The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-25
HORRIBLE AFFAIR IN MAINE.


Four Days-Arrest of the Supposed
Criminal.
From the LeioistoioH (lfainel journal, January 81
On Saturday evening the hieless and frozen
bodies of Mrs Susannah Kinsley, the widow OF
Justice Kinsley, aged about GA years, and OF
Miss Polly Caswel a maiden lady, aged about
67 years, were found horribly mangled, in the
house owned by Mrs. Kinsley and occupied by
both, about half a mile this side Of West Auburn,
on the road leading from that place to this city,
and about four miles from here
The condition of the bodies at once showed
that most shocking murder had been com
mtted, all the circumstances of which known
at the present writing are as Enthusiastically
night, about dusk, Mr. Isaac Libbey shoe
maker, living the third house this side of Widow
Kinsleys (perhaps the dist of quarter ef
mile, went TO her house for the purpose OF
obtaining some shoes which she and Miss Caswell
bad been binding or stitching. He noticed that
no track had been made to the door since the
storm OF Thursday, but thought nothing of this,
nor OF the fact that the two doors on
the front side Of the houses were fastened
as the inmates were advanced in years and
lived alone. He went to the side door and
found that uuhasped, but fastened by
a prop leaning against 1t from the inside. Thus
led him to notice that there was no smoke issu-
ing from the chimney, and being somewhat
startled, he proceeded to the nearest neighbors,
MIR. Otis Keith, about sixty or one hundred rods
distant, and requested him to go with him to
the widow Kiusley's. Mr., Libbey and Mr.. Kieth
went back to the house Of widow Kinsley, and
passed around the buildings to the rear, where
they found the back door open, and snow
blown into the small entry. The door leading
directly from the entry into small cook-room,
perhaps eight feet square, as well as another
leading from the Cook-room into the sitting.
room, were shut but not fastened. OPENING
both doors, and looking around by the
Him HphN Of In
white object on the foor-so sugges-
tive of some horrible tragedy, that
both gentlemen at sonce beat hasty retreat
and proceeded to neighbours to obtain a Ian
tern and assistance. Having procured botn,
they returned TO the house and there discovered
a scene which made the blood almost freeze in
their veins. On the floor, lying acroos the door.
stoop. of an open door leading into a small
entry separating the sittiug-room from sleep
ing apartment, was stretched the lieless body
of Polly Caswell-her head and shoulders in the
entry, and her body and lower limbs in the sit
! ting room. The body was partially covered
! with a nlght-drees, and on proceeding to
take hold OF it, it was found frozen
stifliy, and giving evidence of having been
| chair, covered with blood, lay near, atfording
evidence In itself that it had been used in
aiding in the murder of Miss Caswel. Hardly
had this terrible scene been realized before
another still more terrible met their gaze. In
the bed in a small bedroom about ten feet
square, adjoining the slttingroom and connect
ing with III ny q door, which was open, was the
llfeless and ehastly body of the widow Kinsley,
also frozen stiff, and lying, with her night
clothes on, in pool OF congealed blood. The
bed'clothes were matted with blood, the quilt
and teatber-tick torn, and feathers we're scat
tered about, and everything indicated that
a terrible struggle for life had there taken
place, Mrs. Kinsey being large and power
! tul woman. The body of Mrs. Kinsley was
! horribly cut and mangled. The jugular vein was
severed by deep cash on the side of the throat
There were also cuts on the left aw;bone and
! on the left forehead, 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 evidence was conclusive that
| a rape had been committed or attempted. The
! immediate cause'of her death was the severing
| of the jugular vein. Appearances indicate that
! the murderer or murderers had attacked widow
Kinsley in her bed, from which she had not
arisen. Miss Caswell had received severe
blows on her head and face (probably
! by the ,chalr), her skull was fractured
her lett wrist broken, her wrist and left
shoulder bruised. There was also a bruise over
her right eye, cut on her left arm above the
elbow, and cut on the left knuckes The i'm
mediate cause OF her death was probably the
fracture OF the skull, although it is possible
that This might only have produced insensl-
bllty, end that freezing did the rest. Blood
was found by the side OF the stove in the sit
ting-Toom, near the mantelpece. indicating that
Hiss Caswell had been attacked there first and
pursued towards the door to the entry opening
into the room, where she was stricken down
The supposit'on is that Miss Caswell, 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
out into the sltnng-room, and was reaching to
the mantelpiece for a lamp and a match to
light it, when she was struck by the villain
who probably had finished his work with Mrs.
kinsley-with chair. Miss Caswell, not
being rendered powerless by the blow,
probably attempted to flee to her room, the
villain following, and beating and cutting her
until she fell in the doorway. Her wrist was
undoubtedly broken in attempting to ward off
the blows of the chair. There were no indica-
tions that the house or any of the bureaus,
drawers, or trunks had been examined or that
anything had been removed. The murderer
had left nothing behind which had been used
by him in the commission of the crime except
the broken chair. Although his clothes must
nave been more or less covered with blood from
the struggle with Mrs. Kinsley yet no indica.
tions of anything removed or left behind
could be discovered Neither was there
the least indication that plumber was
the object of the villain. A coroner,
jury, which was summoned on Saturday night
examined the bodies and wounds, arriving al
the conclusion that rape had been committed
on the body of Mrs Knsley. All the facts
which we have narrated, and others OF which
we will speak hereafter, were elected. The in
vestigalions OF the jury extended into SUNDAY
forenoon, and their verdict, of course, could
only be that the deceased was murdered by
some person or persons unknown. Wednesday
evening neiehbor called at the house and
spent a portion of the evening there leaving
Mrs. Kinsley and Miss Casswell in their usua
health and spirits. third member of the
family Miss Knsley) daughter of widow
Kinsley, was provldentiallv absent at Auburn
and thus her life was saved. These circum stance.
point very clearly TO some time Wednesday
night, or early Thursday morning, as the time
, when the murder was committed. Thursday tho
storm ragged, and scarcely a person passed alouG
the road during the day, and Friday the WInC