Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-10-30
A school Girl Murdered.

Two weeks ago, young girl about
Is years old, the daughter of farmer,
living near Concord, New Hampshire,
started on her way to school, distant a
little over mile. When within hail
ING distance of the school-house, she
was brutally murdered. The circum-
stances are thus related by a reporter
of the ". J. Sua who visited the scene
OF the murder:
Josie and Waldo Langmaid, both at
tended Pembroke Academy, a mile and
half from their home. The girl was a
member of the class which graduates
next June. The principal of the acade
my speaks highly Of her scholarship;
her sunny, unassuming nature made her
the friend of every one Of her school
mates. In short, the youth OF Josie
Langmaid gave promise OF admirable
womanhood.
Last Monday morning Waldo started
for school at 8 o'clock, carrying his own
and his sisters luncheon. They were
not in the habit of returning home until
after the afternoon session. Twenty
minutes later Josie, with her algebra
under her arm and large apple in her
hand. said good-by to her mother kiss
cd her two baby sisters and started
forth in the bright sunshine to begin
the studies of the week.
For half mile or more her course
In, along the open road, ty the farm
houses of Mr.. Langmaid's neighbors.
The girl stopped moment at one OF
these houses and was seen by the In
mates of others as she passd. The last
honse on the road is that of Nicholas
Hartford, within half a mile of the
Academy. Mr.. Hartford looked up
from his work as the girl walked brisk
" by and saw her tossing her apple in
to the air and catching it as she went.
Josie then turned into stretch of the
road lying through woods so thick that
3 they would be gloomy were it not for
autumna colors. She passed almost
through these and arrived at the foot OF
a steep hill. Had she surmounted this
hill she would have been in full sight
of the Academy building, and within
thousand feet of its doors.
THE MURDER.
At this point man must have step
ped out OF the thicket and confronted
her. What words passed between the
two. may never be known; of his deeds
the sad evidence is only too plain.
The man carried a stout club of red
oak. 1t was yard long, square cor
nered, an inch and a half thick, and
had been recently cut and broken from
some piece intended for the ring of
hay rack or of manger At one end
the corners had been freshly whitfield
away to form arude handle. With this
weapon the murderer aimed cruel
blow at the girls head. She threw up
one hand and caught the weight of the
stroke, which broke her thumb and
three of the small bones Of the palm.
Twice more he struck, first on one side
of the head and then upon the other.
The last blow broke the thick club, and
must have felled her to the ground. If
she gave then any sign ofconsciousness
it was but for moment, for he jump
ed heavily upon her head, leaving the
print of a small boot heel upon her
cheek.
After tossing the poor girls apple,
her blood stained school book, aud his
broken club over stone wall at his
left, the man carried or dragged the in
sensible body of his victim into the
woods to the right of the road. The
tangled bushes and the growth of small
birch and white maple trees are here
so thick that only with extreme diff
Guilty can an unencumbered person pen
citrate them. When this murderer flung
the girls body or the ground, he was
as secluded as if he had been ten miles
instead OF ten rods from the road. After
further hideous crime, he appears to
have begun quite deliberately work of
mutilation that ended in incomprehensi-
p BILE fury. With a knife or some other
sharp instrument he slit her cheek, ear,
and lip. Tnen-and physicians say when
the girl was still aliYe-he proceeded
to sever the head from the body, cut
ting cleanly close to the shoulders, and
carefully and even skilfnlly dissecting
the yertebra, separating the first and
second. Then his coldbloOded dellber-
ations turned into frenzy. He sayagely
tore the clothes from the headless trunk,
and ferociously gashed away at his VIC
TINS person. This is revolving enough,
but the remainder OF his work is too
horrible to be told. A fend could have
gone no further.
The only booty gained by the murder
consisted of plain gold ring, breast
pin, portemounaie containing five
cents, and few other trinkets of.little
value. Having secured these, the man
wrapped the head in shawl which the
girl had worn, took it hundred rods