Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-03-22
The Smutty Nose Island Murder.

The particulars of the murder of Mis-,
Christensen and Miss Lawson on Smutty
Nose Island are as follows: Lewis Wag
ner, the alleged murderer, was one Of
the crew of fishing schooner which re
Gently sunk in the harbor, and thus left
him out of employment. He is about
twenty-nine years old. The two mur
dered women lived with Mr.. Hontvet
and his wife on Smutty Nose Island
which is one of the Isles of Shoals. Or
Wednesday Mr.. .Hontvet and Lewis
Wagner went to the city to spend the
night there, leaving the women at home
but after supper Wagner took an axe,
went down to the wharf, and was not
seen again till morning, when he break
tasted with Mr.. Hontvet and appeared
as though possessed by the conscious
ness of some terrible crime. After
breakfast he had his beard shaved off,
left, and was not seen afterwards till he
was arrested in Boston. From the state
ment of Mrs. Hontvet it appears that on
Wednesday, about midnight, Wagner
came to the house, entered and mur-
dered Miss Christensen with a chair,
and then horribly mutilated her with
the axe which he had taken along with
him. Miss Lawson attempted to escape
through a window, but she also was
overtaken and butchered. Mrs. Hont-
vet was more fortunate, and wandered
about the island all night, pursued by
the murderer. At eight o'clock in the
morning her cries called to her assis-
tancc Mr.. Ingerbredson, living close by,
on Appleton Island, and he aroused the
neighbors, who Immediately set about
to find the wretch who had done the
awful deed, the object of which was
plainly to secure money which he sup
posed or knew to be in the house. He
secured, however, but $15. He was
traced from Portsmouth to the island
and back through the city again, and it
was found that he had bought railway
ticket for Boston by way of the Eastern
road On Thursday night the police
searched for long time without sue
cess, but finally officer Gallagher saw a
man answering to Wagner's description
standing in doorway near Fleet street
The man was instantly seized and taken
to the station, where, Notwithstanding
that he had new suit on, he was identi-
fed as the man of whom they were in
search. He made no resistance and
stoutly denied any knowledge of the
murder, but his old clothes, fecked
and spotted with blood, were discovered
in the shop where he had obtained his
new outfit. He was taken to the station
house, where he acted sullenly and was
utterly indisposed to be communicative.
There is much feeling in regard to the
matter, and some slight talk of rough
dealing with the man by the neighbors
of the murdered women.
On his person was found q small
amount of money, but watch was soon
found where he had disposed Of it. The
murder, which was most brutal in its
details, was discovered at an early hour
Thursday morning by members of the
Hontvet family, at whose residence the
outrage was committed. Wagner, who
was former employe of Mr.. Hontvet,
arrived in his boat from Star Island at
an early hour on the evening OF the
murder. His mission, to all appear
ance, was the perpetration of the crime
he subsequently committed, his sneak
ing manner on arriving at the house be-
ing such as to give rise to suspicion on
the part of Mrs. Hontvet that he was
intent on some object which BODIED no
good He passed the front of the house
and to the rear, and soon after entered
the house. After short conversation
he asked Cornela Christensen to come
into the entry with him as he had some
thing very important to communicate.
The woman, who suspected something
wrong, involuntarily started to acquiesce
in Wagner's request. Trembling with
fear she approached the entry, where,
on arriving, she discovered Wagner
with an axe in his hand. With a shrek
she started to return to the kitchen,
where she had left Mrs. Hontvet and
another woman named Annetta Lawson,
but before she could re-enter the door
she received heavy blow on the head
from Wagner with the axe. The blow
was sufficient to kill her instantly. The
murderer, with the axe in his hand, en-
tered the room where the other two
women were and without word struck
Miss Lawson a terrible blow upon the
side. The woman fell to the floor, her
agony being such as to soon occasion
loud cries of distress. She was asked
by Wagner where the money was that
was kept in the house, being at the
same time warned that if she did not
tell him he would kill her at once.
She continued to groan, seeming to pay
but little attention to what the brute
was saying. All at once Wagner seems
to have become possessed OF the spirit
of demon, and heaped the blows with
the axe thick and fast upon the head
and body of the unfortunate woman.
Miss Lawson's head was literally crush
ed to a jelly. Meanwhile Mrs. Hont-
vet, who had received a severe blow
from the murderer with chair, was
hidden among the rocks on the island,
remaining in her secure position until
between eight and nine O'clock Thurs
day morning. She then ventured out
and crossed the sea-wall to Malaga
Island, and by her cries succeeded in
making herself heard by Mr.. Ingerbred-
son, man who had house on Apple
dore Island. He went to her assistance
and found her suffering from blow on
the shoulder and her feet and part of
her body frozen, she having remained
in the severe cold all those hours with
nothing on but her chemise and flannel
night dress.