The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-11-13
HORRIBLE BUTCnERY.
An Entire Family Murdered near Vim
cennes, Indiana.
THE SUSPECTED PERPETRAToR OF THE
CRIME IN CUSTODY-CIRcUM-
STANTIAL EVIDENCE
ONLY.

STANTIAL EVIDENCE
ONLY.
V1NCENNEs, IND, I
Oct. "a, 1881 |
This morning, as the average clti
zen was preparing himself for the
usual avocation Of the day, and feel
ing grateful that he had passed
through another night safe from
robbers, murderers and tramps, our
usually sta'd and quiet city was
thunder struck with the report that
whole family Of people in our vicini
ty had been ruthlessly murdered in
cold blood without a moments war.
ming of the dread fate which overlook
them. The rumor flew from one to
another, and it was discovered to be
no false alarm, as messenger had
reached the Sherif's residence at Z
o'clock, notifying him that the fami-
lily of John D. Vacelet, consisting Of
himself, wife and two children, had
been murdered during the night.
The Sherif's deputies and Justice
Heidenreich, acting Coroner, imme-
diately proceeded to the scene OF the
murder, which was farm four miles
east of the city, belonging to W. j.
Wise, and occupied by Vacelet as
tenant. The farm is situated on the
Evansville Railroad, the track only
two hundred yards from the hou'e,
which is an ancient, ramshackle con-
Germ, consisting of three rooms, and
Lis about three.quarters Of q mile
from the main road which leads from
the city in that direction. The ap
proach to the house is through a
dense forest Of scrubs oaks by wag
on road not much use,l. The house
is surrounded on the aorth and east
by this forest, and on the south and
west are the fields cultivated by Va
calet before his untimeiy taking of.
1t is a gloomy, lonely place, and the
nearest neighbors are half mile dis,
tant. Your correspondent reached
, the scene at 10 o'clock, and found
, five or six hundred persons collected
!, from the city and neighborhood, all
busy discussing the horrible tragedy
which had been enacted at our doors
Jno. D. Vacalet, the murdered man
= is IS years of age, has lived in this
: vicinity for thirty years, having fo'
: many years previous to his going OF
+ the farm filed the position Of sextol
a at the Catholic cemetery and janito
y of the cathedral. His charac er wa
: good, he had no enemies and harmed
- nobody. He was simple, unsophis
70 ticated man, retaining much Of th
is primitive simplicity Of the ancien
!. French settler, and pursued the eve
" tenor of his way in the limite
il sphere he moved, at peace with hi
,e neighbors and contented with hi
+ lot. His wife was 30 years Of ag'
=. The two sons, Frank and John, age
ye respectively l6 and a years, wei
ri stout, hearty looking fellows.
as Pierre Provost, the suspected mu
Ie derer, is IS years Of age, weighs pc
ca ihaps $50 pounds, has nothing spec
20 ally murderous in his expression, az
irl has a quiet, stolid look. He can
At. here as stranger in FEBRUARY la
M and was hired by vacalet to ASST
ia him in his farm work. He repr
in sented himself as only short tin
rs. from France, and speaks no Englis
DC He says that hewas awakened abo
to half past 3 o'clock by a noise IN :
we house and saw four or FIVE m
ich struggling with the inmates. Hell
she mediately jumped out Of a wind'
ar. and ran to Eugene Bruette's hou
de. half q mile distant, and inform
out them what was going on. Braet
on. his wife, son and neighbor, acco
he panied by Provost, returned to Va
ave. let's after preparing and eati
has breakfast, reaching there at 5 o'clo
the nearly an hour after Provost react
ETY., Bruette's $, and seeing the condition
ON affairs, Immediately dispatched
,od. messenger to the Sheriff.
The house consists Of three roo
Provost and the two boys occup
q of one room, the boys sleeping o.
Re high bed and Provost on trun
Of-|bed, the old man and lady occupy
n,e another room, which was used
Re- kitchen. The other room, a 81
,als, one was useu as : .uuD.' -
onr. Three axes and a pruning fork