The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-08
Annette and Karen CrissensOn
Hacked to Death.
Infatuated Fishermen Prevented from
Lynching the Assassin by
United States Marines.
STORY OF MRS. HOUTvET.
Hiding Behind the Rocks All
Night i'm the Frost.
PORTSMOUTH, Nh, March I. 1873.

PORTSMOUTH, N. H. March 7, 1873
The terrible double tragedy upon Smutty Nose
Island the night before last, and the prompt
apprehension OF the fendish murderer are still
subjects OF excited comment. The particulars
OF the horrible affair as they have been de-
veleped to-day show that the only motive for this
slaughter of innocent women was to gain posses
sion OF paltry few hundred dollars which the un
| fortunate victims were supposed to possess. The
occupants OF the only house upon Smutty Nose
| Island were three men and three women the
former being absent from home large portion OF
the time engaged in troll fishing. Their names
are John and Mathew Houtvet mot Euntress, as
stated In the HERALD's dispatches last night both
! brothers, and Ivan Crissenson and wife, Miss An
nethe and Miss Karen Crissenson. The women
were lett alone Wednesday night, while the men
| were in Portsmouth batting their trolls for the
| mOrrOws fishing.
| THE AsSAssINS MIDNIGHT MOVEMENTS
| Louis Wagner, the murderer, was in the en-
| ploy OF Houtvet, and during portion Of Wednes-
| day evening assisted the latter in the task of
troll batting He disappeared, however, about
eight O'Clock in the evening, and it is stated that he
was seen on one OF the wharves of Portsmouth with
an axe In his hand. 1t is conectured that he shortly
after left for the Shoals, of the crew of the
fishing boat Iris missed deray from her about ten
O'Clock, ana, as it afterwards proved this was the
scene OF his brutal work. On Thursday morning,
about seven O'clock Houtvet went out to the Shoals
to set his trolls, and was hailed by some women
from an island adjoining that which the murder
was committed. They informed him of the muir.
der, although the extent of 1t was not imagined by
them.
ANNETHE'S MUTILATED REMAINS.
Houtvet. in company with two men, went to the
house and found Annette Crissenson lying dead
in her night clothes, with her head badly bruised
and mangled, apparently by axe. From appear
ances 1t is probable that she endeavored to escape
but was overtaken and killed outside the house
and the body dragged into the kitchen. She had
three wounds in the vicinity of the right ear, one
under the right eve, one on the frontal bone over
the right eye; one under the left eye one on the
lett ear one on the left temple and back of the
eft ear-all with the sharp edge Of the axe. The
brain could be seen through the wounds at the
right ear.
KAREN's CORPSE FOUND
The men looked further and saw the DO ly OF Karen
lying on the bedroom floor, in a semi-nude state,
in pool of blood She was clothed only with
chemlse. The feet were Strengthened out. as If she
had been in great agony. white handkerchief
was tied tightly around the neck the knot being
at the back OF the head probably to strange her
after she had hidden under the bed. Out
side was pool OF blood and marks OF a struggle
In the snow, and there were finger marks OF blood
on the doorway She had five wounds on the back
OF the head, one breaking her SKULL two on the left
temple two on the forehead over the right eye one
to the left OF the right eye. Her tongue was pro-
truding. The wounds were not SUFFICIENT to cause
DEATH which must have ensued from strangulaticn
Sickened and faint, Houtvet, with his comrades,
turned from the scene and came into Portsmouth
and told the tale OF horror. No means OF suitable
conveyance being obtainable, it seemed for a time
as though the Imagination would OF necessity serve
them in place or ocular demonstration.
THE CORONER AT sMUTTY NOSE ISLAND.
Application was made however. to Commodore
J. Z. Howell, OF the Navy Yard. who kindly gave
his consent TO allow tile United States steamer
Maynower to take the Coroner and his iury. with
several reporters, to the place in question 1t was
nearly nine O'Clock in the evening when the party
landed on Smutty Nose Island, and the sicky rays
OF the moon snea cherries light upon the barren
island, where stood the little house in which had oc-
The Coroner entered the dwelling and stood
in the presence of the dead, and fearful presence
1t was too, as by the dim light OF lantern were
disclosed the mutated bodies bathed ia blood.
lying upon the floor just as the murderer left them
together with the bood-bespattered doors and
windOws. The broken furniture. crockery and
other things all telling the story of the terrible
struggle Tor life that must have ensued ere the
fend accomplished his cruel work. The condition
OF the bodies and house was about as stated above
in the account given by Mr.. houtvet.
Karen was twenty-five years of age and unmar-
RED, anu Annette, two years her junior was mar
ried.
MRS. HourvErs STORY OF THE TRAGEDY.
Before the Coroner's jury Mrs. Houtvet testified |
that she had gone to bed on Wednesday night and
her sister Annetae slept with her, whine Karen
Karen cried out, :John scared me,,' thinking The
man IN the room was John Houtvet; heard some |
one pounding her; the door OF the bedroom las
tened by some one on the kitchen side with a |
stick; l shouted, the stick came out of |
the door and | opened it,, reached out and
got Karen by the arm, and was struck with |
chair; | pulled Karen into the bedroom with |
Annethe an. me; told Annsthe to jump out Of the
window ana she dld sci told her to run, but she
was so frightened that she could only get 10 the
corner OF The house, was holding the door OF the |
bedroom. and the person in the Kitchen was try
ing to force his way in; when he could net get In
he went out around the house, and heard Annethe
shout, Louis, Louls;" he went back to the door
aud got the axe and came through the window; | |
saw him strike her three times: could not See
the lace, but could see the figure OF the man. and
knew him to be Louis Wagner.
JUMPED THROUGH THE WINDOW,
taking my skirt, and ran down by the hen house:
tried to get Karen to come teo but she said she
was TOO tired ran to the dock, but could find no
dory there; then went out on the island and hid
NJ, and when hid behind the rocks the moon was
Just setting; l stayed there until alter the sun
rose, fearing Louis Wagner was still the island;
as signal for for help; ivy SS Sss ~ on Sf hs
point and shouted, and Mr. Ingebretzen heard MA
and came over from Appledore and took me to his
s Ssre a Mh s5sd a sHSs sa 9 SSs
advances to me or the others that l know OF;
the only time / saw Wagner was when was LOOK
ing through the window when he struck Annette;
OF the window; when | was running away heard
Karen shouting, the voice sounding out OF doors;
did not hear Wagner speak at ALL
THE OBJECT OF THE CRIME.
Mr.. Houtvet had s45 In o trunk, $40 of it being
in pocketbook. The $40 was taken by Wagner,
also IS from p0cketbook belonging to another
man ana some scrip from another which shows that
hey nd the house. Had he not done so Mrs.
Houtvet could have got away and left him on the
island. where the fishermen would have made
i'm