The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-22
AWFUL TRAGEDY /!
MstTdea' of THO Aged WOmen
near AuDN17a.
Arrest of a Suspected Man.

Arrest OF a Suspected Man. |
From the Lewiston journal of Monday.]
Saturday evening the lifeless and frozen bod |
les of Mrs. Susannah Kinsley, widow of JUS
Tin Kinsley, aged about sixty -four Yeas, and
of Miss Polly Caswell, maiden lady aged
about siXty-seven years, were found horribly
mangled i'll the house owned by Mrs. IL. and
occupied by both, about half 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
committed, all the circumstances of which
known at the present writing, are as follows:
Saturday night about dusk Mr.. Isaac Libbey,
a shoemaker, living the third house this side of
Widow Kinsiey's (perhaps the distance of a
quarter of a mile,) went to her house for the
purpose of obtaining some shoes which she and
Miss Caswell had 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 house
were fastened, as the inmates were advanced
in.years and lived alone. He went to the shed
door and found that unhasped but fastened by
a prop leaning against it from the inside. This
led him to notice that there was no smoke is
suing from the chimney, and being somewhat
startled, he proceeded to the nearest neighbours
Mr.. Otis Keith, about sixty or one hundred
rods distant, and requested him to go with
>,
Mr.. Libbey and Mr.. Keith went back to the
house of Widow Kinsiey, and passed around
the buildings to the rear where they found the
back door open, and snow blowed 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 dim light of the moon, they dis
covered alwhite object OH the floor-so sueges-
of hnrrih1n trau dvf hot hot 10
men at once beat hasty retreat and proceeded
to neighbours to obtain lantern and assist
ance. Having procured both, they returned
to the house and there discovered ascene which
made the blood almostfreeze in their veins
On the floor, lying across the door-stool of an
open door leading into small entry separating
the sitting-room from sleeping apartment,
was stretched the lifeless body of Polly Cas-
well-her head and shoulders in the entry and
her body and lower limbs in the sitting-room.
The body was partially covered with a night
dress, and on proceeding to take hold of it, it
was found frozen stiffly, and giving evidence of
| having been in that condition for several days.
| A broken chair, covered with blood lay near
| affording evidence in itself that it had been
| used in aiding i'll the murder of Miss G.
| 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 sitting-room and connect
ed with it by door,-whichwas open-was the
Elifeless and CHASTITY body of the widow Kinsley
also frozen stiff and lying with her night clothes
ON, in pool of concealed blood The bed
clothes were matted with blood, the quilt and
feather tick torn, and feathers were scattered
about, and everything indicated that terrible
struggle for life had there taken place, Mrs.
Kinsley being large and powerful woman.
The body OF Mrs. Kinsley was horribly cut
and manged. The jugular vein was severed
by deep cash on the side of the throat. There
were also cuts on the left jaw bone and on the
left forehead, cash nearly six inches nlength
gu the left leg, and severe bruises on the lett
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 wien. Appearances indicate
| that the murderer or murderers had attacked
/ Widow X. in her bed, from which she had not
/ arisen.
Miss Caswell had received severe blows on
| her head and face (probably by the chair), her
skull was fractured, her left wrist broken, her
wrist and left shoulder bruised. There was also
abruise over her right eye, a cut on her left
arm above the elbow, and cut on the left
| knuckles. The immediate cause of her death
/ was probably the fracture of the skull, although
yitis possible thatthis might only have produce
ed insensiblity and that freezing did the rest.
Blood was found by the side of the stove in
the sitting room near the mantel-piece, indi-
eating that Miss c. had been attacked there
| first, and pursued towards the door to the entry
| opening into the room, where she was stricken
down. The supposition is that Miss c., who
slept in room in another part of the house,
| was awakened by the noise of the struggle in
Widow Kinsleys room, and arose and came
out into the sitting-room, and was reaching to
/ the mantel-piece for lamp and match to
light it, when she was struck by the villain
lwho probably had completed his work with
Mrs K with chair. Miss c. not being rem
dered senseless by the blow, probably attempt
ed 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 indicstions that the house or
| any OF the bureaus, draws, or trunks had been
examined, or that anything had been removed
The murderer hat left nothing behind which
had been used by him in the commission of the
crime except the broken chair. Although his
| clothes must have been more or less covered
] with blood rom the struggle with Mrs. Kins.
ley, yet no indications 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'S jury, which was summoned on
Saturday night, examined the bodies and
wounds, arriving at the conclusion that a rape
| had been committed on the body of Mrs Kins-
ley. All the facts which we have narrated, and
others OF which we will speak hereafter, were
elected. The Investigations Of the jury ex-
tended into Sunday forenoon and their YER
dict of course, could only be that the deceased
| were luurucIcQ ny some person. OF persons I'M
| known.
Wednesday evening neighbor called at the
/ house and spent portion OF the evening there,
leaving Mrs. Kinsley and Miss Caswell in their
| usual health and spirits. A third member of
| the family Miss Kinsley), a daughter of Wild
ow X, was providentially absent at Auburn,
and thus her life was saved.
These circumstances point very clearly to
some time Wednesday night or early Thurs
| day morning, as the time when the murder was
m l1.lrf 1nr he
scarcely person passed along the road during
the day, and Friday the wind blew and the
roads were blockaded; and it was not until
Saturday that any one would have been likely
! to notice the house.
| In Investigating as to who committed the
deed, the only circumstances of significance
are these: About half-past two o'clock Thurs
| day morning the family of Isaac Libby, who
llves in the third house below Widow, Kins-
| legs, as we have already stated, were awaken
/ ed by a noise of some one trying to get in at
| the window of their sleeping room. Mr.. Libby
arose, went to the window and there saw a
man. Mr.. L. Immediately asked him what he
wanted? " l want to go in and warm me-" he
replied. Mr.. L.. being very suspicious of the
| appearance. of the man, responded, 81 can't
let you in go away" Upon this the strange
visitor went around to another window, and
made an attempt to raise it, and soon after went
away.
. Sunday, one Nathaniel Johnson of North
Yarmouth, who has been laborer in this vicin-
ity for some time, was arrested by Constable
Kicker, at Mr. Ricker's near the Poor Farm in
Auburn, N suspicion of being the murderer.
johnson was at once turned over to the hands
of officer Littlefeld, who brought him to Au-
burn Jail Sunday afternoon where NE is now
confined. johnson is a heavy man, about 30 or
40 years of age, wears long frock and kos
suth hat. He has not in years past sustained
a good reputation, having been before the Police
Court for drunkenness, and having served
season in Jail for larceny.
He has driven a team for various parties in
Auburn, and has been frequently on the streets
here. He AYERS that he is innocent of the MUIR
der.