Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-10-09
Murder at Hlncsburg.
ARREST OF THE MURDERER.

startled on Sunday last by the announce
ment of horrible murder which had
been committed at Hinesburg on Satur-
day evening previous. 1t was the muir
der of an aged man of nearly rs years
of age, and in some respects resembles
the Griswold tragedy in Williston two
years ago. His aged wife escaped to the
neighbors for help. The murdered man
was Mr.. Perry Russell, a we'll known cit
izen of Hinesburg, and farmer well off.
The motive for the murder was robbery,
which appears to have been failure.
Mr.. Russell was reported to have con-
siderable money by him, but it proves
that he had long since deposited it in a
bank at Burlington. The circumstances
of the murder, which we gather from
the Burlington Free Press, appear to be
as follows:
About haifpast eight o'clock Satur-
day evening, Mr.. Russell and his wife,
who had just gone to bed, were reused
by knocking at their door. Mr.. Rus
sell had already dropped asleep, and
Mrs. r., who first heard the knock,
awakened him with the words " there is
some one at the door" and babe him not
open it till he knew who it was then
calling out "what do you want ?" was
answered "want 10 cosne in" Who
are your" said Mr.. Russell, getting out
of bed. Joe Busha", was the reply
"What do you wants" want to come
in" was again answered.
Mr.. Russell, knowing whe Joe Busha
was-a boy who had worked for him in
August last stepped to the door in his
night clothes and unlocked it. The bed
where Mr. and Mrs, Russell slept COM
manded full view of the side door
where the stranger was, and Mrs. Rus
sell sitting up, saw by the dim light
| which the Just risen moon shed into the
room, man crowd in as soon as the
door was unbolted, and instantly strike
her husband blow on the head cry
of "Oh my Lord p and the noise of his
fall, followed. Springing from her bed,
Mrs. Russell rushed through the room
and by an entry way out Of the house
at another door, distinctly seeing her
husband PROSTATE on the floor, apparent
ly on his face, and the murderer kneel-
ing by or on him with one hand appar-
entity holding him down, and with the
other beating him upon the head with
some weapon. Groans reached her ear
as she fled out of the door, and in mo-
mentary expectation of being herself
knocked down by the murderer or some
of his comrades, she made her way as
fast as age and infrmities would permit
to the nearest house, Jerry Coleman's,
about fifty rods south She reused the
Colemans, but she was so exhausted with
fright and her exertions that it was some
time before she could tell her sad story.
The women refusing to be left unprotect-
ed, Mr.. Coleman went with them to Mr.
Walston's, one hundred rods still further
south, where the women remained and
Mr.. Coleman went and raised other
neighbors, among them Mr.. N. r. Miles,
a son-in-law of Mr.. Russell, and five of
them then went to the scene of the trag-
edy and found Mr.. Russell lying on his
face in pool of his own blood, his head
about six inches from the door. He was
still alive but unconscious. Hastily
dragging the mattrass out, some laid Mr..
Russell ON it, while others went to arouse
the family of his son, Edward Russell,
who lives half mile north, OH the road
to Burlington. His frightened family,
on hearing the dreadful news their neigh
bors brought, refused to let him go from
them, so the whole family wesst down the
hill together.
Mr.. Russell could not be brought to
consciousness, did not speak a word, and
died at about 10 o'clock Sunday fore
noon. There were eight wounds oh the
top add back of his head being cut to
pieces by the blows and undoubtedly
fractured the skull.
The weapon used by the murderer was
an old fashioned strap gate.hinge, about
twenty inches long, and two and half
inches wide; 1t was discovered lying on
the floor by the side Of the body.
A little search revealed the motive for
the crime. In a little closet at the foot
of Mr.. Russels bed on shelf, he had
kept for thirty years, small leather
covered trunk, in which we're his bills.
receipts, money, &c. This was gone; his
pantaloons had not been rifed, his wal
let with sl13 in it being found untouch-
ed, and nothing else in the house was
disturbed, except one drawer in a little
table at the head of the bed in the sleen.
ing room. Tracks, supposed to be those
iof the murderer, appeared, leading west