Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-03-27
AN AGED WOMAN MURDERED.
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20 - MAWM N@"N""N =" = = -
The Nashville Banner Of yesterday
has the following conserving the hang
ing Of a woman on the Nolensville pike
IN the vielniiy Of Nashville, on Tuesday
night, the 18th inst;
Mrs. Housden was a widow, having
An only son, who was married and hved
AT her house. Not long before night he
went 20 Mill Greek TO fish, leaving his
mother and wife at home. His wife say.
that herself and motherin-law retired
for the night and went TO sleep. She
had not been asleep very long before she
was awakened by the screams OF her
motherin.law. She Immediately got up,
saw the door open, but did not see her
motherin-law She then ran over 20 a
Mr.. Barnes house, from $50 10 800 yards
distant, and told Mr.. Barnes that there
was somebody over at the house; that
she had not seen anybody. but from
the screams OF her motherin-law she
supposed some one must be in the house.
Mr.. Barnes came down to the road
which separates their places. aud there
met Mr.. Robert II. Patterson, who, hav-
ing heard the screams OF Mrs. Housden,
came down with his gun for the purpose
Of rendering her every assistance posi-
bic. They then proceeded TO the house,
Barnes telling Patterson, on the way
thither, what young Mrs. Housden had
told him. When they entered the house
II was found that the bed and bed-eloth-
ing in Mrs. Housdens room had been
thrown off the mattress and were laying
upon the door They then instituted
search about the house and premises for
Mrs. Housden, but failed TO find her.
They had concluded to give up the
search, after repeatedly hallooing for
her, and had started toward the spring
in going away, when they we're
greatly astonished to find one OF
her garments. This was the only clue
they had discovered as TO the direction
she had been taken, and they followed
the path to the spring, where they were
astounded to find her hung 20 a gallows,
which had been used by the Housden s
for the hanging OF hogs after they had
been killed. Yesterday morning the
large tracks Of bare-footed man were
found leading from the house to the
place where Mrs. Housden was hung,
and the tracks of another who had worn
shoes. These tracks also led of from
the callows. Her feet were entirely free
from mud, and this of itself was sufii-
Gent to Justify the opinion that she had
not walked, but had been carried TO the
gallows upon which she was hung The
rope had been tied so tightly around her
neck that it had cut into the skin. 1t
had been drawn tightly by means of a
slip-knot, and the rope had been wound
around her neck besides the noose)
four times. The rope had been so closely
drawn upon her neck that it had TO be
severed with knife.
Mrs. Housden was about sixty years
OF age, Of small statue, and weighed
about one hundred pounds, so that she
was incapable, both by reason Of her
age and physical weakness, of making
more than a feeble resistance to the vii
lains who took her life. 1t is said Of
her that she was rd.working, indus
trious, economical woman, and devout
member of the Methodist Church.
Coroner Everett summoned Thomas
W. Barnes, Thomas Chambers, John w.
Lee, ]. S. Smith, j. A. Dixon, James F.
Fields and Robert H. Patterson, as the
Jury, which, after an investigation, re-
turned the following verdict: :
THAT the said Mrs. Housden came to
her death from being hung by the neck
with a cotton pillow line, and 1t 10 the
opinion Of this jury that she was hung
by some other person than herself.