Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-10-22
DIVORCE AND DEATH.

DIVORCE AND DEATH.
A REMARKABLE CASE on TRIAL IN
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA.
/ A Nephew Driven by hfs AunI 40
Commit a ssouoie fEurdrr-A NIce
iTuHg Mas a" So fisE.IYg
~ i6h-A Network of crime
/ A 81. Augustine diap4tcu to the
! Ne" York sun says: Mary Ann Keecn,
alas Newtou, has JUS been cynv ,cte d
OF counec ion with the mur<!er of Ellen
HUT. alas keecl, as acct ssofy before
tie tuGS. The ciicumet nc, Of tins
Case are i'll some respects p, clliar
Nearly ii Quarter Of C injury ego
Henry ketch, living III WISCONSIN,,
married ii woman known as Mary AnG
Newton. After twenty years OF
weuu d f. Mr.. aid Mis- ket oh iuar
! relied aE1 obtaiut 4 divorce The
count decreed that certain prop 'rty
should be sett.ed Oh Mrs. Ket CT, WHO
e-assCmad her maiden name, and
Who Is the defendant III this trial
kerch had the deeds to this prop, rEy
1tawu up, showed them ~ Ii, lace
wife, told her he would have them
properly recorded, and then telo,i
Ousiy q camprd to Florida. He ST
tied at Jack ,onvIlie, invested hts
funds Ii real estate at tIlat place and
81. Augustine. Among other lands,
keecn owut d farm near ST. Angus
tine. Here he lived with IA woman
named Ellen Hunt, who passed as bis
wife. Three years and Ii half nave
passed since his departure from Wis
consin La May last Mrs. Newton,
earning Of the where abouts and cir
cumstaLces Of her former husband,
hired nephew, named William NJ W
ton. to go to Florida, for the purpose
of KILN X ech and Ellen Hunt, aud
obtaining the title deeds which the
court had decreed her. VIM. Newton
visited the furm LOnse, near st. Au-
gustlne, passing himself off as a pu.-
chaser of real estate, who Intended to
settle III that region. He spent the
night at Keech's house, and in the
morning iuvited his host to go fishing.
The two men made the excursion as
proposed.
A MURDER AND MIRACULOUS RECOVERY.
Upon Their return to shore, while
keech was fastening the boat, Newton
crept up behind aud shot hIm III the
back of the ok. keech fell, aud
Newton. to complete the work. pOuuded
the head of his victim between two
coquina rocks until he deemed him
dead, and even then unsa1Stied, cut
his throat and departed. The muir
derer then sought the house and put
tiIree pistol balls through the VIC
mans head. Having searched the
house for certain papers relating to
the investment of keeci's property,
l.
aud rode away The nelgLborS soon
discovered the dead wouan, aid also
found keoch rear the shore Strange
to say, the after was not dead, and
has sluce recovered. The officers OF
the law gave chase to Newton, and
captured him in the vicinity of Nolnsla.
The most singular part of the story is
still to be told. When Newton WAS
arrested, he gave to his captors letter
addressed to Mary Ann Newton, in
Wise yusin. They mailed it without
opening. La this letter Newton, as
has since appeared, iufUrne! his amt
of the success of his murderous mis-
sion. In consequence, the divorced
wife came down to jacksonville,
claimed that she was tue widow OF
Henry keech, who had been murdered,
and began to collect, or TO try to col
lect, rents on his invest ments. 1t Is
not difficult to imagine her surprise
and confusion when she learned that
Henry Keech was not dead, but was
III ST. Augustine, and III a fair way TO
+, cover from his wounds. In the
mean time, Newton, who WAS i'm
prisoned at St. Augustine and who
+ mad
PARTIALLY CONFESSED HIS CRIMES,
had given the sheriff al order on tue
Jacksonville postmaster for a letter
/ directed to himself under an assumed
name. The sheriff obtained and
opened this letter. 1t proved to be
from the aunt, and, although art1ully
/ disguised, implicated her as an ac-
! complice in the murder. She WAS
| therefore arrested and brought to St.
| Augustine At the preliminary ex-
animation Newton testified against his
aunt, deeply eliminating himself.
/ This course was taken to make him
states evidence, and thus tighten his
7 own load of responsibility At the
/ tria! last week Newton repeated his
self-inculpating testimony. tie con
fessed that lie had bee hired by
! Mary Ann Newton to xii! Henry kee h
and Ellen Hunt, and that SIX, had
Promised him moiety of the property
! gained by the crime. The pistol with
/ wh'cu tue nun AMI woman had been
shot vas acknowledged by NewtoI as
on purchaS+-d for Inn Ill Wisconsin
by LIS aunt. Tue deIendants un-
ST. r.,i.e Il i.OIut as To in tdniosi-
/ bin 81 TIT. testimony IF Newton, the
principal ft-.Uus judi Archibald
ruled that he had not yet been shown
to be III, principal fe on, and that the
trial might proceed. The july found
Mrs. Newton guilty, and she will be
senterced to death. Newton vii be
tried next for murder, in the first de-
gree; and TO complete the cpDfu sion
Of tins Intricate tangle of crimes the
gratId jury has sent in a true bLIl
against kAt CHI, the half murdered ma !,
for living III COZ cubinage with Ellen
Hunt Mrs. Newton's counsel have
appeale to the Supreme Court, which
meets III January next. LII IS not be-
litved that the appeal will be sus
tanned.
The Governor of Tennessee has APP
pointed a commission to treat with ONT
in Kentucky for the purchase from the
latter State of the tract known a.
Madrid Bend, aud taxpayers are in
curing by what right the sale is pre-
2 posed without giving property owners
on the Bend any voice in the matter.