The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-07-28
Special Correspondence Of the Dispatch.
THE ORANGE TRAGEDY
HERNDoN THE ALLEGED sEDUCER
AND MURDERER OF MISS LUMs-
DEN BREAKS JAIL.
HIS con ssION-
ORANGE COURTHOUSE, July 81, 1868.

ORANGE COURTHOUSE, July 81, 1868.
This community was startled yesterday
Sunday morning by the tidings that Hern-
don. the alleged murderer of Miss Lums-
den, and other prisoners confined In the
county Jail, had made their escape during
Saturday night. The excitement is princi-
pally about Herndon, against whom public
feeling runs very strong. g.1
The Jail in which the alleged murderer
was confined is by no means safe place OF
confinement, but he was locked up in the
most secure apartment, and allowed no
ompanion-indeed he was the only white
man in confinement. A passage runs be-
tween his cell and that in which the other
prisoners were confined. To this it seems
he gained access by saving the iron bars OF
the yentilator over his door, thereby making
an aperture through which he could crawl.
How he gained the passage it is easy to see,
but how he entered the cell of the other
prisoners is not yet satisfactorily explained.
The lock bore no marks of being tempered
with, but the door was wide open. 1t must
have been inadvertently left open by the
tailor, or Il was opened by means Of a
false key furnished the prisoner by persons
without-probably the latter. He did
enter that room, however, and either with
the assistance of the prisoners whom he
there met, or Of parties outside, broke the
iron bar at the window, and all crawled out.
AS yet there is no clue to the route taken
by the fugitiyes. The escape was not
discovered until the next morning,
when the jailor came down to give the
prisoners their breakfast. The Governor
was at once informed by telegraph of the
facts.
During the latter days of his imprison-
ment Herndon has maintained deeply
penitent demeanor, and received with many
signs of pleasure the attentions Of q minis
ter of the gospel who entered his cell, anx-
ious for his spiritual welfare. Being al
lowed pen, ink, and paper, he employed
his lonely hours in writing a history of his
intercourse with Miss Lumsden. This state
ment was found in the jail, and your cor
respondent has succeeded in procuring o
copy. a
Io understand what follows the reader
must remember that Herndon was an igno-
rant and licensed preacher, and by trade a
carpenter. He was married and had seve-
raj children. The murdered woman had
lived in the same house with him, serving
the family in some capacity.
The narrative before me is headed:
| EXPLANATION OF THE MYSTERIOUS DEPAR-
TURE. ,OF. MISS MARY LUMSDEN-CAUSEs
| AND MOVEMENTS FROM THE FIRST TO THE
END OF HER LIFE BETWEEN REV. REUBEN
n. HERNDON AND THE SAID MISS LUMs-
DEN." e4t5 .
The first part Of the story in detail is too
disgusting for publication. Herndon first
met the victim of his seductive wiles in a
thicket of pines near her fathers house, in
the latter part of May, 1867, having re-
ceived o note from her requesting an inter-
view. Had 'ashort conversation with her, and
met her at the same place later in the day.
Spoke to her, and went on. She followed,
and he waited for her, and heard what she
had to say. They then went down into the
| pine thicket, and she told him of some bad
reports in circulation about his conduct to-
wards ladies, warning him to be on his
guard. He thanked her, and, "feeling his
whiskey, lost his prudence, and after CIV
ing her ring and kiss, bid her good
! bye" The accused was at that time work.
ing in Spotsylvania. The next time he came
home, on q Sunday morning,he "happened"
| to meet Mary Lumsden near the same place,
"and,"l says the rascal, 81 do believe
the old devil decided the thing in my mind. !"
He proposed to her to 60 off the path to talk
a moment, Us some one might come along.
So they went into the pines, and there was
q repetition of the hugging and kissing
scene while they were seated on the fence.
"Then," says the story, "the devil told me
to 90 further, and then and there took the
first step in this matter" They parted, and
he did not meet her again for some months.
Meantime she sent him presents of socks
and neck-ties, by which he "was complete
| ly overcome"
At this point in the narrative he piously
exclaims: "Would to God that she had ia
ken rock or stick and broke my very
headl we would then have been better off y
But "instead of resistance there was indul-
gence, and we were both in fault"
"Things went on thus until near winter,
when she said she was afraid that Mrs.
Herndon would find her out, and that some
other arrangements must be made" She
would come out of the house and meet him
in the garden. She never failed to keep an
appointment. " In March, 1868, she wrote
a note saying that she was in bad FIX"
and wanted to know what to do. She could
not live at home. She would rather meet
the iends in hell than 60 home under the
circumstances" On the receipt of this
note he wrote, saying, Mollie, l know
we have both been wrong, and now tell
you what will do; will sit down and
1 write to vollr father all abort If and taka
the consequences, let them be what they
| may.' To this the lady objected, saying
that her "father and all would kill her"
she would rather die" etc. He then pro-
posed to run away with her as soon as he
| could raise the money. They would 60
] way off somewhere where nobody would
know them, and then Mrs. Herndon could
| join them. But neither would she consent
| to this. He then told her to rest contented
| at home, and promised that she should not
suffer; she should come and live with him.
But neither was this proposition satisfac-
tory. She dreaded to meet an aggrieved
wife. Mrs. Herndon would turn her out of
doors. They then tried, unsuccessfully, to
effect an abortion. s. ,,.s-3,.,
At last Mary said that If Herndon would
get her to Richmond, where she knew o
friend, he should have no more trouble
about her She would never betray him,
come what might. The fellow then writes
OF length of his plans to raise money to
get her off to Richmond. He had some
d;{sculty a bopt eliino hic sfeers and finally