The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-10-06
A Mysterious Murder.

Three or four weeks ago young woman
went to Des Moines, Iowa, who called her-
self Georgia Butler. She had been travel
ing around great deal in Missouri and
Iowa, and Illinois, and said she had come
to Des Moines direct from Chicago. She
gave it out that she was a milliner by
trade, was a widow, and had child eight
years old. She took suit of rooms over a
store, and soon made the acquaintance Of
some of her neighbors living in like quar-
ters on the same floor and near by. She
proposed to start business in her rooms,
and sent for a painter to paint her sign.
The painter says Mrs. Butler was we'll
dressed woman and wore several rings on
her fingers and heavy gold chain around
her neck which appeared to be attached to
a watch at her waist. She paid him for the
work, and displayed a pocket-book from
which she took large roll of bills-twen-
ties, tens, &c. If all the bills were of the
denominations the painter saw, there must
have been at least $500 Or $500 in the pack
age. She was evidently woman of some
means and was SO regarded by those whose
acquaintance she had made in Des Moines.
Mrs. Butler finally told some of her fe-
male acquaintance that she did not al
together like her quarters as they were
invaded by night prowlers. A man had
knocked at her door one night and wanted
to come in. He said he was "a friend. -
She opened the door little, saw she did
not know him and slammed the door in his
face. He was persistent but she threaten
ed to have him thrown down stairs if he
did not leave Immediately. and he left
She charged these intentions upon the
character of the previons occupants of her
rooms, and remarked that probably when
the providers found out what kind of
woman she was they would trouble her no
more. One night she expressed herself as
little afraid to go to bed. She seemed to
anticipate some trouble. 1t was the Goth
of August. One of her neighbors next
morning knocked at the door and received
no answer There was lump of ice melt
ing away outside but nobody was at home
within. Finally as Mrs. Butler did not
make her appearance, curiosity prompted
the opening of the door. The woman was
lying on the floor dead, with six or seven
deep axe or hatchet wounds in the head
severe struggle, marks of blows on the
furniture and walls, and blood tracks all
around. Fierce murder had been stalking
there in the night, and left his ghastly
footprints. But there were no traces of
him outside of that chamber of death. The
woman's money, and watch, chain and other
iewelry were gone. Her trunk had been
rummaged and clothing tumbled, and there
were many other dumb witnesses of vio-
lence. There were also witnesses of her
rowing and wretcbed life in her trunk--let-
ters which she had received at various
times, and which now opened their mouths
to reveal something of the domestic history
and private character of the poor unfortu-
nate to whom they were addressed, and
who lay bloody and cold and staring in
their presence. The rustic of their leaves
in that blood -smeared room seemed like the
sighs of the corpse who grieved that they
should ever be unfolded by other hands
than hers. She was in fact hiding her
name and her life in Des Moines, but death
came and opened the book. From the let
ters it appeared that her name was Mrs.
Eliza Barrett, and that her husband Frank
Barrett was living. Most of the letters
were from him, and he addressed her as
his wife. There are some expressions in
the letters which would lead reader of
them to suppose that Eliza was not Frank
Barrett,s wife, but these are explained in
other passages. Frank Barrett is the son
of Hon. George II. Barrett, of Cearflel6,
Penn, formerly member OF congress
from his district.