The Republican journal., 1875-03-18
A Sad Story.
From the New York Sun, I'D. /

ceeulngly bad character in Bridgeport,
was employed as an assistant in meat
market, and becoming acquainted with
the Lucas family he visited them lrc-
quently, and it was understood that he
was engaged to marry Ellen Lucas. the
oldest daughter. a girl about eighteen
years OF age. The father, Henry Lucas
learned that Latin had been divorced
from his first wife, and hearing other ,to-
ries by no means to his credit. strenuou~lv
| opposed the match, but he was unable H.
| influence his daughter, who, being warmly
attached to her intended husband. refused
to believe anything to his detriment, and
| the Sd of October was settled upon tor
their wedding day Latin manifested an
| unaccountable reluctance to this arrange
! ment, and told Mr.. Lucas that he would
obtain leave OF absence rom his employer
III possible" The newly married couple
We're to start for New Haven, accompanied
! by NIr. Lucas.
On the evening of the I'd Of Oct1bet
| Miss Lucas left her fathers house. prom
| ising to return soon She did not e
home, and after a night of great anxiety
| her friends, on the morning OF what wa
to have been her wedding day, Went ont
| to search for her. Latin declared that hc
had not seen her, and did not seem to
| trouble himself much about her d.sap-
| pearance The search, as far as it Wa
| conducted by her relatives, was 4 failure
but about seven O'Clock in the morning
some men going to their work across thr
| fields, a mile and a half from Bridgeport
| found the body of the poor girl, lying face
| downward, in a shallow stream, her bon
net on, and her shawl drawn partly over
her head. In falling her forehead had
| struck Il sharp stone, causing Il IlEid
bruise upon her brow. The place where
| the corpse was found is called the ed:lrs
and being very lonely and entirely con
cealed from the road it is peculiarly wei
adapted for the crime which was pcruo
trated there.
| THE DEATH STRUGGLE BY THE EI,DDR.
| Death had clearly been caused br
drowning, and the first supposition was
| that the girl had committed suicide, but p
| careful examination of the surroundings
| showed this to be almost impossible. Ih-
| brook was but two inches deep, and jt
| would have required more fortitude than
the delicate girl was likely to possess T.,
enable her to hold her face beneath tu-
surface Of the water until life was extinct.
| Besides, for many yards along the hur
l s
and it was apparent that the victim h.u-
struggled for her life with all the euergN
of desperation. A hasty medical exam
alton showed that within a few month
| the girl would have become 4 mothci
| Whether any Of her relatives were awar.
| OF her condition is not known, but jh,
| anxiety Of her father to have the weddiuy
| day settled after his previous opposition
| tn |
dicates that he at least suspected II
| There was little doubt, however. that her
murderer was also her seducer. and public
sentiment at once pointed to Latin a. thn
perpetrator of both crimes. There did mot
at first seem to be any evidence agliu~t
him, but he was subppnaed as a wltue~-
at the inquest, and said that on the night
Of the murder (tor it had evidently been
committed on the evening Of the 81
| October), he had not been anywhere ia
| the neighborhood of the ''Cedars' This
| was the immediate cause of his appreher-
| SION, for other witnesses testified to having
| seen him near the brook, and a brother oi
the murdered girl saw him waiting at the
corner OF a road in its vicinity The two
younger daughters of Mr.. Lucas saw him
fastening in the direction OF the brook
and his employer, Mr., Fox said that LAT
tin, on the night Of the murder. surprised
him by doing all his work before supper.
| and leaving the store hurriedly before
o'clock. But perhaps the strongest test-
mony against him was given by Mis- Ba--
sett, who swore that on the night prccgl-
ing the murder She saw Ellen Lucas Inl
Latin
| STANDING IN THE ROAD
together and overheard the former -ly :
Now, you'll be there. won't YOU p" aud
Latin replied reluctantly that he would {;
the girl added "lf you are not there. you
know what the consequences will be-"
Latin was arrested, and triel to sci uu
an oljbj, saying that on the night of tLr
murder he was on board of 4 schooner iu
the river, commanded by his cousin The
| Captain was absent from Bridgeport at
the time of the inquest, but on his return
he said that Latin had certainly beer uu
board his vessel on the night in question
but at 50 late an hour that he had retired
to his berth. 1t was established further.
by the testimony Of another man on board
the schooner, that Latin had not gone ,l
to her until late at night. and the suppo-
sition was thai he had gone on board tor
the mere purpose Of trying to establish al
altdt in the future. There was also te>ti-
mony to show that Latin, shortly before
the murder, had bought from Bridgeport
druggist packages and yialS of lr,cus,
strychnine, and prusslc acid, all OF which
were subsequently found in an Old shoe .H
the stable OF the store, where he worked.
but the autopsy tailed to show any trace
+ of poison in the stomach Of the murdered
girl. The remains were buried but evi-
dance accumulated which resulted in the,
being eXhumed for further examination.
On the bank OF the brook where the body
was lying several pieces of Il torn uyck-tlr
were found, and identified as portions ot
tie which had belonged to Latin The
second examination was as un>atistactor.
as the first, the physicians candiIiy deca-
ING that they had no idea what could have
caused death. The Jurors, however.
thought differently. They We're satisfied
that death had resulted from drowning
which, in the girls delicate condition
would have left less marked indications
on the body than in the case OF Il person
in robust health, aud found that Ellen
Lucas had come to her death hY violence
at hands of James +. Latin. He was ac-
cordingly lodged in Bridgeport Jail and
subsequently indicted by the Grand Jury
for murder in the first degree.
TIE PRISONER
is about twenty-seven years OF age tai.
well-tormed, and decidedly good-looking
lIa1. He was married to his first wife
whea he was only nineteen years old and
she fifteen, and after living with him three
months she procured separation, and at
length divorce. He was afterwards con-
victed of theft and served term in the
New Haven jail Hewas also engaged To
be married to young woman who died
in mysterious manner a short time be-
fore the day upon which the wedding was
to have taken place, and n suspicion was
entertained that Latin had taken her lille
Since he has been in Bridgeport Jail the
prisoner has shown no signs of despoId-
ency, but he very soon abandoned his pre-
tense that he was not near the Cedars ON