The Republican journal., 1872-01-18
Awful Triple Murder in Connecticut.

On Wednesday night Of last week a
most shocking tragedy took place At
Windsor Locks, Connecticut The vic
Tins We're Timothy Billings and his wife,
keepers OF q notorious brothel, about two
miles from the village, and Julia HAYS a
Young woman and inmate OF the house,
which has had bad reputation for wears.
The deed il supposed to have been committed
about o'clock in the afternoon. a. two pedilerS
named Myer Sokart and Jacob New>comb.
who were passing h. on their way from East
CRANKY to Sutheld. heard faint voice from
within saying. come NJ Hearing this faint
call, Stockart laid down his pack and went to
the front door, which he found locked Find
ing he could not get in by the front door, he
went round the house to the back door Opening
this door little way he saw what he supposed
TO be the body Of Il woman stretched out on the
floor. After asking three or four times what
was wanted of him, and getting no answer. ne
pushed the door VIDE open, and then he dis
covered the body of woman lying lifele,> in
pool Of blood on the foor. Mortified at the
sight, be immediately ran away and told hS
companion. The two then picked up their pack.
and started in the direction OF two men who
were at work in field near by, spreading to-
bacco stalks. After telling their story they
were informed by the men that they had seen
two men leave the house they (the peddlers)
approached; and that they had disappeared in
the woods near by.
After circulating the news and delaying three
or four hours, one of the parties who had been
at work in the field, Henry c. Baker, started
for Windsor Locks TO inform the authorities
The authorities raised an alarm and within
short space Of time double team containing
twenty or thirty men, were on their way 10 the
scene of the murder. On their arrival at the
house, at $50 P. Nj. (neary six hours after the
murders were first discovered they found the
doors all locked and The house on fire. They
Immediately broke i'll the doors. rushed into the
house and succeeded in extinguishing the fire
The fire evidently could not have long been set
before their arrival. not more than fifteen
minutes. After clearing the house OF smoke
the parties commenced their scar b.
The first victim found was the man Tom Bill
lings, proprietor Of the house. He was living
near the door, dead-his brains having been
dashed out against the walls. On the floor near
by was pool of blood His pockets were turn
ed inside out, which leads to the belief that the
murder was committed for the purpose of rob-
berry. Upon entering the next room Mrs Bill
llngs, his wife. was found living dead. Her
body was teartully charred by the fire. There
was great cash cut in her forehead This
was probably the blow of an axe. Upon enter
ing the next room from appearances the back
kitchen,) there lay stretched upon the floor the
llfeless form OF young woman, with terrible
cash or stab Just below the left ear. in her neck
She was dead and cold.
After searching the house thoroughly and
searching the woods near by, the authorities
were satisfied that two men committed the
crime. AT point on the Sutreld road half |,
mile north of the house, there were marks
where two men had apparently jumped from
wagon, and gone into the woods near BY Cigar
stumps and other evidences showed their track
There is cause for believing that the muir
derers are strangers in that neighborhood who
had stopped over night at Warehouse Point,
and been arrested for not paying their hotel
bills. Constable Warren arrested them. and
they are said to have settled the account Bald
wins livery stable in Windsor Locks furnished
a wagon to order to convey one of these men
and from another stable was hired another
wagon by the other man. They did not 90
together, but both We're left, by their own d.
rections, at the house Of Billings. and the lads
who drove them out, after receiving their pay,
drove back-leaving the men at the house
These two men are thus described: One wore
butchers frock, slouched hat. and new rub
ber boots. The other wore light overcoat.
and he, too, had on new rubber boots One
was about feet inches high, and the other
about feet 10. The tracks in the snow, be-
yond the Billings house, where the men had
apparently jumped out of Il wagon, were plain
ly the tracks of men wearing rubber boots
Billings, the murdered owner OF the house
where the tragedy occurred, was II man about
forty years of age. Tuesday, it seems he had
sold to Mr.. Robert MCGOWAN, one of the select