Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-02
MURDER NEAR JANESYILLE.
Two Negroes Charged with the Crime

/ The JaneSVllIe GMzettc OF June Z3d
gives an account of the arrest of two
negroes for the murder of their white
housekeeper, from which we extract
the following
| The circumstances which led to a
suspicion of the crime are these:
During the latter part of the week be-
fore last two officers from this city went
to the house occupied by these negroes
and their houeskeeper for the purpose
ofrenewing cha;tle mortgage Rachel
Thomas and her black employers had
evidently had some alteration and
were not in good humor and as the
door was opened upon the officers she
exclaimed spitefully: ''there's con-
stable now; you'd better have me ar
rested as you said you would. But
you had better tell them first about the
sheep you stole from Hyzer. You cut
its throat in the cellar, and threw some
ashes down there to hide the blood"
That was the enraged woman's speech
and upon the strength of what she said
warrant was issued for the arrest of
Simpson Walker and George Washing
ton on charge of stealing sheep Of
Hyzer The trial was set for Monday,
the 18th inst, and Rachel Thomas was
the only witness against them On
the evening Of Sunday, the 18th, inst,
persons driving by the house, about
nine o'clock, heard violent contro-
versy in progress. but as such things
were common in that household, little
attention was given to the circumstance.
But on the morning following, Rachel
Thomas, the witness in the sheep steal
ing case, was missing. Grave suspic-
ions were at once aroused and an i'm
mediate search for the woman began,
which was continu d until Saturday,
when the negroes were arrested.
They made no resistance and declared
that Rachel Thomas went away Sunday
night with man and two women
who had called there. The Gazette
adds:
The suspected murderers are full
blooded Africans and are half brothers
They came north from Tennessee some
eight years ago. Walker was employ
ed during a portion of the war in the
hospital Of the SD Illinois regiment.
Washington is past thirty and Walker
is past forty years ofage. They have
resided In this county some two years
in the town of Fulton-until last Feb
ruary, when they purchased a house
and ten acres of land from j. G. Fred
endall, just beyond the Catholic ceme-
terry, on the river road, in the town of
GAINESVILLE, and moved upon the place.
The house is some two miles and a
half from the postofice in this city and
it was here that Rachel Thomas hired
out to the negroes as their housekeeper
and went to work for them and where
shs is supposed to have lost her life at
their hands. They are men Of bad
characters, having been frequently sus-
| pected of stealing from their neighbors
and from the neglected appearance Of
their little farm we should say that
/ they did anything but till the soil.
Rachel Thomas was white woman !;
over forty years old-an ignorant and
degraded character, whose latter life is
one continuous record Of vice. She
was probably the mistress of these two
black men and between the trio but
little harmony seemed to exist.
The interior of their little weather.
stained house presents scene of squal-
or, filth and poverty scarcely to be
paralleled. The building is a one STORY
affair containing three rooms, a sitting
room which is also occupied as bed
room, a bed room for Rachel Thomas,
and a pantry. The rooms are small
and reeking with filth and vermin.
Against the rear of the structure is a
"lean to" containing kitchen and a
sort Of store room. The furniture Of
this miserable abode Of sin consists Of
two rickety bedsteads, an old stand,
two chairs, two old trunks, hand valise
and cook stove. The bedding con-
sists of two straw ticks and mass of
rags which scarcely approach in re-
sembapce either quilts or blankets
Miss Thomas wardrobe was also as
limited as the furniture, a few old,
torn and faded garments, begrimed with
dirt, comprising her outfit. There are
no indications of struggle in any of
the rooms, but as week has elapsed
since the woman disappeared, the men
would have had time to eradicate any
evidence of that sort. On one of her
dresses-a heavy japanese stripe-was
visible on the front part of the over
skirt, three small drops of blood. Be-
yond this there is no indication Of blood
letting, and we would not consider this
worth mentioning but for the absence
of all other signs Of the infiction Of
bodily injury.
LATER-MURDER WILL OUT.
The remains Of Rachel Thomas, the
murdered woman, have been found.
The swollen and fast decaylng corpse
moo I1;no on a hill some seventy rods