Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-11-07
The Northwood, N. H., Tra gedy.
RECoRD-AN OLD MAN oUTRAGEs AND
MURDERS HIS NIECE.

The usually quiet town of Northwood,
n. H., has been, recently, the scene of
one of the most shocking and fiendish
murders ever recorded. The victim was
Miss Georgianna Lowering, and the MUIR
derer was her grand uncle, Franklin B.
Evans.
Georgianna was an only child, and
was the idol of her mother, who was
widow, and the pride of her grandpa
rents, with whom she and her mother
lived. She was fourteen years old, and
a bright, pretty and affectionate girl.
Her form was well developed, her hair
and eyes dark, and her cOuntenance
beamed with youthful life. She was
the sunlight of the household. Her
teachers bear testimony to her excellent
scholarship, Outside of her home, the
girl was a favorite with the neighbOrs.
The murderer is a native of STAFFORD,
n. H., sixty-fOur years old, and has from
youth led a rowing and miserable life.
He is of medium statue, slim of body,
has long gray beard, and hair of the
same shade. His features are sharp, his
face thin. He had been botanic ply
stefan and Second Advent preacher, and
had been three times married, his last
two wives both leaving him in turn, and
refusing to live with him. Evans has
been living for some time with his sister,
Mrs. Day, the grandmother of the girl,
and had always pretended to think a
great deal of George. In return she
manifested no fondness for him, al
though she naturally looked up to him
somewhat on account of his age and re-
1ofinruhiV ic ctataH that hn
made improper advances to the young
girl, who Indignantly repealed them, and
acquainted her mother with the CirCum-
stances. At that time he apparently
| turned over new leaf, and treated his
niece with much consideration. The
! SEQUEL proves that he then commenced
to lay his plans for the ruin of the girl.
| HIS first move was to set snares for birds
in the woods. He afterwards talked
about his traps, and how nicely he
caught the handsome birds. This awak-
ened the,girls curiosity, and she asked
that she might go with him and see
them. He finally took her with him
one day to the woods. She enjoyed the
trip, and went a number of times after
ward. One week ago last Tuesday
evening, the night before the murder,
Evans told George that he was going
away to work the next morning, and
that she must look after the snares.
She. agreed to do so, went into the woods
on Friday to perform the task. She was
not seen again alive by any one but
Evans.
Her absence caused great anxiety to
her relatives and friends. Hundreds of
people searched the woods for her. At
last traces of her were discovered in the
shape of pieces of her dress, some of her
hair and her broken comb. This led to
the arrest of Evans, it being the firm be-
lief of the citizens that Evans had out
ragged the girl and then murdered her.
Evans maintained that the girl was alive
asked why he should injure her, little
innocent girl, whom he thought great
deal of. Although he appeared in fine
spirits, he begged the sheriff quite ear
nesly for some strychnine. On Thurs
day last, in conversation with the sheriff,
Evans acknowledged the crime, and took
the officer and three other men, at mid
night, to wild spot in the woods, anc
there under an old stump showed them
by the light of a lantern the mutilateC
body of the girl. The neck bore plainly
the prints of fingers, showing that she
was strangled. Her dress and skirts
were in q bunch around her neck, the
body having been dragged through the
swamp. 1t was found that the inhumar
) fiend had not only strangled his victim
but with some sharp instrument had hor
ribly mutilated the body and hid a pOr
ton of it under a rock, a mile away, tt
which he also took the sheriff. The dis
covery created the greatest excitemen
in the village and surrounding towns
Evans had been taken to STAFFORD, from
fears that the inhabitants of NOrthwOoC
wonld lynch him and he will doubtless
in due time, suffer the penalty of hi
crime