The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-11-05
The MANSON TRA6EDY.
Indiana, the Scene OF a
Horrible Murder - The Guilty
Mother, CraZed by Her Crime.
Exposes Her Guilt ana NJ Last
Commits suicide.

j
kilograms to the Associated Press
have already furnished our readers
with accounts Of the arrest Of Mrs.
Mawson and her son Thomas for the
murder of her youngest son Albert; OF
her suicide in Jail, and of the subse-
ouent arrest of Thomas's wife and a
son-in-law of Mrs. Mawson, believed to
have been parties to the murder. We
now copy from an Anderson correslon-
dent of the Cincinnati Gazette the fol-
lowing history of the affair and state
ment of the presumed cause for the
terrible crime, as follows:
Save the shooting Of the late lament
ed Tom Stillwell, no event has occurred
in this county for many years which
has created such intense excitement as
the discovery of murdured Mawson on
Wednesday last. In the latter part of
July last. Mrs. Mawson began talking a
great deal about her youngest son, Al
bert, or cher Abby as she styled him.
Even when no inquiries were made by
the neighbors as to his whereabouts,
she volunteered an explanation of his
absence. Sometimes she represented
him as having gone to Cleveland, some
times to England, and again to Califor-
mir. Occasionally she offered for sale
some article formerly belonging to her
son. A suit of clothes, nearly new,
was taken back to the merchant Of
whom they were purchased, and SOLD
for small sum. A ring and some 9TH
err little trinkets were likewise sold.
These sales were always accompanied by
some kind of story. Albert couldn' t
take them with him, or he had left them
for her to sell, or she had to raise
money and desired to sell what Albert
would never need, She refused to
sleep alone, and before Mr.. knull "a
tenant of hers) came on to the farm she
passed her nights with the neighbors
when no one could be found to stay
with her in the farmhouse. A few
weeks later she reported the death of
abby" declaring that some one, prob
ably the Lains, (neighbors,) had killed
him. and that he would yet be found
in T om Smiths woods, or on her own
farm, or IN the White River. About
ten days ago she met one William Fas-
sett, a teanster, formerly in her en-
ploy, and, after recounting her sons
virtues, and complaining of her loneli-
ness without him, she said she knew the
Lains had killed him and buried his
body in Smith s woods, or in nell,
and that he would be found in few
days, lust as sure as l am looking in
your face, William Fasset.
Little attention, however, was paid to
these remarks, but it was remarked by
all the neighbors that "Aunt Nancy
looked haggard and was terribly wor-
ried about something. On Sunday
morning last she asked Mrs. Knull to
go with her and see what a fine stock
well she had. Partially removing the
boards which covered it, she stirred the
water with pole, saying as she did so:
See how clear the water is. Early
the next Tuesday morning, almost be-
fore daylight, she arose from her bed,
hurriedly dressed herself, and left
the house. In two or three
minutes she returned and awoke the
family by exclaiming. ''The Lains have
filled up my stock we'll with stones and
boa, ds; they have killed Albert and
thrown his body in the well! !" On ex.
animation Mr.. knull discovered that
the we'll had been filed with rocks and
dirt, and that on the top boards drops
of blood were distinctly visible. A
trail, where some heavy body had been
dragged across the adjoining field, was
also distinctly visible, with blood marks
on pile of rails. and still others on a
rock pile over which the trail passed.
Mr.. Knull noticed also that . terrible
stencil lowered over the we'll. Sus-
pecting that the body Of some dead
animal had been thrown into the we'll,
he began throwing out the stones, when
Mrs. Mawson stopped him. She said
she did not want the we'll examined I'M
til her son Thomas was sent for. She
feared some one had been murdered
and thrown in there, and it might be
Albert. At this Mr.. Knull ceased
work, but Mrs. NJ. seemed more rest.
less than usual, often exclaiming: Gal.
bert is dead, AMI may be his body is In
the well!''
In order to have the mystery cleared
up, Mrs. KDull urged her husband te
clean out the we'll in the morning
"wednesday, and arrangements were
accordingly made with Isaac Hoppas
Mrs. Mawson's son-in-law, to do so
The work was commenced early, but
they had gone down only six feet wheI
the sickening sight of two putrid. swol
; len, upturned human feet met theil
gaze. Without examining further, thu
coroner was sent for Immediately, AMI
news of the discovery conveyed to Mrs
Mawson. She Immediately broke int
a fit of weeping and declared it wa
"her Abby
On the arrival of the coroner, witt
. 200 or 800 spectators from Anderson
, the work of cleaning the well was re
! sumed, and the decaying remains gath
cred up in sheet and placed in . rude
: box near at hand. The sight was hor