Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-01-26
Am Iowa. Horror.

Inc st. Joseph Mol Herald, OF the 18th
INST, gives an account of a terrible TRACES
dy near Albany Mo-, enacted just across
Che line in Iowa. The paper says
About one year ago Il man by the name
OF Phil. Ames moved in that %neighbor-
hood bringing with him a wife, a little child
and his sister-in-law, He secured a small
piece of land and erected upon it a neat
two story dwelling. For q time all things
appeared to go On nicely inside the fami-
~ mansion, but it soon became evident to
those who grew intimate with Che Ameses
that there was d skeleton in the house,
and that all was not as lovely as it should
be, or, in other words, the love Of the
household was scattered around among
too many women. There was a GOODNESS
growing up between husband and wife, on
~ equalled by an apparent warmth exist
ing between the husband and sister-in-
law. The ~neighborlllg women noticed
that the wife appeared
OFTEN IN TEARS,
was neglected and left unprovided for,
while her sister received the smiles and
caresses of the husband. Whole days the
wife passed alone having no company save
the child, a bright golden haired glrl of
five summers, who chung to her, and in
whose existence she appeared to live and
have her being. AT length, on the 10th of
November, the little child sickened and
suddenly died. 1t was buried the next
day-a rude country burial, a bitter cold
north wind, leaflesS trees and a cherries
grave crushed the mothers spirit and
broke her heart. Then it was that the
spirit Of the first born Cain appeared to
take possession of the husband. He fire.
qIently beat his wife, droyeSfer from his
bed and forced her to occupy% miserable
straw and husk pallet on the kitchen floor
while the sister occupied the place which
belonged to her. At length the wife, driv-
en- to despair, told the
sToRYo OF HER WRONGS
to Mrs. Rosa Mcclure, and she laid the
| the situation in the Anes no. .sehold be-
fore her husband, and he soun had the men
OF the neighborhoOd worked up to a point
of lynching tue unnatural husband. They
visited the house, and would have hung
the monster but for the pleadings of his
wife. who went down on her knees before
the angry crowd and begged the life of the
man Who had so wronged her, while her
sister, at the first sound Of danger, had
sought safety in flight. The nelghbors lis
tened to the poor Woman's appeal, res
moved the rope from the mans neck and
let him free. To any but a man possessed
by a devil this would have proved a warn
ing that would have turned him into bet
ter ways. But not 50 with Ames. Scarce~
ly had the crowd dispersed when he went
to the barn, saddled his horse and returned
to the house with a heavy curb bride. Up
stairs.
l. IySrEIFI inc INN ri DDAvrD
with a photograph of her dead child in her
hand, he found his wife In an instant he
had struck her to his feet with the curb
bit, dragged her to the head of the stairs,
| and thrown her to the foor below. where
he continued to beat her with the bride
until life had departed. In the meantime
her sister had returned from her hiding
place. Another horse was saddled. the
body of the dead was thrown across
the saddle, ard, the sister riding one
horse and leading the other-Ames walk
ed alongside and held the body in position
| until they arrived at the river, where a
hole was cut in the ice and the body thrust
out of sight. A young nan returning
home saw the parties journeying to the
river, and when he reached the settlement
told what he had seen. A number Of arm
| ed men started in pursuit, and arrived at
the river bank just us the murderer and
his paramount were mounting til cir horses.
They were called upon to halt, when Ames
drew q revolver and fired into the crowd.
The fire was returned by a volley, ard
THE GUILTY WOMAN FELL DEAD
from her horse, shot through the neck. The
man put spurs to his horse, and attempted
to escape in the dark, but a fortunate SHOT
brought his animal down and the murder
er was captured. A rope was provided
and all the necessary arrangements made
for a frontier funeral, when the wretched
nan made a confession, the chief points of
which are incorporated in the above state
ment, and he further stated that the sister.
of his wife had administered poison to her
.littlexniece III order TO get her out Of the
way,and that they were planning the muir
der of his wife that they might live I'M
molested together. In this they were pre-
vented by the mob of a few hours before,
and that he then killed the wife as above
stated. Ihe rope was thrown over a limb,
s rong men pulled at the end of it, and TIE
next instant aquivering body was suspend
ed in air. \ number of legs were then
rolled together, brush was piled upon them
and the bodies of tue two inhuman beings
placed in their midst. A match was ap-
piled to the pile, and all that now remains
to mark the SIP t and the tragedy is a bed
of ashes. The body of the murdered wo>
man WAS recovered on Saturday and buried
by the side Of .er dead child.