New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-19
ale,p Orleans Republican.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
MURDER IN CATAHOULA.
The Slayer mt Large.

The Slayer mt Large.
The vidalia Herald of the fourteenth IN
slant says:
We are informed by gentleman just
from the parish of Catahoula, OF the toi-
lowing particulars of a terrible murder
which happened near the town OF Centre
vile, in that parish, on Friday iast.
A mechanic by the name OF Strickland, a
peaceable, unoffending man, was informed
by a person by the name of Mayer that a
gentleman few miles from the town re-
Guired the services of a mechanic, request
ing him to inform Strickland OF the Iact.
In compliance with the request to visit the
gentleman, Strickland on this FRIDAY morn,
ing started between the hours OF eight ana
nine o'clock alone from his home along tne
nnhhc road toward his destination, and was
never again seen alive by his TRENDS
About the same time Mayer, under pre-
tense of shooting deer, which he alleged he
had seen the day before, borrowed rum d
neighbor a double barreled shotgun, anu
started off in the direction where ohe oouy
of Strickland was subsequently iounu.
Soon after several persons hearo two slots
pre onothsr that there was considerable
. difference in their sound, one discharge be-
inc fnlI loud and distinct, the other a dull
and smothered thud, and also that Mayer
had shot a deer.
On Mayer's return, in answer to inquiries
as to what he had killed, he said he had not
shot his gun off at all After converslng
with several persons he borrowed space
from a friend and returned, as is supposed,
to the spot where the tragedy occurred.
Strickland was missed, and his wife was in
teryiewed by the citizens. 1t soon tran
spired that no one had sent for Strickland;
that MAYER, his informant, had deluded him
from home on this pretense. Strong sus-
picion attached itself to Mayer. The town
was alarmed, and Mayer, who had until
now quietly and coOlly been at work, took
alarm and sought safety in fight. An in
vestigation was at once made of the spot
where the singular double discharge was
heard Blood and other evidences OF crime
and foul play were discovered, the grass
and bushes showing signs of a heavy body
being recently dragged through them.
These were followed, and the searching
party soon came to the spade borrowed by
Mayer. A mound OF freshly collected
earth was close by, through the clods of
which protruded bloody hand, which, in
the murderer's haste, was left uncovered,
its stiffened fingers marking with sure pre-
cision the last act of the diabOlical tragedy.
The earth was removed, and the body OF
Strickland, horribly mutilated. was quickly
brought to the view of the Mortified specta-
tors. After an EXAMINATION IL Was sup
posed that two loads of buckshot had been
lodged in the body of the unfortunate man;
one evidently discharged at some distance
from the victim, and the other after he had
fallen, with the muzzle close to the breast.
This will account for the difference in the
sound of the discharges.
This fiend, not yet content with the sheet
ing, or his victim displaying some signs of
life, applied the butt of the gun to the face
of Strickland with so much violence as to
mash it into an unrecognizable mass, per-
feet Jelly of blood and flesh. The body was
so mangled thatit could not be handled by
human beings, and was put in box pre-
vious to final interment with the aid OF poles.
The person loaning the gun to Mayer,
found near the tragic spot the paper he had
used to load the gun previous to Mayors
obtaining it.
Immediate but fruitless search was made
for the bloody villain, Mayer. 1t is sup
posed he started in this direction, and may
now be near this town or in NatcheZ. He
is described as being about five feet eight
inches high of ordinary build, dark hair
and eyes, and had, when last seen, NOUS
tache; the forefnger of his right hand is
much shriveled, leaving nothing but skin
and bone twisted around in such peculiar
manner as would naturally attract atten-
tim