, 1866-12-09
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
Murder of 4 Child by is1 nother-The
Wretehed Woman Attempts to Com.
init aa1c4des

Ie1t tye.tefday) morning. The lanllady,
o'1c!n. her Absence, sent up to her room 10
&c II any thing was wrong, and the chamber
pnid returned eaJlng that the woman WAS
fcman did not coiae doTp. Thinking such
OLE faetius very unusual occor1ence. tha.t
andlady went up to the room q second time
yith her chambcrmald. and, knocking at the
lcos, the woman came and opened It, The
ituation Ct affairs WINS soon made known !
:hc pointed those at the door to her little
.irl lying dead in the bed, and At once cop-
csscd that she had murdered It On the pre-
r!ous evening, elncc which time she had been
Under the influence Of opium, taken with
he expectation of killing herself Indeed,
tAe cvldcuces Of oil she said were conclusive
Lnorgh- She had 1cHn vomiting, and WAS at
tAc time in a 6tate of lelirium fro Il the cf-
[ects Of tie drug. Her Guild WIS lying IN its
Litod-staiA I'd night Clothes in the bed from
which she hao Just arisen, with thr.e mortal
The siGht WIS horrible enough. and was
made doubly. 50 by the situation Of the
woman. Confused os she WAS with opium,
sLe was able to tell the history of the cir
cum.tance. She related that her maiden
~ WcoS sSF odnp1 Ws
Virginia, opposite MARIETTA; that t3ur years
ago she had married man named Sugent,
sEafnet their consent, running away with
HIN, aud that two mouths after the birth OF
tie little girl he had deserted her, and bad
ucrer returned; that hcr mother had refused
10 become 1ecorciled TO her, and had never
forgiven her mAlEiace, but had made her
home SO intolerable that she coul not live
there; and lad poisoned the minds Of all her |
other relatives against her to such m extent
home, and Was forced to 60 out iu the world |
out, and had found tnst there was no place |
for her; nothing that she could do, and she |
could not bear to beg her way from plnce to
place. Rendered thus desperate by brooding
to leave her little daughter to tate worse,
perhaps, than death, she calmly resolved to
end both their lives, and aftcr nlaklag up
hcI mind to this effect, came to Wheeling to
dagger ard also several papess Of powdered
oJ,lum. and seems to hare made minnie prep
aratIons for death, as the documents pub
llshed below seem to indicate. She said that
for several hours after arriving, she could not
bear to Kill her child and yet ehe fey that
asleep. and then putting on Its night clothes
md placingit it In bed, bent oyes it, and kissed
1t several times before planting the dagger
in its heart, as rho finally did. The child,
she Eaid, made no cry, only moaned, and
had stabbed 1t three times, twice in the lsfs
lung and once in the heart. She says that be-
fore she took its 1itc she kuelt down and
prayed over It, and also repeated her prayer
alter she had inflicted the wounds, and that
sic llad kissed away its Inst expiring breath.
Alter the perpetInion Of this horrible aud
unnatural deed, sic took the opium With
which she proposed to take her own life, and
then lay down beAide her dead child to die.
From some cause, either from an overdose
Of the opium, or else from an tnsutheiens
amount Of 1t, she failed to accomplish her tn
tlutIons Of suicide. She had ronited = great
deal, and seemed to hare thrown up most Of
tie poison. Several powders, with directions
In frnale handwriting, were found among
her effects, rs were also number Of letters.
She :s young woman aged only about
twenty-on rathcr illltcrale and evidently
unbalanced in her mental and moral organi-
znt4on. The following Letters serve to SHOW
these characteristics. We have rewritten,
and, US 1t we're, translated them from mass
| Of aimnst ulcgtble manuscript.
Ar. Proprietor: When .yon diseovcs that :!
| Iron my temasr.. wub TO be laid out decen'-
il. tith plain cofnn. Lay my dead baby ont too
ass eesiae me; VA s a:f aS nRon s ny
| I'll. II. Tn. for ga uled nd s:eA Of Ife- Be
tsr tu q he pse;sxe, ~, behind, ssa pnt M a os
i:.h- - yone ~; 10 % kind. shan Aks e =
Is ,soas nsa ss ss . a. e. IL, u 9has =,
CINE here 10 die. Kenovs nothing from M pst
son that have placed there: ,,~
MARIETTA, washington, Co.
Use tic more5 lefs In ny pocket book for n,
Bum up my dirty clothes. never 70 thi4
airy. bEtl iafled 10 get chaccc when LETT.
Addr..es:.For !hs Proprietor OF the unio'
j n''s'' Tss5S lio1f1, WHEELING, wet, Va.
liz. Epr7oE: No doutt you and o!hcrt VII
t le.s,a ceed Nh,eh have eonnsltied. The 5oun
ard happy hearts may ehudaer. but The heavy hetl
t ~ mother. eistes n.aw, and neothetr arc Ii
/ day Who would u down thei. lives ier nc, m.a
/ who y on1d suf:er. Many ssd hearts there xtll I
wten they bear an cend, B1t. mother. forets
iamilj 10 miftteat me without esute, but 70
Elve you, and lwant 5oo to BE- q better won.
se5 as Ioa st ,nma 5ss nh III.
i 1etnx M nc ~ ao1s. eos Know - tfie
ssis' esris, and eseee g .asss Sc, who ,eve he
deeply Eot to grieet, bn: 70 be GLAD beeause ~
q ME III happJ. skier, | want yon 70 never 81
/ dcal mo1e. but don't teel Ike .rt,tng. som
Tn, ds al ane aed rSo 1Sos FIT
= onc .o Esievc for ms. bat nave r.qae.t 70 Ea.A
!: better. might lave been and might b happ
8, but !hey are the ttue ensc q II M sais: NAY e
fosLlte lhrn ~ no" ~: y: N non1 eI5 urs1 1o
le ''' ' H,rieis, uhio
.. 1w4nt my friends to ncyes eeasc o.s5inR fo5 8
Ma13 e.meS. @ sen ~ m s,s eS Fl e bopt
b.other naassll 1t sninE q the insults I'D sbs
aS ns fhG"h spe 70 me- sm aI sh,e ' desa occ,s
mother md hthes alVays hated me. l',s ,houi
ott for G5ss5 r many Gsss MsSt5 II
50 rctth lizzie ec- to this. Bury Esy child In
tssnc grave ard tame c''tan: Don't remove
be body u ny failet,s houee. Take II right to
b. h3p.ist chnren & ss 4a1ests-EaFe @ 'nne'ai .ss1
nd ,x11 T.m.Niexiil h. dad before dis rracj
m @ou. Kccn III i je!t II Jour house. Reuaemi
ne no. want theu, 10 bring Jenuir's remains I
IT. n iIe to Marietta md put them y he ne" % e.
tss Tome 70 ny staea IT ro,Seea =, 81.
he !s {on 1e sne @ st 70 ~ sas eouas Sr h. 9
Gu ns,p1 INC 1e1s5 e taar.s some da1 say good
,ly tll Liz, to slRays pray for Minnie, and Be g
SC, boy. Forget nc not fea go hsFs AZ !,
m clothes yoa Mank toe W. ,2Ssa fnx ~ osts
neAsen- w nySe nv ~. J,fcaa pN-' 80 Hfy1U
'th ru.mY trtenpon 10 kIil snyseu when
H. ,oa. .Tnai Va. uhy If! my clothes. O.!
Us I;od I'm affAjd twill Kill -. Eun1foH hin
me- How would ike 10 Kiss HIM before
d; but re viii a! meet ssssan. Good a,e, Fl! sis Is
,en md my God foeeEef bless soa- 1eN -T5o TlI
yirl tisN ~ s1As, aon ,ohenonuninnyfp ~ me-
>, ee%x h na St hrttcss NV s;od fascSeF bless
ne How love him to-1isht- TAI him shall u
~ joicct vhcn last ue met Doa't tht1t hard Of
rec Tell 1ikxie col 10 g7ie7E ~ eoou oe Win q
~: and brother Henry HOW !one 70 ece ~
VI Farewell, forcvcE: ~ II co1s11
pe. thougs e h,a. 1en .s scn r. fo ,S.s, a4
ith them 10 aE minn o. mI ~ NV crare Sec that
md n12 me- dee te1l iheln 10, ioI ean't rest
,se. senied here 80 far ifo@ ny old ts.sna: ~