The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-11-25

The TRAGEDY IN PHrLADELPHrA-FUR
TIER PARTICuLARs.-It was stated yester-
day that respectable woman named Mary
Z. Hill had been murdered in Philadelphia
on Sunday evening. The Inquirer gives
the following additional particulars:
"About . " o'clock on Sunday night, as
policeman Howard was patroling his beat
on Pine street above Tenth, he was hailed
by . citizen who resides on Pine street d.
rectly opposite the garden of the house
where the murder was committed, who
Informed him that something must be
wrong at Mrs. Hill's residence, and asked
him to make an investigation.
"Howard rang ut the bell, and it was
answered by man named George s.
rwitchell, q son-in-law of the murdered
woman, and who, in company with his
wife Mrs. Hills daughter), resided with
the deceased, the three being the only oc-
cupants of the large and very hand
somely-furnished house. The officer asked
Twitchell what was the matter IN the house,
when Twitchell replied that woman had
fallen out Of the window and killed herself.
The officer then entered. and was con-
Quoted by Twitchell TO the dining-room, on
the lower floor, where, stretched out on a
settee, was the murdered body of Mrs. Hill,
covered with blood, and bearing the evil
dent marks of violence about her head, as
though she had been struck two or three
times with some iron missile.
Twitchell and his wife were then Sc
cured, and assistance called in, when an
examination of the premises was made,
and but little room was left for doubt that
Mrs. Hill had been foully dealt with and
her body thrown from the second-story sit
ting-room window into the garden that adj
Joins the house on Pine street, for the Off
GERS, on entering the sitting room mentioned,
blood on the floor in close proximity to it.
A cushion on the sofa also contained
blood, and it was torn as though some blows
aimed at the deceased had missed and
struck the cushion. The blood was then
traced through the sitting room to the win
dow of small room that adjoins it on the
east. The sill of this window was covered
with blood, and it was evident that it had
been opened and the body thrown into the
yard.
AN examination Of the ground dis.
closed large pool of blood directly under
the window mentioned, and the CONCEALED
condition of this blood when discovered in
Dictated that the body had laid there some
time before the officer entered the house.
"Twitchell stated that when Mrs. Hill
fell or threw herself from the window he
in company with a servant who came home
about that time, went into the yard and
carried her into the dining-room and laid
her on the settee, but did not attempt t
explain how the blood came on the sofa and
floor of the sitting-room up stairs.
"Blood was also traced from the sitting
room to the stairway leading down to the
first floor, showing conclusively that after
the preparation Of the murder the muir
derer went down stairs. A poker wa:
afterwards found in the yard that con
tanned blood on it, and was undoubtedly
used to commit the murder.
Twitchell was taken to the Eighth Ward
station house. He had blood on his shir
when taken there. Mrs. Twitchell was re-
tanned at the house where the murder was
committed, which was held in charge O.
Sergeant Pennington and a posse of police
during the night.
"There does not appear to have been any
struggle in the room "a neatly-furnishet
one) where the murder was committed, al
everything was in order, and the theory il
that Mrs. Hill was lying down on the sofs
asleep, when she was approached ant
struck on the head with the poker men
toned, and her body then thrown into thu
ward. The animus of the murder has no
yet been discovered, and it is not know
on what kind of terms Mrs. Hill and he
daughter and son-in-law lived together"