Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-01-28
BRUTAL MURDER
OF A GIRL IA YEARS OF AGE
The Murderer attempt. self-Destruetien.

The Murderer attempts Self-Destruetton
On last Thursday afternoon between
and o'clock, one of the most startling
and remarkable murders was committed
in Kirkwood township, in this county
that was ever perpetrated in any coun.
try, and has cuased in the immediate
neighborheod of the crime q more in
tensely excited state of public feeling
than has ever before, within our knowl.
edge, existed in this section of the coun-
try. The circumstances connected with
the affair, so far as we have been able ts
gather them are as follows:
The murdered girl, Louisa Fox, moi
yet IA years of age, had been living al
Alexander Hunters, near Sewelsville,
and about two miles from her fathers
residence. Thomas Carr, the perpetra-
tor of the fiendish crime, had been fol
SO me time digging coal for Mr.. Hunter.
Carr ana the Fox family had been on
intimate terms, and while residing with
Hunter he made proposals of marriage
to Miss Fox, which were by her declin-
ed. Carr then went to her parents and
desired them to interfere and compel
their daughter to marry him. Mrs. Fox
told him the girl was too young to mar
ry, that he had no means to support
her, and advised him to go to work and
save his money and at the end of two
years if he was frugal and Industrious
she would have no objection to their
marriage. This Carr received as an in
suit and after some threats left the
house. Mr.. Fox thinking it best for the
daughter to come home sent her little
brother for her. The girl and boy start
ed for home on foot but were soon Joined
By Carr, who had been lying In wait for
them. The little boy says that Carr and
his sister walked along together talking
in q subdued tone until they arrived at
the house of their grand father and there
the sister and himself stopped in to
avoid Carr. They shortly afterwards
started again for home and while on the
way the sister informed him that Carr
had threatened to kill her, and in mo-
ment after they observed Carr standing
in the fence corner ahead of them, when
they came up Carr fell in company with
his sister and walked on down the road
together, talking in low tone, he, the
boy, following close behind them. Whel.
they were within short distance OF
their fathers house the boy says Carr
took hold of his sister roughly pushing
her across ditch in the road and throw
ing her against bank, held her with
one hand and with the other took some
thing from his coat pocket. The boy
frightened by the cries of his sister
started for home as fast as he could run
for help, calling to his father as soon as
he reached the house that Tom. Carr
was up the read killing Louisa. The
father aud boy soon returned to the
fscene of the unequal conflict but too late
to rescue the girl, as the murderer had
consumated his bloody purpose and was
making hasty escape across the fields
but what sight met his eyes as Inc
turned them toward the place where
his daughter lay in the gutter where she
had been tramped by the fiend after life
was extinct. Her throat and neck cut
until her head was unjointed from hel
body; her breast cut in different direc.
tions; her stomach cut open; her arms
and wrist nearly severed from her body,
on which there were IA cuts or gashes
made with a razor, and her clothes torn
and covered with mud as if she had been
kicked and trampled after her murder.
BY the time the neighbors were as.
sembled, and the girl removed to the
home of her parents, it was dark and
too late to pursue the murderer with
any hope of his arrest, and the pursuit
was deferred until next morning. He
in the mean time, as appears from the
statements of neighbors and his OWL
admissions, deliberately travelled across
the neighboring hills about two miles
to the residence of Nathan Young-where
he borrowed a gun from Mrs. Young
whose husband was not at home, tc
shoot rabbit as he told her, and then
retracing his steps returned to the scene
of the murder, secreting himself among
the corn fodder and part the time in the
csal bank of Mr.. Fox. During the night
he went to the house where the mur.
dered girl lay and looked in the window
while the Coroner's jury were engaged
in holding the inquest. After the crowd
dispersed for the night he went to the
spring-house of Mr., Fex and remained
near it until about daylight when he
took the gun and placed the muzzle o.
it close to his breast, to deaden the re-
port as be said, and in that position
discharged it. The ball just missed the
heart, passed through the left lurg ant
lodged in his shoulder. This did moi
prove fatal, and he went to work to re
load the gun but when he had the bal
about half way down he broke the ram
rod and could not complete the loading
He then, aboutsunrise, took shoe-knifi
from his boot and drew it across hi
throat cutting his neck badly and nearl.
lsevering the juglar vein. Mr.. Fox OF
! opening his door in the morning discov
cred the wretch looking around the cor
ner Of the spring house, and raised th,
alarm. A crowd soon gathered and ar
rested the exhausted and nearly dea,
murderer, who was taken to the hous,
of Daniel Mumma, where he received
medical attention and had his wound
dressed by Drs. Lindsey, Mcpherson
Mcconnell and Strahl. At last account
he was still living with some prospect
though very little-of recovery.
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