St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-07-24
A Terrible Death.

We find the following in the PlattS-
bureh Sentinel. In addition to the de
tails given below, it may he added that
the coroneT's jury found that the de
"""S"d """lI ""t hnv" hecn intoNicatcd.
and there are many good reasons for
the suspicion of foul play =
Last Saturday night IN event trans
pired in Beckmantowm which. as the
terrible details bccomc known. sends Il
thrill of horrnG throughout the commu
nifty. Saturday morning Mr.. Owen
ONcil. residing on the old military
turnpike. in the town of Altoona. about
Il miles northwest of Bcekmantown Cor
ners. left his home to go to PlattShurg
on business. He did not return before
the family had retired that night.
Early next morning. probably about
five o'clock, Mrs. O'Ncil arose, and go
ing into the ward saw Mr.. ONcirs horse
and wagon standing under the horse
shed. On further inspection. imagine
her horror ut discovering the body of
her husband. lifclcSS. manglcd and dis
torted. almost Il ShapclcS> mass. dang
ling between the wagon box and the
right forward wheel. His right side
lay across the huh. his head hung be
tween the tlills and the wheel. his feet
rested on the ground hchinS the wheel.
it is supposed that previous t" the
horses turning to 20 into the yard. the
mans feet and legs were i'll the wagon
box. the short turn ut the gate throw
ing them out. Mrs. O'Ncil, with the
aid of il son. boy about II years. re-
moved the body. when it wis diScov-
cred that the wheels had worn of the
clothes. the flesh. and deep into the
bones of O'Ncil'S right side. extending
from above the knee to near the Shoul-
der. The hard oak SpokcS and hub of
the wheel were much worn 10y the con-
tact with the body. some of the SpokcS
as much aS an eighth of an inch deep.
In common with many others we have
examined the wheel. and at first II may
seem almost impossible that such an
effect could have been produced upon
the wheel. But the facts fully Substan-
tiatc the case.
But this i$ not the worst. Had the
man come to sudden death, and his
body afterwards undergone this terri
bile mutilation. it would have seemed
horrible enough but such was not his
fate. 1t seems Sulstantiatcd beyond il
doubt. that 10y II slow process. over Il
distance of seven or eight miles. this
man was ground to death. From Il
point near Peter Leonard'S about four
miles north of PlattShurgh. to near his
own home. numerous citizens that night
heard horse going slowly along in Il
northcrly direction. with Il man groan
ing pititully. hnt surprising it was some
one in state of intoNication. little heed
was paid it. But when the circumStan
ccs of O'Ncil'S death reached them. the
terrible truth flashed upon them that it
was his cries for help and his dying
groanS that they heard in the stiffness
of the night. 1t is not probable that
the horse went faster than slow walk.
How did O'NcirS body get i'll that
strange position ? Did he fall there. or
was he placed there hy aSSaSsins
How could he remain i'll that position
50 long? These are questions that are
thus far pcrplcXing every one. The
general. we might say the universal.
opinion is that he was placed there in
tcntinnly 10y some one while he was in
sensible. Some are of the opinion that
he must have been fastened there and
umtlStcncd when they arrived at O'NcIlS
house. But this is mere conjecture.
1t is evident that O'Ncil had with him
considerable money cy-Somc think Il hun
drcd dollars. His pocket book could
not he found. but as the right pocket.
where he usually carried it WAS entire
ly worn away. it may have been de
stroNcd in the same process.
O'Nril waS in PlattShurgh nearly all
day saturday. WAS III p"Smnnd's office
in the evening, and WAS last seen ut
about . o'clock. when he wa~ preparing
to start for home.