Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-05-28
Horrible Tragedy in Boston.
MURDER or A LITTLE GIRL.

committed in Boston Sunday afternoon,
the victim being an innocent little girl
of about five years of age named Mabel
Young, and daughter of widowed moth
er, very excellent and highly respecta-
BILE lady The little girl, with many
others had just attended the Sabbath
School with and in care of her aunt, Miss
! HOODS, at the Warren Avenue Baptist
Church, of which Rev. DIR. Pentecost
is pastor. At the close of the service
about o'clock, she was about leaving
the Church in company with her aunt
who stopped for moment to converse
with some friend, and after few words
turned for the child who to her surprise
was missing, Searching and inquring
failed TO find her and she thought the
child had started alone for home, and
she and others as they stepped from the
Church were startled byan agonizing cry
from the tower and belfry of the church.
Several gentlemen instantly started for
the tower and met Thomas w. Piper
the church sexton, of whom they asked
for the keys leading to the belfry. He
said he had no keys to that door and
had not since last winter. They then
proceeded, and still hearing the piercing
screams, they forced the door till they
came to the belfry where most horrible
sight met their view There lay the
beautiful little girl near the trap door,
which was closed and they had opened,
on her face which was covered with
blood From time to time, she uttered
blood curdling shrek, as though in aw-
full agony. Two of the men took her
up carefully and, carrying her down the
ladder and staircase, they conveyed her
first to the nearest drug store and then
to neighboring residence, where every
care possible was taken to make the suf
ferer as nearly comfortable as could be
under the circumstances
While the screaming victim of this
terrible tragedy was being carried out
the other gentlemen descended to the
room beneath the belfry, and, while
looking around in the gloomy apartment,
one of them discovered pool of blood
on the floor near the window In other
parts Of the little room, spots of blood
we're found which had the appearance of
being spattered by heavy blows. Near
the pool Of blood, concealed by a piece
of board, one of the gentlemen found an
ordinary cricket bat, about three feet in
length, with stains of blood upon it near
the end. This bat, as subsequent inves-
tigation proved, was one used by the
boys of the Sunday school while out on
picnics, and had been kept in the vestry,
where it was known to have been at
noon, yesterday, and during the Sunday
school session in the afternoon, being
seen and handled by several persons.
During the investigation which follow
ed, the little girl was carried home to
her almost distracted mother. She con-
tinued screaming constantly, and few
hopes Of recovery were entertained. Her
nose was literally smashed across the
ridge, another wound was on the top of
her head, where the skull was fractured
and the brains oozed through under the
skin. There was no violation of the
person whatever.
The next thing was to ascertain who
had perpatrated this awful crime. Sus-
picion Immediately fastened on Piper,
the sexton who was arrested. The whole
affair of decoying this little girl up into
the tower, her murder and cries in the
belfry and finding of her body was all
done in about twenty minutes Piper
denied having any keys to the tower but
two We're found on him that fitted the
locked doors he was seen at the door
of the tower just before the child was
missing. Spots of blood are reported tc
have been found on his clothing. Mon.
day circumstances appeared which in.
dictated that he intended to bury his vic.
tim in the cellar of the church. His
antecedents are bad He was suspected
of the murder of an Irish girl, named
Landergan, in 1873. There appears a;
yet, no motive for the murder beyonC
that of inherent brutality and monstrou,
thirst for human life. The murderer il
this case appears to have been a monster
like the Pomeroy boy, who wanted to Sc,
how his victims would act when killed
In this case every decent person in tn,
, land will hope and pray for speedy jus
tice.
r DEATH OF THEv1CTIM
Little Mable Young expired at $40
Monday evening a little more than q
hours after her injuries. Upon awaken
ing from the short sleep of the morning
she went Immediately into spasms, which
entirely exhausted what little strength
she had. She seemed to sink away, DIV
r ing without struggle.
: In all the hours which have elapse,
Z since little Mabel went to the Sabbath
School on that bright Sunday afternoon
0 not an Ineligible word has she uttered
: Thus another chapter in this terribl
mysterious tragedy is closed There
/ but one more chapter and the end is al
. tained-the trial, conviction and hang