The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-01-12
Terrible Tragedy in Dayton !
A Respectable Young Woman
Found Deadl
She is Supposed to have been
Murdered

the kitchen OF the house, horribly mutila-
ted and life extinct.
The following details of the tragic event
are from the Journal of this morning.
During the day. the brother of the unfor-
tunate girl, In company with neiRhbor,
were working for Or. Webster, and on go
ing home In the evening discovered The
body Of the girl lying on the floor, which
was covered with her blood. A pistol was
lying by her left side, and the right side of
her head was terribly shattered.
Drs. Steele and Weis were called In, and
1t was found that, besides indications of
powder, there were two terrible gashes
upon the right side of the head, which
could only have been made with somesharp
Instrument. A piece of her skull was found
In the cellar. When found. her feet were
hanging over the cellar steps, and the head
few feet from the cellar door.
The brother Of the young lady recoQ-
nized the pistol as one belonging TO him.
aud he said that he had used It on New
Years evening; that after using It, he had
separated the barrel from the stock, and
placed It In a wooden rag in his trunk. He
went TO it, aud found the pistol missing.
On looking for his powder flask he found
1t had been moved from where he placed
1t, although In the same cupboard He had
no bullets of any kind about the house. nor
was there any part of Il cap found with the
pistol. The testimony showed that the de-
ceased was of excellent character; that she
had 10 trouble TO veX her but was of
lively and cheerful disposition. She had
no beaux visiting her. Yesterday and this
morning she was in good health and
spirits. There was no house nearer than
three hundred yards from her residence,
The mother of the girl was out at work.
and the brother was also absent. She was
alone during the whole afternoon.
The following is a statement of the ex-
animation made by DIR. Ii. X. Steele:
II examined the body of Christine Kett
and found three distinct cuts on the riOht
side of the head, two of them crossing each
other at near right angles, and from about
four to four and one-half inches long, each.
The third cut was small one running INTO
the others. The cut commenced about one
and half inches above the inner anple of
right eye, running back and terminating
about one-half inch above the right ear,
the other was almost at right anoles to IT,
and commencing near the top Of the head,
terminated between the ear and eve. The
points of fracture of these cuts were buIn-
ed with pewder; pieces of the brain were
scattered over the scalp, and the fracture
of the skull involved more space than the
wounds in the scalp occupied, and the tenn
poral bone and the parietal bone, the ethe-
DnInU
more or less fractured and a large portion
of the temporal and parietal bones being
carried away The evidence of the dis
charge of powder proceeded obliouely
forward and downward, from its entrance
toward the roof of the mouth. | think the
pistol must have been placed close to the
head and that the wounds in the scalp must
nave been made by some sharp instrument
and that from the amount of blood on the
floor. she must have been killed before the
shot was fired. do not think the cuts on the
scalp could have been made with A pistol
She was not enciente.
''HENRY X. STEELE, NJ. D."
Having assisted DR.. Steele In the eN-
animation, | fully concur in the statement
made above.
"HENRY w. WEIs. NJ. d."
No instrument was found on the prem
lses by which these wounds could have been
inflicted. Neither bullet nor shot were
found in the brain. Tracks. Indicating tbe
passage OF person to and from the house.
through the back yard, were found in the
snow. The father of the girl was a soldier
IN the Union, army, and was killed after |
having served two years.
The verdict of the Jury of inouest was. |
that the deceased came to her death by the |
hands OF some person or persons unknown |
TO the Jury.
There is, of course, no doubt but that the |
girl was foully murdered, and any one
having Information by which a clue may be
obtained to the perpetrator of this bloody
ieed' are requested to communicate the
same to Marshal Hale.
A GAY AND FESTIVE SLRIGH-PAR
ileighing season, that has, so far, lasted for
good week, has been most extensively
'njoyed. The merry jingle of the bells has
1een heard, early in the morning and late
1t night and the numerous "turn-outs,r
rom the boy on his sled to the dashing
utter, and so on up in grandeur to the
four-horst act" have been successful In
perfect Carnival of Winter
in this line.
The sled of the boy; the single team ofI
'outh and maiden; the double team of the
amily, all filled with fun-lovers and health
njoyers, gay as they were, were surely
cllpsed, this morning, by the ''four-horse
Ict," performed by party of gentlemen,
II a most extensive and elegantly decorated
leigh, drawn by team of four splendid
'reys, the lines gracefully md artistically
Jtion Express.
The company, as correctly as we could
they dashed through the
lty, "the observed of all observers"-com-
'rised Messrs. d. II. Dryden, U. d. Harsh
nan, VIM. Huffman, 7. Nj. Miskelly, E.
L. Reibold, VIM. Lamme, VIM.
lckert, and as we have saidour genial
rlend Smith holding the ribbons.
The splendid condition Of the streets IA
ored for them good time, and "good c
me" they made, as they glided rapidly I
nd smoothly and gracefully along, to the c
Ugh admiration of numerous gazers. c
mong others, gay beauty, at the corner d
Third and Main, who exclaimed, with c
light shrug of her beautiful shoulders: II
Just look at them selfish fellows-plenty a
room, and not a pretty girl among them i' &
he was right! h
MAsoNIc.-At the annual meeting Of
Ilnerva Lodge and Trinity Chapter, OIL
the following officers were
ected for the ensuing year: a
MINERVA LODGE, NO. Os. .
d. sheehan, w NJ A. H. Blossom soc,y
enry Groby, g. W. &. n. Allen s. d.
enl Northup, j. W. IL. Gophart j. ID. Il
shultz, Treasurer. o. A. smith. Tyler
TRINITY CHAPTER NO. az "