The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-28


THE CHARLES STREET TRAGEDY.-A visit
| to the scene of Tuesdays tragedy on Charles
| street revealed the fact that the desperate
nature Of the struggle had been by no means
| exaggerated in yesterday mornings Amer-
ican, and the reporter was enabled to OBJ
tain more accurate details Of the affair. The
man who so horribly mutilated Mrs. Sa-
racco was evidently familiar with the local
iity. The house Is Il two-StOry frame. yell
| low-painted building, with porch in front
running the entire length Of the dwelling,
and none at the back, as was enormously
stated Yesterday in one of the papers. APP
pal emily it would have been much easier
| for the villain to have made an entrance by
means of the porch, rs then he could have
stepped into the room instead of climbing,
but there were three bull terriers chained
and housed thereon. The window which
he did actually select at the back of
the house was the only one which had
defective shutters. One of the shutters,
from decay or other cause, had 4 large hole
in it, and could be very easily priced open
with the spade used on the occasion. The
| spade also was one in constant use about
the house, and was always deposited, after
! use in 4 particular spot at some distance
from the dwelling. and not likely to be
| known save to one who had been in the
employ of the family. The shutter was
priced open with the spade, and broken
paling made use Of to enter the room. If.
ter the burglars entrance 4 struggle must
have ensued such az seldom falls 10 the
province of journalism to record. Frou!
| the lady'S statement the reporter gathered
kcned by feeling his hands upon her throat
and the upper part Of her body. She a>kc,t
| him what he wanted; he said he wanted her
money. She told him she had no money,
| He then told her he would kill her, and
| hacked ut her throat with Il razor. Mrs.
SaraccO is 4 woman about forty.lirc Years
| of are, very stout and muscular, and would
] be Il match for most ordinary men in Il
struggle where there were no weapons eX-
ccpt those which nature provided, and the
nerve and desperate courage she exhibited
on this occasion would put to blush many
of our modern heroes. While the parlry
was going on, in her recumbent position
| (shc was lying on Il pallet which had been
temporarily placed on the lloOr), she kicked
the ruttian entirely across the room and
against the door, and sprang to her
| feet. She seized chair and struck him
with it, he still cutting at her with the
razor. Feeling the blood gushing from the
wound in her throat, she caught up pillow,
doubling and pressing it to the cash with
one hand to stay the flow of blood, while
with the other she grappled and fought the
wretch until either from WEAKNESS and cow
ardicc, or fright accustomed by the over
throwing of the dog-kenncl in the porch,
he made for the window, the lady still
clmging to him even after he had gotten
partly out, us was evidenced by the blood
which dripped from her wounds to the
pavement below. During the whole OF the
struggle she screamed for assistance, but
the colored boy in the basement slept
soundIy, and did not awake until the lady
unlocked his door and called him to her u.s.
sistancc. A large bull terrier, in his efforts
to break the chain which bound it, over.
Mrs. Saracco's life, us this is thought to have
FASTENED the rutfian's retreat.
| Mrs. Saracco received two severe gaShes
on the throat, one down the side of her
face, one across the mouth, and one across
the palm of the right hand where she had
seized the razor. She must have lost IN
immense quantity of blood. Her clothing
and the bed clothes were thoroughly satu-
rated. The sides Of the room were spat-
tered with blood, and the bloody prints OF
the assaSsin's fingers were distinctly visible
on the window-Sill. Without loss of time
she went 70 Worl; to staunch the life cur
her wounds. Finding that the pillows
would not do, she made use Of one Of the
sheets, and wrapped it entirely around her
neck, thereby arresting the torrents, OF
blood until the doctor reached the house.
Of course, as is usual in such cases,
after the danger was over she sWooncd
away. The wretch who attacked her
could hardly have gone away unscathed.
She thinks she left marks on him by
which he will be readily recognized. Her
tinger-nails were broken by the force with
which she used them. The Would-be muir
derer went out OF the back gate, leaving
his bloody prints on one OF the bars, ana
jumping the FENCE ut it's lowest point near
| the gate, leaYing the evidence or his eulit,
and made his way, it is supposed, towards
! Greenmount avenue. BY the side OF the
fence, near the gate, the razor was plcke,dd
up, probably where he had thrown 1t. All
the circumstances point to one thoroughly
familiar with the spot as the perpetrator OF
the crime, and the detectives are under the
impression that they are on his trail, ana
that he cannot escape. The struggle was
of the most remarkable character, and IL
| Illustrates the old maxim that "truth y
sometimes stranger than faction. =. ~, :,
/ Up to a late hour last evening MIR. 81.
Iraseo had not reached the city,. He was
! teiegraphel to at HagerstoWn on Tuesday
night, but had gone into the country. None
OF the relatives of the injured lady had
called npon her. The physicians, say the
wounds are not necessarily fatal. s.... -1s.
I At late hour. last night o eolored man
was ARRESTED by Deputy Marshal Frey.
supposed to, he the perpetrator of The out