAIL Mr. Wetherbee took him
TO his house and provided him with sup
per-. Ate After supper 4" scratch h, Grayel," as we
tive, sang with the little children of the Sherrs
family, and entered into conversation with the
Sherla's wife, Mrs. Wetherbss endeavored to draw
his attention to spiritual matters, and to make some
moral impressions upon HIM. For this purpose she
offered MIN Testament, with the request that he
would read 1T. "scratch GraVe refused to read it,
saying that he was too wicked; that he had done
that since no had been in Massachusetts for which
neither God nor man would forgive him.
Mrs W etherbee assured him that there was oppor.
tUnity for the vilest sinner to repent but he per-
peated his declaration that he had committed deed
| which could not be ferp1ven. Mr.. Wetherbes took
! his prisoner to the Jail at FtehbHrg, and at the
August term Of the superior Court, before Judge
Alen, he was convicted on the charge of robbery,
and sentenced to be confined three years in the State
| Prison, to which he was taken on the 25th day OF
| August From the time OF the first commitment of
"Scratch Gravel Sheriff Wetherbes entertained
suspicion that he was guilty OF the CRIME with wnich
he is charged His conduct while in jail at Fitch
burg tended to confirm these suspicious.
In concert with two other prisoners confined there
with hm, he plotted the murder of the turnkey of
the JAIL Supposing that that officer carried the keys
OF tie Jall in his pocket the plan was formed to kill
him when he should unlock the cells in morning
and let the prisoners out for their customary ablu
uons. "Scratoh Grave 4" was to break leg from
stool in his cell, conceal 1t under his jacket, and
when the turnkey opened his cell door the morn
| ing, was TO Ial upon him. and knock him down with
the club, take the keys ON his pocket, and escape
| with he two other conYcts, On being taunted by
enc OF the other prisoners with lacK of courage to
carry out this des gn, Scratch Gravel said he
would XII man ii necessary to get out Of the jail
"Do you think, said he to his comrades, "that a
man who dd the R0xbuTy job would hesitate to kill
up, lie continued :-"Ihat was some of my work,
did that job. That knife (alluding to the weapon
| ound upon him when arrested has sent two id
| 1anke1s 10 h-n since came TO Massachusetts. L
am willing to 90 to STATE Prison for year so,
am su.pected OF doing something bad" "Scratch
| GraveP then went on to give the most revoIng de-
| tai S OF the erin which he declared he had COM
| mitted At West RoXbury.
lie stated that he stabbed the Joyce boy in the
| back several tunes; and that having had his way
with the girl he put her out of the way These dc.
taus he repeated to the prisoners unreservediy,
| several occasions--usng language whose grOEsness
iorbds its repetition here. He stated tAat since the
murder he had travelled nights and slept daytimes
| in order to escape detection The plan OF escape
had overheard the conversations ofthe plotters. On
the morning appointed for its execution this prisoner
heard Scratch Gravel" break the leg from the
s,ool. When the turnkey came in TO open the eel
OF the in former, who occupied the first apartment to
be visited the prisoner gave him note written upon
scrap OF paper, informing him of the desperate de.
sign of "Scratch Gravel ana his confederates.
The turnkey took the note to Deputy Sherih Al
pheus p. Kimbal keeper of the iail Mr. Kimball
| With the turnkey and workman employed about
the premises, went 20 the cell and let the prisoners
out one BY one and thus prevented the execution
found in "ecra ch GIavels" cell but nothing was
said to him concerning 1t at the time.
On lecelying his sentence, "Scratch Gravel" was,
sV wI. - Na - 4Fna A. r.