The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-05-04
Horrible Affair in Richmond Va.

Persons residing or having business in
the lower part of the city are famillaI with
nm old weather-beaten one-story framed
house. located On the south side of Main
street. between Twenty-Second and Twen-
fv.third. 1t has been occupied for years
nv two persons Of advanced age, named
James and Nancy Hayes. They We're
brother and sister. The man had the repu-
tation of being deranged, but as he rarely
left the house, few people knew anything
about him while the woman sometimes
called Mrs. Michaud) was known to be
eccentric. They made living apparently
by raising poultry and keeping cows,
though rumor said there was good deal
of money slowed away in the house.
Yesterday morning chimney in house
near by took fire, and one fthe neighbors,
wondering why Mrs. Hayes did not come
ont during the excitement, entered the
cate. and knocking at the door, which is in
The rear of the house, was met by JAS.
HAYES, who said his sister was ASLEEP, and
Ind been asleep several days. The neigh
hor. insisting upon entering, found the
woman living dead in a bundle of rags, and
covered with dirty bed-clothes, in a corner
of the room. Further investigation dis
covered the fact that she had been dead a
limo time-the flesh being decomposed in
many places, and the face so married and
discolored as to make her identification,
Int for the locality in which the body was
fonnd. a doubtful matter.
Bayes, who talked nationally on some
,.rbiects, being questioned, said his sister
ftua nr fnn rf,n,
DAYS. When she first laid down, he said,
she complained of something like erysipelas
and pains In her back, arms and legs, and
wished she was dead. After day or two
she aaieted, and then he took it for
granted she had gone to sleep, and waited
all this time for her to awake. In the
meantime he had nothing to eat, and had
lived, according to his account, on water
and coffee. Being asked why he did not
get something from the neighbors, he re-
nlied that he was waiting for his brother
Sam to come home from Philadelphia, and
that he hadn't been off the lot for sixteen
years."
The fact of the finding of the body was
communicated to Deputy Coroner Sea-
brook of Mayor Ellyson's police, and soon
after to the FIRST police station. Repre-
sentatiees of both the police forces now on
duty in the city We're soon on the ground,
and the house was searched by Capt.
Pruker He found in an old chest bag
containing about $500 in Confederate
money, Sls in Federal currency, and a
dollar or two in nickles and coppers. In
the outhouses were found the carcasses OF
two fine calves, whose death had been
caused by starvation, and all the domestic
animals about the establishment had shared
the same fate. Nothing farther worthy oil
note was observed except the entire alb
sence Of everything edible.
Hayes was with great difficulty induced
to leave the miserable howell of which fol
week past he had been the solitary oc
cupant. He moaned piteousiy that abe
couldn't leave his sister," and then mum
bled something about a secret which he
couldn't tell The officers took him to the
police station, and on the way be told then
again that it was sixteen years since he
had been on the street. Coming near the
old Union Hotel, he exclaimed, as though
recognizing on old friend. "Why, there:
the Union Tavern I" At the station HI
was given something to eat and drink, ant
and was very tractable.
In the afternoon jury was empanelet
by Deputy Coroner Seabrook, with E. A
J, Clopton as foreman, hut little testimon,
was produced. Mr. Timothy Kerse testi
fed that he knew the deceased, and tina
some weeks ago, when she was sufferin
with sore foot, his wife had dressed
several times. Since that time witnes
had seen nothing of either Miss Nancy o
her brother until this morning, when he
death was discovered as above related.-
The jury rendered verdict of death fror
natural causes"
This singular and shocking affair has, G
course excited much comment in the lowe
part Of the city, and the interest in tn
case is increased by the fact that Nj
Samuel q, Hayes, a former resident Q
Church Hill was brother of the decease
and that she has respectable and wealth
relatives now residing in Philadelphia.
is said that MIR. Hayes has frequently trie
to get her to leave bis miserably dwellin
for better quarters, but without sue
Cess Richmond Dispatch, April 18th