The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-02-20
Particulars Of the Terrible Tragedy
at Auburn, Maine.

The Lewiston Journal contains the lOl-
lowing additional particulars of the shock
ing tragedy in the village Of West Auburn
Maine, in which the victims were Mrs. Su-
sannah Kinsley widow, aged about sixty
four years. and Miss Polly Caswell, a maiden
lady, aged about sixty-seven years, who re-
sided together alone in cottage:
On the floor, lying across the door stool
Of an open door leading into small entry
separating the sitting-room from a sleeping
apartment, was stretched the lifeless body
OF Polly Caswell-her head and shoulders
in the entry, and her body and lower limbs
in the sitting room. The body was partially
covered with night dress, and or proceed
ing to take hold of it, it was found frozen
stifly, and given evidence of having been
in that condition for some days. A broken
chair, covered with blood, lay near, affording
evidence in itself thatit had been used in
aiding in the murder of Miss G.
Hardly had this terrible scene been real
lied before another still more terrible met
their gaze. In the bed in small bedroom,
ten feet square, adjoining the sitting-room,
and connected with it by door, which was
open, was the lifeless and ghasily body OF
the widow Kinsley, also frozen stiff, and
lying with her nightclothes on, in pool Of
congealed blood. The bed-clothes were
matted with blood, the guilt and feather
tick torn, and feathers were scattered about,
and everything indicated that terrible
struggle for life had taken place, Mrs
Kinsley being large and powerful woman.
The body Of Mrs. Kinsley was horribly
cut and mangled. The jugular vein was
severed by q deep cash on the side OF the
throat. There were also cuts on the left
|jawbone and on the left forehead, a cash
nearly six inches in length on the left leg,
and severe bruises on the left shoulder, not
to mention many minor cuts and bruises.
The immediate cause Of her death was the
severing Of the jugular vein. Appearances
indicated that the murderer or murderers
had attacked widow X. in her bed, from
which she had not risen.
Miss Caswell had received severe blows
on her head and face, probably by the chair
her skull was fractured, and her left wrist
broken, and her wrist and left shoulder
broken. There was also bruise over her
right eye, cut on her left arm above the
elbow, and cut on herleft knuckles. The
immediate cause of her death was probably
a fracture on her skull, although tits posi-
BILE that this might only have produced
insensibility, and that freezing did the
rest #9s' it'ss 81
Blood was found by the side Of the stove
in the sitting-room, near the mantelpiece,
indicating that Miss @. had been attacked
there first and pursued towards the door to
the entry opening into her room, where she
was stricken down. The supposition is,
that Miss G., who slept in room in another
part OF the house, was awakened by the
noise of the struggle in widow Kinsley's
room, and arose and came into the sitting
room, and was reaching to the mantelpiece
for lamp and q match to light it when she
was struck by the villain (who probably
had completed his work with Mrs. K with
a chair. Miss G. not being rendered sense
less by the blow, probably attempted to fee
to her room, the villain following and beat
ing and cutting her until she fell in the
doorway, Her wrist was undoubtedly
broken in attempting to ward off the blows
of the chair. ~ ila4a
A more horrible scene than was presented
cannot be imagined. The bodies cut,
bruised, and mangled in almost every part,
covered with blood, the hair disheveled and
bloody, the painful expression Of the coun-
tenances, indicating even in death the fear
ful struggle for life, and then the bodies and
limbs frozen stiff all made up scene from
which we recoiled, even on the succeeding
day, when some Of the evidences of the
struggle had beed removed. ~.