The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-07
TIE DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.


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Pcsf-Mortcm Exa mnation ON the Bodies.
The excitement In and about the tenement house
No. 81 Cherry street, In which, on Tuesday night,
Henry Acopg, the desperate Chinese sailor so bru-
tally murdered his wife, Sarah Ann, and Charles
Archoe, who boarded IN the family, and Immediately
afterwards stabbed himself through the heart, was
most intense yesterday morning and continued
throughout the entire day. Immense crowds OF
people blocked up the street fronting the premises
rendering 1t almost Impossible for people 20 pass on
the sidewalks for vehicles to force their way
through the dense OF humanity. Cap
tain Allaire OF the Fourth precinct with
force or men, was constantly on guard
and 10 was with the greatest dificuty that excited
individuals could be prevented from rushing up
stars 10 where the bodies OF the murdered persons
aud the murderer aud suicide lay Al ten O'Clock In
the morning Coroner Flynn and his deputy, DR..
Shine, repaired TO the house for the purpose Of
lnstitutlng an investigation, and on entering the
room q ghas,y spectacle was presented There lay
the three dead bodies all covered with blood. The
beds and bedding In the small rooms where the
murdered parties had respectively been attacked
were also saturated with blood. The coun-
tenances of the victims were greatly dis
torted showing conclusvely that they had
hs hoas er greet aa agony NEARLY All e , Ss Of
fatal character Jury was einpaneled 10y the Cor
oner ana after viewing tne bodies they repaired 10
the oak street police station for the purpose OF cont
mencIng the inquistlon, put the principal witness
being Chinaman, no one present was able TO act as
Interpreter. The Coroner therefore decided 10 post
pone tile further Investigation Till to-day, ana IN the
meantime interpreter Will be secured. some
friends took charge OF the bodies for for
burial Acong, the murderer, tmriy-two
years Of age, aud born IN China his wife York
shire (lsnglisnl woman, twenty-five years OF age.
Archoe was also Chinaman and aged twenty-sx
years. Mrs. Acong was highly respectable indus
trious and intelligent woman and she bore an excel
lent character. Her little girl. about three years OF
age, has been taken III charge by friends, who VIII
assume the responsibility OF seeing that she Is pro-
perry cared Tor and educated. The murderer and
his wife had been married Tor seven years. Mr..
Oliver, on behalf OF the Public Administrator took
charge OF the effects IN the apartment OF the MUIR
dered people. A bank book was found, showing a
deposit OF 1850 IN one OF the savings institutions TO
the credit OF Charles Arcnoe. and another book, dis
covered IN the trunk OF Mrs. Acong, showed q
deposit OF $500 III favor OF Joseph Sanchez but wno
Mr. Sanchez is or where he lives Old not ranspre.
The house IN which the murderer and his victims
lived Is one OF those old tumble-down rookeres in
brick for which Cherry street seems to nave par
ticular fondness. IL Is three story affair, with
store on the ground moor. The immediate neigh
borhood well accords with the generally diiapidated
appearance OF the rookery, and abounds 10 smells
| tnat the city OF Cologne never dreamed OF IN her
odorous philosophy. Tue CUTTERS OF the street reek
with fifth, from which even at this season OF the
year, there arises whenever the happens
10 get stray ray upon IL between the
closely packed chlmneys and overhanglng
roofs, INST OF deathy odor. The storekeepeIs in
the vicinity who expose their cabDage5 ana potatoes
for sale on the sidewalk, manage every night to
sweep the 'leayings'' into the already overcharged
CUTTERS while Inc housewives exercise their biceps
periodically during the day In vain attempts to
drown The "leavingsn WITH Stops tnat represent sew
cra families on every moor OF almost every house.
Permanently before the house. as though they had
been purposely built 10 remain stationary in the
midst or all the slusn ana slum, with the spokes
half buried, STANDS a bakers dozen Of wagons,
rckety Old thiags at best which the tug OF
u Fourth ward horse might pull to splinlers
the sdewalks-that is all that part OF them
which the storekeepers do not monopollze
vita their wares-are generally pretty. well occupied
10y old women aud Children. The former While away
inc time Iii smoking vlllanouS pipes ana paying
occasional Visits TO tue groggerles near by and the
latter do the health authorizes little lett maud ser
vice occasionally by removing halt the gutter sush
10 their door steps Tor sheer amusements sake But
yesterday morning the od women forgot their pipes
The children their 'caken manufactures, and even
the storekeepers their exposed potatoes and cab
base. Everybody had heard OF the murder, and
everybody wanled TO for himself all that he could
about the house The rlckety wagons III front OF
the uoor and on the opposite side OF the street
were seized upon and drawn together so as TO make
extended platform, where every man, woman
and child who could crowded ana chung as though
their lives depended upon 1t, and all 70 stare the
the bare bricks OF the house out OF countenanceif
that we're possble-and see no more than they could
on any other DAY IN the week. The sidewalks them
selves were crowded with women, with children In
their arms oil clamorng 10 get ahead OF one another,
though IL were great thing TO be attained 10 get
as near the door OF the house possible, where two
policemen, with batons working lively TO the right
anu left kept back tue more obstinate and curious
CT the gathering. Making ones way through all this
crowd, amid the Il-hunored remarks OF the women,
VINO wondered what right any Dolly had 10 get
ahead OF them, the HERALD reporter, after getting
IN assembled three fights OF stairs aud was admitted
to the room where the dead bodies lay. The sight
that met the eyes OF every one as ne entered was
floor beneath where the murderer lived was covered
with blood-each step stained down the side as
though a pool had run from one step down 10
another, to the very bottom. The banisters were
also deeply stained IN places and the marks OF
bloody fingers were imprinted on the ratings here
and there showing where the murderer's wife, after
having been stabbed so horribly mad iel headlong
to the bottom and had conyulsivey grasped the
banisers as she tell. The man aud his wife lved In
back room, aud this was neatly furnished and
carpeted. An engraving OF Mary queen
OF Scots'i was hung on the wall on one side and the
Last Supper'i on the other and between the TWO
large mirror About the walls here end there were
small pictures, and everything indicated that the
couple had lived comfortably together and took spe
cia pains keep their little place as nice as their
means would allow. But all this only made the
general scene that presented Itself TO the beholder
all tho more horrible The bodies had been laid on
the floor by the Coroner orders and covered with
sheets. The carpet soaked with blood where
they had fallen In the struggle; and as they Jay, with
their eyes staring, their lips drawn ugnty oack
from the half open mouths, the long mar OF tue
woman hanging limp aud heavy about ner mead,
saturated with her own blood the slght was ndeed
one or horror
William Shine NJ. d., sworn, says:-I nave made
post-mortem examination or eacn oil the bodies OF
Charles Archoe, Sarah Ann Acong and Henry Acong.
on The body OF Archoe found thirteen stab wounds,
seven OF wncn are on the LETT arm, three on the
right arm, one on the neck and one on the lett
breast being three inches to the LEFT OF the medan
line and penetrating the thoyaX, between the lourth
aud fifth ribs the knife passed through the
LETT yentricle OF the heart, causing death.
On the body OF Sarah Ann Acong found six
wOunds-tnree on the chest and three on the back;
death was caused by hemorrhage, the aorta being
severed by OF the wounds on the BACK, close 10
the spine. ON the body OF Henry Acong found
seven wounds ON the chest, midway on the sternum,
three being little To the left OF the medan llne;
two Of these latter passed through tue heart causing
DEATH