Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-03-10
The Isle of shoals Murder.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.

Boston, March :. Lewis Wagner. suspect.
ed of the double murder at Isle of Shoals,
was arrested in Fleet street, Boston, last
night and committed to await the requisition
of the authorities Of Maine, within whose ju-
risdiction the murders were committed.
Wagner is about thirty years of age aud
weighs 10 pounds. He claims to be Prus.
sian by birth.
When charged with the murder he stoutly
denied having any knowledge of it. On his
person was found a small amount of money,
but watch was soon found, where he had
disposed of it, and his old clothes, spotted
with blood, where discovered in a shop where
he had procured a new suit.
The murder, which was most brutal In its
details, was discovered at an early hour
on Thursday by members Of the Hontvet fam.
lily, at whose residence the outrage was CON-
miteed.
Wagner, former employee of Mr.. Hont-
vet, arrived in bis boat from Star Island at
an early hour on the evening of the murder
His mission 10 all appearance was the per-
petrston Of the crime he subsequently COM
mitted, his sneaking manner on his arrival at
the house being such as to rise 10 suspicion
on the part OF Mr.. Hontvet that he was intent
! on some object which boded no good. He
passed the front OF the house to the rear, and
soon after entered the house. After short
onveisation he asked Cornelia Christenton
to come into the entry with him as he had
something very important to communicate.
The woman. who suspected something wrong,
involuntarily started to acquiesce in Wagners
request. Trembling with fear she spproach-
ed the entry, where on arriving she discover
ed Wagner with an axe in his hand With q
shrek she started 20 run to the kitchen, where
she had left Mrs Honivet and another WON.
an, named Annette Lawson, but before she
could re-cGter the door she received furious
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 woman
were, and without word struck the Lawson
woman a terrible blow upon the side. The
woman fell to the floor, her agony being such
as soon TO 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 would not tell
him he would kill her at once. She continued
to groan, seemingly to pay but little attention
to what the brute was saying. All at once
Wagner seems to have become posed Of the
demon and heaped the blows with the axe
thick and fast on the head and body Of the
unfortunate woman. Mrs. Lawson's head
was literally crushed to jelly. Meanwhile
Mrs. Hontvet who had received a severe blow
from the murderer with chair was hidden
among the rocks on the island. Remaining
in her secure position Till between eight and
nine o'clock Thursday morning, she ventured
out and crossed the sea wall to Melaga ISL
and, and by her cries succeeded in making
herself heard by MIR Ingerbredsop, mau
who has a house on Appledore Island. He
went to her asss ance and found her suffering
from blow on the shoulder, and her feet and
parts Of her body badly frozen, she having
remained in the severe cold all these hours
with nothing on but her chcmise and flannel
night dress
When the men arrived on the island sick
ening sight was presented In the bed room
in the cas-. end OF the house lay the dead body
of Miss Karen Christensen. She was lying
on the floor on her face, with no clothing on
except her chemise. She had white hand
kerchief passed around her neck twice, drawn
very tight and tied in hard knot on the back
of her neck The scene was horrible. She
had five deep cuts in the back of the head,
and four in the face, one penetrating the skull
so that the brains protruded. The room had
every appearance of suthe, as the bed
clothes were lying around in disorder ed
condition, being covered with blood; and
rhere was blood on the walls, doors and
floor. In the kitchen, the dead body of Mrs.
Annette Christensen lay on the floor, with the
face upward she was in her night. clothes. A.
stated previously, her head was fearfuliy man
gled in fact cut to pieces with an axe. A shawl
was wound twice around her neck tightly,
and tied, us if to choke her or otherwise to
haul the body into the house, as the theory 10
that she was killed outside the house. In this
kitchen was table with plates, bread, &C..
upon it; also kerosene lamp. A chair had
been smashed to pieces. and the fragments
were lying around the room; and there vas
one whole chair, stove and other Kitchen
i furniture. Argus.