The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-14
WHEELING WEST VA WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL a.
"wHY MRS. TwITCHELL CEASED HER
VISITS TO THE PRISON.

At the outset it may be we'll to inform
our readers that on the day OF the in
quest she appealed to her husband to
tell what he knew of the murder, and
that If he was guilty to act like man
| and relieve her. This he refused to do.
After her acquittal she did call at the
prison, but instead of the greeting on
| her part being warm and affectionate,
1t was as cool as would naturally be
| the case of one who looked upon her
husband as the murderer of her mother.
Immediately after her acqulttal,
TWitchell and his friends commenced
paving the way to a statement from
| Mrs. Twitchell which would take from
him the charge and transfer it to his
| wife. So shreWd were the parties en-
gagged that one OF them visited Daniel
Dougherty, ESQ.,, to ascertain from him
whether persOn-one acquitted on the
charge of murder-could be tried a
second time, although there be con-
fession OF guilt. The response being
that there could not be second trial,
the efforts were renewed with redoubled
vigor, until Mrs. Twitchell's friends
heard OF them and advised her to ab-
sent herself from prison.
She always denied completely in the
murder, and her fears of confession by
him were based on the fact that she
knew that he did not believe in the i'm
mortality Of the soul, and that his pro-
LESSONS OF piety were designed merely
to retain the clergyman's services in
the game for life he was playing. Others
beside herself had every reason to feel
assured that he would not hesitate to
save his life, for there is every reason to
believe that at least one human being,
George s. TWitchell, junior, confessed
his crime and made himself sole actor
in the tragedy.
Throughout this effort to induce his
wife to take upon herself an unjust ac'
cuSation in order to save his life,
Twitchell had frequent conversations
with her friends, Who, anxious as they
were to assist him, could not overlook
the damning proofs of his own guilt.
They saw the inherent improbabili-
ties OF his confession, and they were
anxious to have some parts OF it ex-
planned to the satisfaction of the public.
A day or two before his death his
strong love OF life led him again to refer
to 1t, and remarked 10 his aunt, Mrs.
Moore, "It ia hard that have to die
for this thing" Mrs. Moore then in
quired of the prisoner, "How can you
accout for the blood that was found on
your shirt?"
Twitchell related to her the circum
stances OF the murder, in keeping with
his sO.Called confession. He told her
how he was aroused by his wife calling
him; that he went down into the dining
room and was there told that she had
quarrelled with her mother and muir
dered her. My first impulse was to
alarm the neighbors, but my second
impulse was to save my wife. Twitchei
then stated to Mrs. Moore the Circum.
stances attending the throwing the body
from the window. He asserted that he
grasped the body of the murdered wo-
man by the head and shoulders and
rested it on the sill, IN which position
it was held by Twitchell while his wife
ran down stairs and out into tho yard,
Immediately under the window. When
she reached this position TWitchell
quietly lowered the body into the arms
of his wife, by whom it was laid at
length upon the pavement.
1n this WaD he accounted for the cir
cumstance that the body was not found
thrown together, as it might have been
II hurled violently from the window,
but laid out in Strengthened position.
Twitchell concluded by saying that
he supposed the blood came upon his
clothing by his having hold OF the MUIR
dered woman in the manner described.
Mrs. Moore inquired what became OF
Camilla's clothing? How was 1t that 1t
was not as bloody as his
To this he responded that her cloth
ing was carried off.
In the face of all these confessions
Mrs, Twitchell has remained quiet. She
has realized that If she denied the story
while her husband was alive she would
be accused of an attempt to insure his
death. She was willing not to tell what
she knew II that would be ofany service
to him. She was also willing to assist
him to the extent of her means, but
when he wished her to go Il step further
and assert herself guilty of Il crime she
did not commit she left him.
1t is anticipated that i'll few days
Mrs. Twitchell will make u full state
ment in her own behalf.