Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-05-15
Murder of nh Orphan Girl ut Locke.
New York. -. =

A horrible murder was committed at
the residence of Abram Wescott, a
respectable, well-to.do farmer, >resid-
ing in the town of Locke, N. Y, at
about ten o'clock Saturday morning,
the victim being bis foster.daughter,
about fourteen years of age. She was
an orphan, and about three years ago
was taken by him from the Cayuga
County Asylum at Auburn and adopted
as his own. About ten days since a
young Swiss emlgrant landed at New
York, and by one who interested him.
self in his behalf was directed to Mr..
Wescott rs one likely to give him per.
manent employment, at the same time
instructing him in the art of husbandry
and assisting him in the acquisition
of knowledge of our language. The
young man took advantage of tho
suggestion, found his way hither, was
received into the family and furnished
with wcrk. Nothing unusual occurred
until to-day, when the girl was un.
doubtedly murdered by the young EN-.
igrant. He was reputed' to be about
fifteen years old, but was believed by
those about him to be nearer twenty.
This morning at an early hour MIR. and
Mrs. Wescott left home and came to
Moravia, distance of about eight
miles, to attend to some matters of
business, but had scarcely arrived be-
fore swift messenger followed bearing
the terrible tidjngs of the death of the
daughter at the hands of an assassin.
under circumstances placing beyond
question the guilt of murder upon the
hey. No one but the two young people
were in the house. They had not been
left alone more than an hour when a
neighbor called and was horri6ed to find
the daughter lying on the sitting-room
floor with marks of violence upon her
person, with large knife still buried
in her back, between her spine and
shoulder-blade, weltering in her own
blood and gasplng in her last agony.
She was then too near her end to i'm
part any information concerning the
tragedy, and died in q few moments.
Search was made, and it was discovered
that after changing his own boots for a
pair belonging to Mr.. Wescott, the
blood.guilty youth had fed. He was
holly pursued by an excited and venge
full posse of the neighboring farmers,
and at last accounts had been tracked
as far as Worthwhile, in the tow of
Genoa, ten miles from Mr.. Wescott's,
and about three from Cayuga Lake.
A Freak OF Fortune.
An illustration of proverb, "Truthis
stranger than fiction" comes from; Han:
ley, where blacksmith named Samuel
Allen, employed by tho North Stafford.
shire Railway Company of England, has
discovered in himself the heir to an estate
Of between 10000 and G7O,OOO. AlIen,
as his father and grandfather were before
him, is parish clerk at Bucknall, a village
outside Hanley, and pear Bucknall is the
Ubberley Hall estate, which was in pes.
session of Aliens ancestors from tho
reign Of William the Conqueror down to
the last generation, whom tho family was
elected from the estate through the ina.
bility of Aliens father to produce tho
title. deeds, These title-deeds were lost
about hundred years ago, aud their pos.
sessions about forty.6ve years ago. A
distant relative recently obtained, by a
lucky accident, a clue to tho missing
deeds, which had been found by strangers
in house occupied by deceased member
of the family and had fallen into the
hands of the man Hobbies, who q little
while ago induced several persons in
South Staftordshire to believe that he had
been sent down by the Lord Chancellor
to help poor people borrower properly,
and is now undergoing = sentence Of three
years Imprisonment in consequence. Up.
wards Of three hundred wei ht Of deeds
were found in Hobbies Office by the po
lice, aud those OF the Ubbsrly estate wore
among them.' Allen learned enough to
induce him to make several efforts to dis
cover the parichments, but without sue
cess until 90 happy thought" induced
him to interview" Hobbies in Stafford
prison. Hobbies, in . moment If repent
anac, or good resolve, told him whore the
deeds had boon left ~ security for debt
contracted by Hobbies. Allen, who is a
hale old man Of seventy, with wife and
largo family, seems confident that he will
be able to establish his title, and proceed
ings in the law courts will shortly DO
commenced to recover tho property.