Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-02-13
AWMOLE FAMILY POISONED.
three Mean Murders i'm Washinrton
County,

ANOAs ~ As3 VuAuaAy 0As-A crime
not at all inexplicable on the theory
that there are men utterly devoid Of
anything human except passions and
appetites has just been committed at
Cambridge. The perpetrator of it.
supposlng that the man whom all. be.
lieve to be guilty is 80 in reality-is a
Rulloff without his intelligence. an
utter brute, and his children seem to
have inherited his nature. About three
miles from Eagle Bridge stands little
red farmhouse, over which Charles
Shaw is lord i, and master he is
about forty years OF. age, and was
first seen in the neighbefiood about
fifteen years ago, when he came to town
with his family and worked as a farm
laborer and teamster. He was never
liked by the neighbors, being consid-
cred mean, snrly, and .'low-ived :" q
thief also Of the most contemplate sort.
His wife was looked upap as an indus
trious woman who led Shard life owing
to her husbands brutality; quarrels
we're frequent, and it seemed always the
traditional washing day with them.
They had eight children -Alfonzo,
Fannie, Marietta, Elizabeth, Harriet,
Anna, Ida, and Charles-the eldest
being twenty-five years old and the
youngest but one year. Fannie has
had an illegitimate son, who is sort
OF favorite with his grandfather, and it
is probably owing to this fact that he
his now in the land of the living. All
the children were robust physically, but
their moral and intellectual natures
were plainly derived from their fathers.
About two years ago Shaw became the
pa'amour of one Mrs. Briggs, who lived
near by, and when his wife remonstrat-
ed with him for spending all the money
on the woman and leaving the house
hold uncared for, it was the pleasing
custom OF Shaw to knock her on tho
head with anything that might be at
hand and during tho past year Mrs.
Shaw has Obtained five warrants for her
husbands arrest on the ground of
cruelty and threats against her life.
This displeased both Shaw and Mrs.
Briggs, and both threatened to be even
with her. In one of the fights result
ing from this state of affairs, Mrs. Shaw
was treated 40 outrageously that Jus
tice Fletcher threatened to send the
rufiian to the penitentiary if he did not
behave himself !; but the quarrel
was settled, and Mrs. Briggs moved
away to Hoosick. The home life
of the Shaws passed away as usual for
awhile, but on Sunday, the 10Th of the
present month, the husband and fa-
ther went to see Mrs. Briggs, spent the
day there and then went to Waits Cor
ners, where he remained till the follow
ing Tuesday. On Thursday he went
to DR.. Kennedy's Office and said his
folks were sick aud needed attendance.
DIR. Kennedy went to the house and
found Elizabeth and another of the
children i'll he administered medicine
and then turned the case over to DR..
Ketcham, who, on visiting the house on
Friday, found six of the children sick,
and the mother in a dangerous condi-
ton; all were purging and vomiting.
and told the Doctor that they had
eaten OF some sausages Shaw had given
them. In few hours Elizabeth died,
and on Saturday rost mortem exam
ination of her body was held, and the
stomach sent to Albany to be analyzed.
Shaw was absent during the post NOR.
tenn, and when he came back to the
house got into great rage because it
had been permitted. A warrant for
Shaw's arrest was issued, and he was
soon in custody, avowing his inno-
cence most emphatically, On Sunday
he was allowed to return home. and
then bawled loudly of his affection
for his dying wife. Mrs. Shaw then
made q statement to the effect that she
had long believed that her husband
would poison her, and told how he
once attempted to bribe his nephew to
put white powder in the food of the
family. When he returned from Waits
Corner ho brought some whisky which
made her and the children sick: he
himself would neither drink of it nor
allow his illegitimate grandson to do
90. The children who survive manifest
not the slightest feeling in re-
gard TO. the crime, and seem
to think it q matter of no account what
ever. When they speak of the matter
they are evidently trying to mislead
people as to their father, but their
statements are all contradictory. Mrs.
Shaw will in all probability die, two
of the children. Elizabeth and Ida, are
already dead the cases of the two 9TH
ers are considered doubtful, but the
others will probably recover. The
physicians believe that the sausages
were poisoned, and suspicion rests on
Shaw, Mrs. Briggs, and some "un-
known man." of VIII ON the family
speak, but who probably had nothing
whatever to do with the crime. Shaw
il the only person now in custody.