The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-10-22
THE SUNCOOK TRAGEDY.
Particulars of the Horrible Murder Of
Hiss JoSie L~ongmaid-A Crime Almost
Without a PnralIeI-Arrest of sup
posed Murderer.
Correspondence Of the y. Y. sun.

'NNCo'h, y liz ~ ~ lltt
der of Josie Longmaid near this village
on Monday last has stirred the commu-
nifty to It's p~rofounGcst depths. Suncook
is Il manufacturing village in the town
ship of Pembroke, on the road from
Concord to Manchester. and about seven
miles south Of the State capital. james
T. Longmaid, Il wcll-to-do farmer, and
one of the prominent men of the town,
lives about a mile and Il halfto the east
ward of Suncook village. Every thing
around his house and large barns speaks
of prosperity and thrift. The house is
| situated on Il hill, is Swallowed by u no.
bic elm, and all around is spread a glo-
riouS landscape.
This was the pleasant home of Josie
Longmaid, the farmers eldest daugh-
ter. She would have been eighteen had
she lived until November. Her person.
al appearance was very attractive. She
was a plump blonde, with light brown
hair and blue eyes. modest i'll dress and
dcmcanor, and with SO sweet Il diSpo-
SitiOn and such winning ways that ev-
cry one in the neighbOrhoOd loved her.
She belonged to the Methodist church at
SuncOOk, and was active in the Sunday
school.
JOSIE As A SCHOOLGIRL.
Josie and Waldo both attended school
at Pembroke Academy, q mile and 4
half from her 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, u~naSsuming nature made her
the friend of every one Of her school
mates.
Last Monday morning Waldo started
for school ut $ 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 a large apple in her
hand, said @0od-hy to her mother, kiss
eel hertwo baby sisters, and starred forth
in the bright sunshine to bc@in the stu
dies Of the week.
For half Il mile or more her course
lay along The open road. b. the farm
houses of Mr.. Lon%maid's n%ei@hhors.
The girl stopped a moment at one OF
these houses and was seen by the in
mates of others Us she passed. The
last house on the road Is that of Nicho-
las Hartford, within half Il mile of the
Academy. Mr.. Hartford looked up
from his work as the Girl walked brisk
~ by and saw her tossing %herapple into
the air ard catching it rs she went.
Josie then turned through a stretch of
the road lying through woods SO thick
that they would be gloomy were it not
for their autumnal colors. She passed
almost through these and arrived at the
foot OF a steep hill. Had she surmount-
ed 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 Il maj must have stepped
out of the thickct and confronted her.
The man carried Il stout club of red
oak. 1t was yard long, squarc-cor-
nered, an inch and Il half thick, and
had been recently cut and broken from
some piece intended for the rung of Il
hay rack or of a manager. At one end
the corners had been freshly whitfield
away to form arudc handle. With this
weapon the murderer aimed Il cruel
blow at the girls head. She threw mp
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 her head and then upon the other.
The last blow broke the thick club. and
must have feIlcd her to the ground. Ii
she gave then any sign OF consciousness
it WAS but for Il moment, for he jumped
heavily upon her head. leaving the print
of Il boot heel upon her cheek.
After tossing the poor girls apple,
her blood-staincd school-book and his
broken club over a stone wall at his left,
the man carried or dragged the i~n>cnsi-
bile 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 difficulty can an
uncncumbered person penetrate them.
When this murderer flung the girls
body on to the ground, he was rs Sc