Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-05-18

Her SOn-in.Layv He Commits
First svife-She Forges the Name
of the Deceased 10 a Power of
Attorney, and is Arrested in this
Ciuy-The Murderer Seized by ~
Mob, Shot and Hung-COnfessiOn
of the Wife.
[From the st. Louis Timesl
One of the most revolving and heart
less murders ever chronicled in the an
malls of crime, has recently come to light
in Jasper county, Mo-, which shows to
what desperate straits some men will
go to secure money. The circumstances
of the present case reveal the fact that
man giving the name of Captain A. G..
Hutton, settled in the village of Sarcoxie,
last fall, and shortly after formed the ac-
quaintance of widow named Margaret
NJ. Fullerton, who possessed marriage
able daughter, whose good looks and
genial disposition captivated Hutton,and
passing himself off as single man, he
began courtship which resulted in mar
riage. A short time previous to the we'd
ding, Hutton's first wife, assuming the
appearance and wearing the garb of a
boy, took up her residence at Mrs. Full
lerton's, he claiming that she was a poor,
sickly youth, whose kind disposition and
infrmity had won his sympathy. The
widow believed the story, and treated
the youth with great kindness. In pres
ence of this first wife, thus disguised as
boy, the wedding took place, and she
herself assisted in preparing the bride
for her nuptials, claiming as an excuse
that she so loved and feared her hus
band that she dared not deny him in
any request he might make. Mrs. Full
lerton being woman of large and valu-
able estate, Hutton of course determin-
ed upon securing it. He was unable to
obtain her consent to pass it over to her
daughter, now married to him, and re-
solved upon mostfo and bloody man
ner of gaining control over it. How to
decoy the old lady, without exciting her
suspicion, was a subject of much consid-
Grafton; but he finally concocted plan
which his first wife agreed to, and the
twain set to work to put it into execu-
tion. lie said that d" "Tommy'-which
was the assumed name of the first wife
was SO i'll that it was deemed advisa-
BILE to send him home to his parents in
Ohio, and, as he needed female escort
to attend to his numerous wants. and
give such nursing as only awoman could
render, he desired Mrs. Fullerton to per-
form the mission of mercy; agreeing to
pay all her expenses and give her $l00 for
the trouble. He also desired her to col
lect some money on checks he held onOhio
parties, for which he was to pay her an
additional $100-making 5000 in all.
To this she consented, and on the 18th
of February last, Hutton, Mrs. Fullerton
and Tommy" left Sarcoxie for Seda-
liza, whence they were to go to Ohio.
Several weeks passed away, when he re-
turned to Sarcoxie alone, and when ask
ed where the widow was could furnish
no satisfactory response, alleging that
she had married in St. Louis and re-
mained there. Her sudden disappear
ance awakened considerable suspicion,
for she was highly respected by all who
knew her.
In few weeks Hutton began to sell
the personal effects of Mrs. Fullerton,
which only tended to increase the sus-
picion of foul play, and when asked
what he meant by this strange proceed
ing, he promptly produced a power of
attorney, purportingto have been signed
at Sedalia, Missouri, March goth, by M.
M. Fullerton. On the 4th of May num-
~. &c +bn o;t;1ons oo11od ot tb,, bo,,o
where Hutton was visiting, and demand
ed the whereabouts or fate of Mrs. Full
lelton, at the same time assuring him he
must give satisfactory response. In a
clustering manner he jumped into his
wagon and started for home, refusing to
give response. He was warned to
stop, but refused, when one of the party
fired shot at him, which did not i'm
pede his progress, and several other shots
were fired. One ball took effect in his
shoulder, which disabled him. He re-
fused to divulge anything, and was placed
under protection of the citizens. He was
afterward removed from the house to a
piece of woods about two miles distant,
and still refusing to confesss, what he
had done with the widow, he was hanged
to tree and left there to die.
Gilbert Schooley, postmaster of the
place, in looking over the mails, noticed
letter and several papers addressed to
William Lee, and not knowing any per-
son of that name in the vicinity, he open
ed it and found it was signed NJ M. F.,
the initials of the missing woman, and
Of l.
ing the letter was from the widow, he
came to St. Louis to seek her out. He
called upon the chief of police, who de-
tailed detective Garlick toassist in work
ing up the case. They visited the house
where he was directed to send letters,
and ringing the bill inquired if Mrs. Full
lerton was in. A girl giving that name,
said she was the person, but Mr.. School
ey insisted that she was not the Mrs.
Fullerton he was in search of, and was
about to leave, when the officer detected
a strange and suspicious look on the
woman's face, and desired her to accom-
pany him to the office of the chief of po-
lice. To this she readily consented !;
but they had gone but few steps when
she attempted to tear up small photo
graph. The detective seized it before it
was mutilated. and it turned out to be
picture of Hutton, who was hung by the
mob. When she reached Colonel Fenn's
office, and he had been informed of what
had transpired, he psoduced the letter
written at S.. Louis, and charged her
with having written it; but she stoutly
denied it. He pressed her sore upon
the subject, and she then said: eff
did do it, 1 did what my hus-
band told me to do" She pos
itively denied ever being at Sarcoxie
or Sedalia. The Colonel then told