Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-06-12
MURDER OF TWO VIRGINIA LADIES ON TEE
sAgsAgs -EoaaIDLE ATgossITy.-

Two startling tragedies have occur.
red this week, the circumstances attend
ing them being of an unusual character.
The first was near Suffolk, Va, where
two respectable ladies, the wife of Mr.,
Dempacy Jones aged As and his sister
Mrs. Dozier aged 50, while sitting at
home last Sunday morning, Were horri-
bly, murdered for the. purpose of robbie
~. A letter in the Norfolk s'Journal"
gives the following description of the
terrible affair:
Mr.. Jones had gone few miles from
home into North Carolina to visit a
friend. His daughters, about 10
o'clock, as usual, three in number, went
to Sunday school at the church not
more than one-half distant from and in
sight of their home Mrs. Jones and
Mrs. Dozier remained at home. Not
another living soul WIS left there, for
no one, neither black nor white, ex-
cept the family, lives on the premises. .
The youngest Of tie daughters left
the Sunday -school q little earlier that
the rest, and went home between II
and IL O'clock, having been absence
about one hour and half A lady
andgentleman, friends ofthe family, went
with her. AS soon as they arrived, at
the front gate this daughter jumped
out Of the buggy, anc ran into the
house to tel her mother = that this
lady. and gentleman had come to dine
with them.-She found 81
TiiE FRONT noon .LocKED,as.z-
but immediately ran around and enter
ed through a back door which she
found open, all the while in merry
mood, and wholly ignorant of what had
happened in the short time Zone hour
and halD she had been absent. On
into the house she went, and soon came
upon the bodies Of her mother and her
aunt, lying on the floor. Her first
thought was that they were asleep, but
before she opened her mouth to tell
her mother Of the arrival of their
friends she discovered that they were
lying cold in death where the assassin
had executed his nefarious and diaboii-
cal plan to murder What aeonvnlsion
OF feelings she must have experienced
from the cheerful, innocent, and happy
to the heartrenaing feelings she gave
vent to in The widest shrieks and cries!
Out into the yard she rushed; her cries
were heard at the church, and soon a
host Of friends were there, but alas
too late to catch the murderer The
Oldest daughter tainted when she heard
the news, and for long time her re-
covery was doubtful. Mr.. Jones soon
returned, and later IN the day many
from Suffolk were there to lend assist
ance to the large number Of men scar
ching the houses and country for miles
around for the executor of
| THE BLOODY DEED.
Inasmuch as the first daughter to
return home, was absence 10 more
than one hour and half, the deed was
done within that time and certainly
soon after her departure to Sunday
school, as the ladies were cold when
she returned. The murderer, there
fore, must have been somewhere secret.
ed on the premises awaiting the depar-
ture of all or most of the family, and
the whole affair shows conelusively
that. the murderer was fanfi1ar with the
| house, ect. He entered side. door,
which opened back against the wall in
such way as to leave triangular COR
ner behind it.
| NEAR THE DOOR.
was o fire place. on the side of which
just at the door, sat Mrs. Jones, while
on the other side, away from the door,
sat Mrs. Dozier One step inside the
door placed tire murderer by Mrs.
Jones side. Behind the door was q
piece Of white oak wood about one Or
two feet long, about as large as a mans
arm, having the bark on one side Of it.
1t was placed their in the morning by
small boy who had brought it in with
her fire wood. With this Mrs. Jones
was struck not more than one or two
Hicks on the side of her head, which
completely parted the skull all around
With one han1 at the side Of her face
. and the other at her side, she was
found lying beside the chair in which
she was sitting when struck, her posi-
sion indicating that she must have been
KILLED 1AsTANTLY j.
Her pocket was torn from her dress
and her keys were taken out and used
to open the various drawers about
the house. So she, was found
with the clotted blood from her
head on the floor whers she lay.
In it pieces Of the bark of the
wood were found, several pieces in
her lair, and the piece Of wood was
covered with blood and placed asGfn
behind the daor..
\ Mrs. Dozier received many ticks
rpon her head with the same
aor ike instrument, which crushed her
skull into SO many pieces that the
whole could be raised up and moved
about by raising the scalp by the hair.
Her arm was broken, her shoulders
severely bruised, aad her finger ring
broken and mashed the rnig into the
finger upon which she wore it. Her
keys were not taken frerl her pocket,
her apectaeles were left in the window
beside which she sat. and the newspa.
per she YVES reading, was on the floor
near her. Themu,$lerer' beingbarefooted,
and having Cotton some Of the blood on
;, fleet,
LIFT HIS TRACKS
on the stairway and in one room. He
wanted money, and nothing else, it
would seem, for he did not take the
ieweIry that he found in the trunks and