The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-06-23


ST. ALBASs, VT, June about 10
miles from this town, in the vicinity of
the village of Highgate Center, there
stands small frame dwelling, not far
from the main road, but distant some
80 yards from any other house, which
has been the scene of a most shocking
murder. Both the mouse and the farm
on which ii stands are owned by Charles
Butler, an industrious man about %
years old, and there he has lived hap
PLY with his young wife Alice, whom
be married three years ago, she being
then an orphan, little under the age
Of Is. With them lived Buffers father,
an old man Of advanced age, but no
other relative. They had no children,
and the household was completed by
hired man named Edward Tatro, a
young Frenchman Of n years, who as
sisted in the work about the farm.
On Friday, the I'd of this month, the
elder Butler left the house on "A visit to
a neighbor. About nightfall young
Butler also went away, driving TO the
village on business. His wife went to
their bedroom, saying she felt tired and
not quite well, and lay down upon the
bed. Butler asked Tatro whether he
wished TO 90 along, but the latter said
be preferred 10 remain in the house.
Butler returned from the village at
about 10 O'Clock. As he neared his
house he was surprised to find il entire
ly dark; not glimmer Of light from
any window. He opened the door, and
as he entered, stumbled in the dark
against some object extended on the
floor, which from its shape, as near as
he could make il out, he supposed to be
the body Of Tatro, lying there asleep.
He called him by name, but received
no reply. He pushed the object with
his foot, but there was no responsive
movement. With an underlined dread
he felt about the room for a match.
Finding the match box, he struck a
light. II flickered. and went out, but
by the uncertain and momentary flash
he saw blood on the foor and caught
fearful glimpse of "A disfgured corpse.
The next match burned and revealed
the bleeding body Of his wife, the cloth
ing almost all torn of, and extended
there cold and dead.
At that terrible spectacle he rushed
aghast from the house, and mounting a
horse rode wildly to get assistance from
the neighbors. As he reach
ed the gate the sounds of hur-
rying footsteps and confused
voices struck upon his ear, and
on the street he met a group Of excited
men coming toward the house, led by
Tatro, who had not a shred of clothing
on his person except torn and bloody
shirt. lie was sobbing and bowling al
ternately as though he was crazy.
They all went To the house together.
The murdered woman lay on the floor,
near the back door, ner head crushed
and the brain protruded through it. Her
hands were beaten black, and bruises
and scratches disfiguring the neck and
shoulders. An old musket which had
long been in the house, three pieces of
stove-wood, and an AK lay near by, all
of them deeply stained with blood. On
the floor, near the stove, lay Tatro's
trousers. Up stairs a chair was found
which had stood near the head of the
bed in the room occupied by Butler and
his wife. Ii had been broken to pieces,
and one Of the legs had been used upon
the murdered woman 10 terrible pur-
pose.
II did not take longto convince every
body that the murderer was TatrO. His
hands we're crimson with blood, and
his bare arms and legs and his torn
shirt were blotched and spattered with
it. Nearly naked as he was, he had
come running 10 several neighboring
houses crying that "Alice is being muir
dered,m and shouting for assistance.
He said that two men were i'm the house
killing "Alice,n and on his way back
with the party he had assembled, and
who We're armed with hoes, axes, and
whatever they could lay their hands on,
he tore stakes from the fences TO arm
himself and others in the crowd. He
was nearly crazed with excitement, Civ
ing vent TO il in sobs and yells. He
was closely watched until police Off
Ger could he brought from the village,
and was then given into custody. The
general theory is that he took off his
pants in the kitchen and went up TO the
bedroom where Alice Butler was lying,
to force her TO yield 10 his wishes, and
that upon her resisting, he assaulted
her with chair, followed her down in
to the kitchen, and there, in madness
and desperation, completed his bloody
work.
At the Coroner's inquest Tatro, being
himself placed on the witness stand,
told the following story:
"Mr. Butler left me here with his
wife last night. We two were the only
persons in the house. About $3.50
o'clock went up stairs to bed. had
taken my clothes off except my shirt.
| had turned the quilts down. / was
going to Get into bed. left Alice down
stairs. heard her holla Charley, for
Gods sake, come quick | was going
To put ON my pants. and heard her