South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1873-06-13
Double Murder in Virginia.

/ semond county, Va, about niue miles from
Suffolk, on Sunday, the End irst. The
particulars are substantially as follows
On that morning while Mr.. DEMPSEY
JONES, W DO resides on White Marsh road
near Cypress Church, Mr.. Jones being
from home, aud his children wero at Sun
day school, somo unknown person or per-
sons entered his house spd murdered bis
wife and Mrs. Sarah n. Dorier, his sister.
A writer in the Norfolk Journal gives the
following description of the horrible affair:
The youngest Of the daughters left the
Sunday school little earlier than the rest,
and went home between / | and IL o'clock,
having been absent about one hour and
half. lady and gentleman friends of the
family went with her. As soon a. they
arrived at the trout gate this daughter
jumped out of the buggy, and ran inio the
house to tell her mother that this lady and
/ gentleman had come 10 due with them
She found the front door locked, but i'm.
mediately ran around and entered through
back door which she found open, sll ks
! while iDs merry mood, aud wholly ignorant
OF what had happened in the short tme
/ Gone hour sDds bslD she had been absent.
GA toto TIE house she went, and soon ssns
upon the bodies Of her mother aud her aup',
lying or the aoor. Her Srst thought wa.
that they were asleep, bat before she opsn-
ed her mouth 10 tell ksr IL otker of the ar
rival Of their friesds sLs discovered that
they were lying cold in death where the
assassin had executed bis pefarious aud di-
ahnl, al II
sion of feelings she must have experienced
from the cheerful, ionoosDt, aud hsppy,
TO the hssrtrsndipg feelings she gave vent
to, in the widest shrsaks aud cries Out
into the yard she rushed her cries we're
heard at tho church, and soon = host Of
friends were there, bat alas tso late 10
catch the murderer. The Oldest daughter
tainted when she heard the pess, snd for
long Hms her recovery was doubtful.
Mr.. Jones soon returned, and later 10 the
day many from Suffolk were there 10 lsnd
assistance 20 ths large number Of men
searching tho houses and country for miles
around for the executor Of
THE BLOODY DEED.
Inssmuch as the sIst daughter to return
home, Was absent no more than one hour
aud " half, the deed was done within that
time and certainly soon afisr her departure
to Sunday school, as the ladies were cold
whom she returned. Tho murderer, there
fore, must have Seen somewhere sscreted
ON the premises. awaiting the departure OF
all or most Of the family, and the whole az
fair shows conclusively that the murderer
was familiar with the house, etc. He en-
tered side door, which opened back ogains;
the val 10 such = way as to leave trian-
gular corner behind it.
NEAR THE DOOR,
was a 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
the murderer by Mrs. Jones side. Behind
the door was piece of white oak wood a.
bout one or two. feet long, about as large
as mans arm, having the bark on one
side Of it, 1t was placed there in the moro
irg by small boy who had brought j, in
with other Ere wood. With this Mrs. Jones
was struck not more than one or two licks
on the side of her head, which completely
parted the skull all around. With one
hand at the side Of her face and the other
at her side, she was found lying beside the
chair in which she vas sitting when struck
her position indicating that she must have
been
KILLED INSTANTLY.
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 where she lay. In it
pieces Of the bark of the wood were found
several pieces il her hair, and the piece Of
wood was covered with blood and placed
again behind the door.
Mrs. Dozier received many ticks upon
the top Of her head with the same or a like
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, aud her fin
ger ring broken and mashed into ;he finger
upon which she wore it. Her keys were
not taken from her pocket, her s2ec,acies
were left IN the window beside which she
sat, aud the newspaper she was reading,
was on the floor near her The murderer
being bare-iooted, and having gotten some
of the blood on bis feet,
LEFT HIS TRACKS
a. = =.