Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-06-14

Details Of a Horrible Murder.
ST.. ALBANs, June 3-Three years
ago last January, Charles Butler, =
young farmer, twenty-five years old,
was married to Miss Alice Mead, an
orphan, then just short Of eighteen.
Butler owns farm, upon which bus
dwelling is situated, Two miles north of
Higbgate Centre, and about eleven
miles distant from this place. They
had no children, the family consisting
of Butler and his wife, Buffers father,
an old mau. and Edward Tatro, a
Frenchman, employed on the farm.
Tatro is young man, twenty-one
years old, small, aud of slight build,
but of strong for his size. He is the
son of a widowed mother, who lives
in the ne,ghborhood. He has been
to work for Butler most Of the time
since last summer, and his relations
with Mr.. and Mrs. Butler have been in
the main pleasant, though it is SAID be
and Butler have sometimes had few
words when they disagreed about the
work. Yesterday Buffers father was
away on a visit to one Of the neIghbors
Butler hin.self was away, assisting at a
raising at neighbours, and Tatro was
plowing with Buffers team for another
ueighbor, Edward Haskins. Butler
came home between 4 and O'Clock III
the afternoon, and Tatro just before 6
Butler asked him why he came so early,
and the boy answered that lie had
broken the plow point and beam. But
Ter, on examining the plow, found this
untrue and charged the boy with it,
whereupon he said be came because he
said he came because be had got bis
"stent" done and wanted to sharpen the
plow point After supper Butler told
his wife be had some business at High
gate Centre, and asked her if she
wouldn't like to ride over there with
him. She replied that she was not feel
ing we'll, and guessed she would not go.
Something was then said aboat Tatro's
going but when the team was ready he
said he would 'sstay with Alice" who
had meanwhile gone into bed room
opening out of the dining room, to lie
down. Butler wert away at I O'Clock,
leaving them alone in the house, and no
other person is known to have seen Mrs.
Butler alive after that, except little
bov who came to the house little later.
Butler returned at about 10 o'clock,
put his horse in the barn, and went into
the house by the kitchen door. As he
approached he noticed that the house
was dark. Opening tie door he ad-
vanced few steps, when his foot hit
against something lying on the floor,
and by the dim light he saw that it re-
sembled a human being. SupposiDg
that it was Tatro, who had gone to sleep
there waiting for him, he called him by
name. Getting no response ne stepped
TO the box, and struck match. Ii
fickered and went out, but by the sud-
den fash of light be saw blood on the
floor and fearful heap Of something
lying there. The next match burned
and revealed the horrible picture of his
wife lying on the floor in pool of
blood, her clothing nearly all torn of.
She was dead. Almost paralyzed at tie
spectacle, he obeyed his first impulse,
and rushing to the barn, mounted his
horse to ride to the neighbors Tor assist
ance. As he reached the gate be heard
sound Of confused voices, aud pres
emily met group Of three or four hor-
stricken men burryiog to the house.
They were led by Ta.ro, who bad moth
ing on but the tattered remnant of a
shirt, and was crying and bowling like
nadman. The party proceeded 10 the
house, and made an investigation. The
murdered woman lay upon the floor,
near the back or kitchen door, her head
literally crushed in, and the brain pro-
truding through the broken skull, her
hands beaten black with some blunt
instrument, bruised about the shoulders
aud scratched upon the neck. Close
by her on the floor, lay three sticks of
stove wood, more or less blood stained,
and an old musket, which usually stood
in the stairway. Leaning against a
sink close By was an axe, one side of
which was deeply stained with blood,
and on the floor near the stove the
trousers Tatro had worn through the
day. The usual sleeping room Of Mr..
and Mrs. Butler was upstairs, and ad-
joining the one occupied by Tatro. An
examination of it showed that some one
had apparently been lying not undressed
upon the outside of the be6. The floor
and walls were covered with blood, as
was also the floor and walls Of the hall
and the stlirs. A stove-pipe in Tatro's
room was knocked down, and that also
was blood-stained in various places.
An old chair, which had stood by the
head of the bed in the Buffers room.
was found broken to pieces, and one of
the legs appears to have been buried by
a terrible blow in the murdered woman's
head. The boy Tatro was examined