Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-05-29
A Horrible Story.

A H0rrlDle story.
A private letter, written by resident of
Fort Pitt, small settlement in the Valley
ofthe Saskatchewan, Prince Rupert's Land,
contains the following account Of a most ter
rible occurrence which took place there on
the 18th of March:
A dreadful affair happened here the other
day such singular and out-ofthe way crime
if It can be so called, that is almost without
the bounds of credibility. The name OF the
last new conner is Martin Buthiere. He. is
o habitan from lower Canada. He came here
last fall, accompanied by his wife and FIVE
children. II in this family that the dreadful
tragedy which / am about to relate took
place. On Saturday,-iust., Buthiere killed
three pigs, slaughtering them in the usual
manner-that is, after stabbing the animals
and allowing them to bleed to death whilst
walking around, he disembowelled them, and
plunged their carcasses into vat OF boiling
water, and then scraped the bristles clean
from the skin. The three pigs were then
hoisted by the hind legs to an oyerhanging
beam. The butchering operations OF Martin
were witnessed by his two younger children,
BOYS, of the respective ages of six and eight
wears. The oldest, Gustave, it was observed
at the time, seemed delighted, not only by
the stupid actions of the pigs after receiving
their death wounds, but also excited and In
terested in the after processes Of the butch
eripg, clapping his little hands and mutter-
ipp. In the patois of these people, childlike
observations of joy. The butchering, as
have before observed, took place on Satur.
dav. In the morning of the next day the
various members Of the different households
assembled in the little chapel at the east cor.
ner of the fort. aud heard mass celebrated
by our good Father Guoreau. He invited
MS to attend in the evening, when he intended
to lecture upon some subject suitable to this
season of the Church year. In compliance
with his invitation the chapel in the evening
was filled with the usu.l number Of worship
pers, with the exception ofsome ofthe young
er members of the community who had been
left at home. Among these latter were the
two BOYS of Martin Buthiere. 1t was pretty
late when the meeting broke up. | accompa-
MED Buthiere and his wife toward their house,
which vas but short distance from the.
chapel. When within few yards of his
doorstep we were all startled by observing
the little Gustaye running toward us holding
mn his hands all red and bloody; his eyes
giistening with wild, but childlike sort of
elee, and crying out in broken French to the
effect that he had killed little piggy come
and see.n The mother, startled at the ap-
pesrance of the boy, Intercepted him quick
( " as to the cause of the blood, but he only
clapped his hands as before, muttering about
g piggy" and said, "Come and see." My
first Thought was that the child had been
playinp with the carcasses of the pigs, and
that this accounted for the blood. The faith:
or and mother also seemed ofthe same opinion,
and chided the boy for what they considered
his mischievousness. Little didwe imagine
the fearful spectacle that awaited US within
the house. Soon the door was reached, little
Gustave running on before and opening it for
US. Oh, horror ofhorrors The door is OPEN
ed, and right before our eyes, hanging from
one of the low beams. that ran across the
room, was the dead, naked, mutilated body
of the precious little boy, the youngest Of
Buthiere's children. The floor was covered
with clots and pools of blood, still warm and
streaming, aud, horrible to relate, directly
under the hanging corpse were the bowels OF
the little fellow in ha cap, just as the had been
torn from the still warm hody The mother,
with frantic shrek, swoonedon the threshold,
| the father stood transfixed with horror,
whilst I, with sickening feeling, leaned
against the doorpost, and with my hands
tried to shade my eyes from the horrid sight
| Some of the villagers, who were passing at
the time, attracted by the shrieks of Mrs.
Buthiere, came to the house. Their excla-
nations aroused all but the poor mother to
consciousness, and we soon became sensible
10 the frightful nature Of the deed that had
aiken place. The boy Gustave, in the mean.
time, stood near the centre of the room, with
wondering look on his youthful counten-
ance, and gazing up in the appalled, face oil
| his agonized father. Let me draw veil over
the scene which followed, and merely recount
the following facts which have been elected
by an inspection Of the room and from the
| confessions of the young tratricide: It would
seem that, shortly after Mr.. and Mrs. Bu-
There had left their home for the purpose oi
attending the lecture at the chapel, Gustaye
nroposed to his little brother, Ado,ph, that
they should play killing pig. In this request
I it is supposed, the unfortunate little fellow
acquiesced. The youngest was to be the pig,
the eldest athe butcher. Gustave eargerly
assisted his brother to undress for the ira,
redy: and, taking small rope, tied him
down securely to rough lounge that stood
in the room; he then procured the butcher
sn;cs. that his father had used in slaughtering
the pigs the day before and plunged it itto
the throat of his passive and'helpless brother.
The wound WAS mortal one, and it is sup
posed that death must have Immediately re-
suited. After the child had bled his little
life away the unnatural b'other, with the
most incredible heart lessLess, teok the cord
which confined the body to the lounge, and,
tyine one end round the feet of the corpse,
threw the other over the beam, and, lending
ft. h>so ~ f<rs