Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-04-09
The eureka Tragedy.

AHinqUcst at Eureka, Illinois, hal
laid the foundation for enc Of III,
tstraaigest criminal cases on record
Tho standing ct tho parties concern
| ed and their relations TO the socict,
around them render the dctails un,
usually startling. The wife of Q pas.
tor is accused of numbering q slate,
in the church, and on the dead
| wcman's person is Found q letter. from
the pastor which fully justifics The
Jealousy of his wife.
Mrs. Elizabeth Hedges was the
wife of David ). Hedges, who VIA.
killed at his farm about five year,
ago. She has been living with he,
family of four or five children i'm tht
south part of Eureka, where she has
borne a respectable character. She
was q member Of, and a collector for
the Methodist church over which
Rev. II. e. Workman presided,
aad though it had been hinted
that she was the object of some jeal-
ousy on tho part of Mrs. Workman,
40 II thought there was any serious
cause FOR 1t. On Saturday last Mrs.
ledge went to one of the stores in
the place aud received some money,
after which, With about $3.50 OF her
own funds in her pocket, she went
aud took supper with her brothor-in.
law, Mr.. Gould, aud leaving there
about dark, remarked that she would
call at MI. Woods and 60 from there
TO church. From that hour all trace
of her is lost until her body is found
in q r~aiiroad-cut near n school house
betwe en- Gould's and Woods. She
had been struck on the head and
stabbed in the breast; her throat was
cut aud her money gone. The hrsl
superstition was that robbery had
been the motive for the crime: but
the inquest soon developed stronger
motives than that. Pinned to the
Bosom OF an under garment was
ali anonymous note i'll the hand-writ-
ing of Mr.. Workman, and in u vein
of pic;y which pastors do not often
adopt in addressing the female mem.
bers of their fiocks. 1t dwcit upon
the fact that, though Abraham was
the father of the faithful, he was no,
confined TO one wife, and that David
aud Solomon had retained the reyer-
ehce OF the chosen people in spite of
their poiygamic prociivities. Mr..
Workman confessed at tho inquest
that he had handed this missiyc to
Mrs. Hedges at a recent prayer-mect-
ing, Il denied that there had been
anything i'll his relations with Mrs.
Hedges, though he could not eyp!a!u
why he addressed her such 4 s.sri-
cious note.
Then ii came out that Mrs. Work
man, on that fatal SATURDAY. night.
told her husband to go to churcl.
without her, and that she would fol-
low him after she had called at L mil
iihery store. She did not 90 10
church, ahd her husband reached
nome atleE services, and before tic!
When she did come i'll. black
smd blue bruises we're observed, On
he" lace Il hands, and she was heard
tell g hcr husband that she l,a,, duru
What would ruin her for life. Wi.e,
she was brought before the iuq,l".,
She tainted at the first .iuea-
Ton, ahd kept on fai..a,. nj
every subsequent question, uua.i trr
effort 20 eiici: amyt:ur. from .er
ceased. In the sIcantiun", however
Wor that they ~iira..t
three distinct scresmsiu the direction
ofthc sciiool-hoase LetSacU sis':t ant
nine O'Clock Oh that night, al or:
person, who passed there aIGGt eigi.. :,
} clock, had seen two n s:a..,i-
ng together OIL the east side OF the
About . O'Clock o,
sunday morning a person living near
he railroad saw q youth when lac
to be Mr.. WorkInan's son run
long the track In the direction OF
he spot where the body vas a,lcr-
ards found, and saw him rrturn
tier a while, running as brrurc.
pom this testimony Mrs. Workman :
as held to answer for the muruer oil,
lrs. Hedges. =
One theory in regard to the maticri.
that the two women met br ;i;- :
ointment and that Mrs. Hedges had ,
rovided herself with $3.50 to pay to :
irs. w orkman to prevent an expo ,
ulre, but that the latter, who is very |
Ugh tempered, had seized the oppar- I
unity to Stay ''the destroyer OF hes ,
However the trial NAV ter |
innate, Mr.. Workman will be he'll! /
ccouniable for acting SO as to arouse a
lch a deadly Jealousy in the bosom f
his wife. :,