The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-02

Murder and Suicide Tn Eflinots-A
Man k,lis HIS Divorced Wife and
A'ossons himself Singular s'nsc Of
Mistaken identity.
lFron the Chicago Times, November &c
On thc.2l>t Of September lust it will be
remembered that rumnrs were prevalent
around town OF Il hcrrihlc murtlcr-thc
murder OF widow woman, dress-makcr,
named Mrs. Anne Erwin. working for her
daily sllStcnauce and for the su>tenancc Of
seven children: a woman respected BY her
neighhors for her StoadfaSi and patient in.
duStry. The love for her children, and tic
hope of obtaining for them better chance
in life, induced her to accept the proposal
OF one Eri AmcS, a man of SiXty.fire, of
savage disposition, whom none of his
ncighhors respected, but still man of
comfortable fortune. The marriage Of
the widow and this Eri AmcS was
celebrated. but the former soon regret
ted the act, for there followed upon 1t cruel
treatment and harsh and bitter language.
\ divorce was the result, Two Years passed,
during which Mrs. Erwin Iahored hard to
earn money for her little ones. The court
had ordered that $3.50 alimony should be
paid to Mrs. Erwin at the time of the di-
vorce. and the same amount in one and two
wears, but owing 20 the alleged inability of
the man Ames, it had not been paid. Con-
Scuucnllv. ut the end OF these two years
two payments were due. OF miserly dis
position, he wished TO avoid making the
pavmcut> As Il means to this end, he pro-
fr>Sctl that he had heard it said that his di-
vorccd wife had secretly married another
husband, and consequently could no longer
legally claim the a!imony.
1t WAS thus that the affair stood on the
GOlh OF September last. On the night OF
that day. lust before retiring 10 her bed,
Mrs. Erwin took pitcher to Her back door
! to empty. This door was n mere frame,
covered with mosquito netting. She had
hut Just closed il when a shot was fired,
! one ball hitting her arm ana breaking ii,
and the others striking her in the breast
and side. She exclaimed /" | am shot ~
| and fell down scnSele>S. one of her young
| daughters Immediately rushed to her as
SiStancc. and her Stcp-SOn. living across the
road. hearing the shot, came to the spot in
a few moments. LII just twcnty-four hours
from the tnng of that shot the woman
died. Suspicion frll upon the husband and
stcp-son. The iarr,cr could not be found,
| hut the latter was Immediately arrested.
| Next morning, indeed, the old man
WAS seen by one who knew not
then of the murder, sncaking through
one of his corn-fclds. hUt since that
! hour he has not been seen alive.
The mi.rc!Cr created 50 much excitement
that on the morning following the murder
party of forty OF the most prominent citi-
ZcnS Of Lcmont started in search OF the
murderer, and. that proving unsuccessful,
party OF 100 started on the next day,
securing the country around, and also Il
third prriy on the day following, but ali
proved unsuccessful. and since then nothing
h.,s> bxnr Of hntn n
| terday, in the evening, when his body was
found in corn-ticld belonging to Wards
! farm, in Dupa9c county, about mile from
his own farm, and within 800 rods OF the
crave of his murdered wife. His face was
buried in the ground, and he had evidently,
when he fell. been walking toward the
cemetery where his wife was then buried, or
10 he buried, for there's nothing to show cX-
actly on what day he died; whether it was
just after he was seen walking through the
lield on the morning after the murder. or
whether it was on some day after that.
, The flesh had rottcd away from the face, so
that the identification YVES not an absolute
one; but the clothes worn by the dead
| man. the articles found in his pockets. and
! his apparent age, could leave no doubt as
! to the body being that of Fri AmcS, the
! wife murderer. But there was something
, else found. THESE things were three ltlc
; packets. perfectly similar in shape and size,
and resembling III appearance Il wad, but
| containing perfectly white powder. This
powder, however. WAS rot analv2cd, and
! it is not known certainty whether it is
| arsenic, or whether it was somethin. solid
which had been used to Gil up the wadS,
and which had resolved itself into a fine
| powder.
A very curious circumstance connected
| with this case was The finding oi the body
| OF Il man, about three weeks ago last Thurs.
day, in Champaign county-thc body Of Il
man about siNty-lirc years Of age, about the
same size and weight as that OF Fri AmcS,
and having on his right foot the scar of pre-
ciScly the same kind Of Il wound us that
which dis1gured the foot Of Fri Amcs. This
same man was seen about week previously
wandering about Champaign county, appi-
rcntly in Il crazy condition. Questions were
asked him, but the only words he was heard
to utter were /" have just frightened two
women," upon saying which he laughed
immoderatcly, and refused to say any more
When found his body was much decoml-
posed, and one Of his arms were missing.
The vest OH the body was of precisely siml-
lar material and make to that of the man
Ames, though the other clothes were Of
different material.