Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-06-26
The Thorndfke Tragedy---Triple
Murder and Attempted Arson.
THoRNDIKE, Waldo County,
Nc. June II.


proved his land and soon built up one
of the handsomest places in the country.
He had five sons: one died at home,
and one in Confederate prison during
the war, but Erastus, Almon, and John
True Gordon, the murderer, stayed at
home. The old gentleman began to feel
his age, and, to help his boys along,
some eight years ago he gave his place
| to Erastus on condition that himself and
| his wife should be supported by him;
| trouble arose and Mr.. Gordon resumed
possession of his property. A few years
| ago Almon, the youngest of the sons.
married girl of the neighborhood, and
| the match was so well liked by the pa
rents that the estate was turned over to
| the young man on terms similar to those
upon which Erastus had received it. As
| wears went on three children were born
| to the happy couple. The conditions of
| the compact were carried out both in
! spirit and letter, and the aged couple
| were blest in their children and
| children's children. But jealousy of
| his brother was at work in the breast
! of John, who looked upon Almon as one
who had cheated him out of his birth
right. He worked on the farm with
/ envy in his heart: he was surly and i'll
hammered, but no one looked upon him
as capable of becoming a fratricide, an
| incendiaTv, and the murderer of innO-
| cent children. Last week the deed con-
veying the property TO Almon was put
! on record, and the old gentleman and
! his wife went on visit to some Tela-
| tiyes at Bangor. The last hope of re-
versing the decision of the father-and
! it was a righteous decision, for Almon
was prudent, steady, married, and had a
family to support, while John resem-
bled him in none of these particulars
left John, and he determined upon re-
venge. The division of the property had
been determined upon when he was
away from home, and this, too, CALLED
him: and this was the cause of the tra-
gedy which has dazed the little village
| of Thorndike, and will ever remain its
one tale of horror.
The house where the Gordon family
were murdered is situated on the top
of a steep hill in plain view of the
| Thorndike station. 1t is two stories
high, continuing twelve rooms, with an
! I. and long shed extending to a large
barn. All the buildings are connected
together and all painted white except
the barn, presenting an elegant farm
like appearance. The green and luXu-
RANT fields were broad and beautiful,
fringed around with a magnificent
| forest.
A large orchard stands in the rear of
the house The whole appearance is
one of comfort, neatness, and thrift.
The COroner's inquest was in session
when | entered, taking evidence, and
was about adjourning to meet again on
Saturday next. Suspicion had natural
! ly fallen upon the son, named John I.
Gordon, who was under arrest, and with
others had given testimony in the case.
The prisoner was greatly agitatod,
weeping and calculating, protesting his
innocence, and apparently bewildered
at what was going on around him. His
hands and a portion of his clothing were
covered with blood. He is twenty
eight years of age, bears a bad charac-
ter. and called himself a spirituallst.
The sleeping room of the prisoner was
in the second story, to the left of the
stairs. 1t was a comfortable room, con-
tanning a bed, bureau, Bible, chairs, and
other conveniences.
Marks of fingers stained with blood
were visible upon the jambs of two
doors leading from the room, showing
that If he did the bloody work he re-
turned to his room after its execution.
Directly in the rear of this room was a
smaller bedroom, occupied by hired
man by the name of Ward. Ward states
that he was aroused from sleep about
three O'Clock a. ~, by the cry of some
one below On going down stairs and
passing through the prisoners room he
found him missing, and discovering the
house to be on fire he shouted "John"
many times, but got no answer. The
nearest neighbOr, Mr.. Harmon, was
aroused, and immediate efforts made to
extinguish the flames, no one, as yet,
suspecting foul play.
Discovering dense smoke issuing
from the sleeping room of Mr.. Almon
Gordon. brother, of the prisoner, which
was on the first floor, Mr.. Harmon burst
open the door, seized the body of Mr..
Gordon and dragged it out doors. He
then returned, clasped the burning body
of Mrs Gordon, and conveyed 1t also
out of doors. Then rushing to window,
not being able to return to the room on
account of the smoke and flames, he
reached in his arm. grasped little boy,
Ira, five years old, and brought him
forth alive He also took a little girl,
Emma, seventeen months old, from the
bed. dead and on fire. During all this
time no one had suspected murder. The
excitement of the fire had blinded them
! to the horrors of the fearful crime.
Having extinguished the flames, an
, examination of the victims revealed the
appalling fact that all OF them had been
crielly murdered Their lower limbs
were burned and charred to a crisp.
while their heads, faces, and necks were
7. IL. ,,,F,a nt q
closing q most revolving sight. The
bodies also emitted an odor of kerosene,
as did the room where they slept, indi.
J, eating that they had been saturated
with this eombustible fluid to facilitate
the burning.
On searching the house an axe was
found in a closet covered with blood an6
with the hair of the victims clinging tc
the CORY blade. 1t was at once seer
| that this was the deadly weapon with
, which the deed was done.
APPEARANCE OF THE BoDIEs As LAII
.se OUT.
The three dead bodies were laid out il
the sitting room to the right, on the frs
floor. No pains were spared to reHdel
their appearance as comely as the hor-
r rid circumstances would admit All OF
them rec!ined on smooth white boards
2 the innocent but mutilated little cnllC
: between its equally mangled parents
: The bodies were covered with cleaf
sheets, white and pure as the snow
Mr.. Almon Gordon was twenty-five
: wears of age, and had five or six deer
: gashes on his head with the blade of al
axe, one blow having crushed the skull
in upon the brain. The wife, twenty
4 IL OH a.
the head and neck, one blow of the AK
: having passed clear through the flesf
and skull of the forehead, from which
the brain was protruding. The beauti
full child was cut in ike manner abou
the head and neck.
E The boy that was saved was lying OF
: | bed upstairs, with flesh wound upor
!, the forehead, not thought to be danger
Gus. He was bright and conscious, anC
. / in answer to the question what hur
!. ! him, replied that he did not know as h'