The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-11-29
A Wife Roasted Alive.

7 the most brutal and inhuman TRACE
dies which ever Mortified any commu
nifty was enacted in Lynn, last night
and is to-day the leading topic of con-
versation in that city. The actor:
were a man named John 6. Clinton.
about forty-three years of age, a bar
Der by trade, and his wife, who was
made the victim Of treatment that
could only be expected of a fend, she
having been shockingly beaten and
then literally roasted alive.
The scene of the affair was on How.
ard street, in one of the small wooden
houses which are set back from the
street, and accessible by means of mar.
row alley ways from the street. The
parties lived in the rear of No. SO,
the family consisting of Clinton, his
wife and four boys, ranging in age
from three to seventeen years. About
half past s o'clock last evening two
women, named Margaret Brown and
Charlotte Moody, who lived almost
directly 10 front of C%linton's house,
had their attention called to the latter
by the sound of heavy blows, scream
ing and grooming which proceeded
from it. AS the sounds increased the
two women went out and listened be-
meath the windows, but the sounds
suddenly ceased and all was quiet
They then returned to their houses,
but in about fifteen minutes were again
disturbed by the same noises, which
they again sought to trace cut as be-
fore, but the sounds Ceased as they
had previously done.
After this everything remained quiet
until about ten minutes past nine
o'clock, when the same woman dis.
covered that The house was on fire in
side. An alarm was at once raised,
and three men, named David Lee.
Frelinghusen Moody, and Fred. Wal
ton rushed into the house with buck
cts. On entering they found that
there were on the table in the front
room, also in an entry way which led.
Up stairs, and a pile in the middle o.
the floor, consisting of what appeared
to be a bundle of clothing, was also
Burning. On examining the latter it
was found to be the body of Mrs.
Clinton, horribly bruised, and burned
in the most sickening amer The
clothing was almost entirely burned
IRON the body, which was scoI ched
and roasted. The flames were put
out with some difficulty. One report
is hat while the men were endeavor-
ing to extiuguish the fire, the poor
victim threw up one of her arms and
breathed perceptibly, but another, and
probably the correct story, is that life
had left the body when it was discover
ed.
About three feet from the head Of
the victim lay the fragments of a ker-
osene lamp, which had been borrowed
from a neighbor on that night, and
traces of the oil were also seen On DIFF
ferent parts of the floor. City Mar
shall Barrett and two officers Went at
once to the place. Clinton was stand
ing over the body of his wife, doing
nothing, but appearing considerably
affected. He was arrested, taken to
the station house and locked up, One
of the sons, named Frank, a lad of
ten years of age, who was the first to
enter the house, says that he had been
attending an evening schoolthat night,
and had returned home just as the fire
was discovered. He went into the
house and saw his mother burning on
the floor. Recollecting that his little
brother was probably up stairs in bed,
he rushed up and found his father
coming down. He found his brother,
took him down stairs and into n neigh
boring house. As soon as the flames
had been extinguished, Coroner j. G..
was called in, and he ordered
the body of the woman to be carried
to the police station, which was i'm
done.
The Coroner then summoned n jury,
who viewed the body and then ad-
iourned.
The corpse presented n ~sickening
sight. There were marks of violence
ON the head, consisting of two or three
cuts, looking as though they had been
made with some dull instrument. On
the breast were also wounds which APP
peared to have been caused by some
thing besides the flames. The features
we're rendered unacceptable, and the
hair was burned close to the head, leav-
ing the skull bare and horribly crisped
and black, the flesh dropping from
the hands, arms and body, rendering
It a sight which could not be beheld
without a shudder at the awful atroci-
ty Of the crime and the blackness of
the soul that could execute it.
The husband and prisoner has said
very little, but told a brief story. 1t
IS, that he was in bed up stairs about
nine o'clock, all being quiet, when his
little boy came rushing up and told
lim that the house was on fire. He
went down and found his wife lying j
IN the floor in the condition in which s
the was found by the three men. !
The belief that the man is guilty is s
Utmost universal. One theory Of the s
affair is that he had some difficulty I
with his wife, during which he threw ,
he kerosene lamp at her, striking |
Ter on the breast and inficting the /
Wounds referred to; that the oil scat
cred over her clothing and the flames I
we're inhaled by the victim. '
Other people firmly believe that the
monster killed her by blows, and then e
set fire to the body, leaving c
t to burn. His previous character
las been rather bad. He has been G
,nown in Lynn for upwards of TWEEN T
y years, though not constantly a res '
dent, and during that time-for the e
two or three years-he has car g
led on the business of a barber at the i
Railroad House on Market street, and
las been known as a man much given
O drinking and of an exceedinglv bad