Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-07-04
A Series of HorIabls Murders.

DAUGHTER WITH AN AXE.

We are called upon this evening to chron-
icle one of those terrible cases OF crime which
from time to time startle our peaceful com
munity, and make US question our individ-
ual safety when such criminals are abroad IN
our midst.
Yesterday afternoon, man named Isaac
Van Aucken, residing in the township Of
Medina, killed bis wife and herdaughter with
an axe The particulars, as we learn them
from the criminal himself, are substantially
He claims that number of relatives of his
wife are leagued togetheras band of thieves,
and that he has been made to suffer from
their depredations, having lost horse, har-
ness and other valuables, and having been
severely punished by his wife s brother about
two weeks since That at times his wife
would appear to favor him, and then again
to seem linked in with her friends to COM
| plete his ruin.
Things had been going on in this manner
for some time, when yesterday afternoon the
subject was broached in conversation. High
words ensued. He censured his wife for
turning from him to assist others in robbing
| him of his possessions His wife replied IN
sultingly, and he made some demonstrations
toward offering her personal violence, but
| two of his sons were present who entreated
of him not to injure her and he desistedfOr
| the time The two women soon after started
for the back part of the house, closely follow
| ed bv the criminal. The conversation still
continued, ndupon reaching the woodshed,
in reply to some complaint of her husband,
Mrs. Van Aucken said There is the axe;
take it and finish me y
Van Aucken replied, II have been ham
mered once on your account, and L won
suffer it again" As he spoke he sprang for
| 1 4 hloxr- <ha haoA
with the axe, telling her to the ground He
then started in pursuit of his step-daughter
and struck at her, but she did not receive the
full force of the blow, and he passed on, for
few steps, impelled by his own momentum.
He returned to the girl and struck her upon
the head, killing her instantly Fearing lest
the blow administered to his wife had not
been sufficient to cause death, and that she
had either tainted or was shammng, and be-
ing determined on her destruction, he went
to the place where she lay and buried the
axe in her throat, almost severing her head
from her body.
The prisoner is about forty years of age,
rather below the medium statue, with dark
hair, grey eyes, and sandy whiskers. He
was well-to-do farmer, having fine place,
under good state Of cultivation. A man
of rather ordinary education, but industrious
and enterprising, he was highly esteemed by
his neighbors whowere not connected with
the family on his wife 5 side.
A Man MURDERED FOR TWELVE DOLLARS
-PREvALENCE OF CRIME IN CHICAGO.
From the Chicago Tribune. June col
Coroner Wagner held an inquest yesterday
forenoon on the body of a man named Will
liam Downey, found floating in the river near
F,rie street bridge, about FIVE o clock on Mon
day evening. The inquest was held at the
house of the deceased, corner of Division
and Vine streets, and the little evidence ad-
duced thereat indicates most conclusively the
recent commission of the foul double crime
of robbery and murder by some of the gang
of garrotters. highway robbers and assassins
who at the present time infest our city. 1t
appears that Downey has been a temperate
| and industrious laboring man, regular in his
habits, and ever mindful in his conduct of
| the responsibility resting upon hun as hus-
band and parent.
There is, therefore, no ground whatever
for the suppOsitiOn that he might have met
his death in a drunken brawl, or by some ac-
cident caused by intoxication-bu the man
ner of his death Is not left to surmise. There
are facts which tell with painful plainness
the fearful story of cold -blooded murder,
committed to effect petty robbery. Down
ey left his house on Friday evening last for
the purpose Of collecting a small amount of
money due him for some labor he had per-
formed, and from that time was seen no more,
until his corpse, covered with the filthy ooze
and slime of the river, and bearing marks of
a violent death, was brought home to his ag-
onized widow and her two fatherless chill
dren.
He is known to have obtained about
twelve dollars and this is believed to have
been all the money in his possession on the
fatal evening, but upon his corpse no money
was found-his pockets had not only been
emptied of their contents by the murderers,
but had been turned inside out, while his
forehead battered in by slung-shot, appar-
emily, and his upper lip cut through by
blow, completed the little circumstantial evi
dence, proving effectually that he had been
waylaid and murdered on his homeward way
for the mere pittance of money which he
possessed. The jury returned a verdict that
he had been robbed and thrown into the
river by some person or persons unknown,
and this is probably the last which will ever
be heard of the horrible affair in this world
MURDER IN MfssoURI-THE MURDERER
HUNG BY A Mon.
From the ST Lewis Democrat. June 10.
We learn from DR.. Hill, of Carondelet,
the following particulars of tragic affair,
which occurred IN the Columbian Bottom on
Sunday last:
On Sunday morning last John Augustine,
an esteemed citizen Of Carondelet, left that
city, in company with a friend, to visit some
friends at Columbia, Monroe county, Illinois
He took gun with him for the purpose of
hunting on the road, after stopping awhile
at Columbia, the two friends started back in
the afternoon. On the roadside, two miles
this side of Columbia, they came to saloon
called Fort Monroe and went in to get
some soda. Two drunken men were in the
saloon, engaged in breaking the furniture
and tumblers not liking the appearance of
things. Augustine and his friend left the sa
loon without saying a word.
They were pursued by one of fthe ruffians,
named John Lane, who overlook Augustine,
wrenched his gun from his hands, struck