The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-10-15
THE TIMES, NEW B1ooMFIELD, Pa OCTOBER l5 1878

ven, Derby, Birmingham ana shelton
until he came to wild and dismal place
on an unfrequented road in the town of
Huntington, four miles from Shelton
and eleven miles from Bridgeport
There wns no house nearer than half q
mile, and no ohe was in sight From
the road the hillside slopes abruptly
down for sixty feet to patch of tangled
underbrush and luxurlant weeds. The
barrel was lifted out OF the wagon, plac-
ed on the edge of the hill and sent
bounding down into the brush, being
stopped finally by large stone In
such place 1t might have lain for years
undiscovered.
The coat and shoes, Lorena said, were
carried out into the yard and buried un-
der chicken-coop. 1t was easy to de-
termine whether this part Of the story
Was true, though the tale did not have
complete credence, for several people in
Bridgeport said they had seen Wein-
becker later than May IL. The shoes
and coat were, nevertheless, found
! where she said on Saturday, the day the
story was told. Chief Marsh and po-
lice officer then took Lorena and her
child in wagon and retraced the road
to New Haven. DIR. Sanford had no
difficulty in recollecting the visit, and
said that he had not mentioned the oc-
currence to any one. Leaving the city
the woman could not speak with conf
dence of the exact route taken to the
place where the barrel was disposed Of
After some time, however, the spot was
reached and identified. The woman
cried when the police officer went down
the hill, but made no remark. a dead
ly smell assailed the nostrils of the
officer. Going carefully along among
the underbrush he came to the barrel.
One head had been jolted out when the
barrel rolled down the hill, and the head
of the murdered man was disclosed. The
officer had to ransack the neighborhood
for some one to help him place the bar
rel on poles in the rear of the wagon.
The barrel head was then replaced and
Chief Marsh drove back TO Bridgeport.
Although decomposition had rendered
the body unrecognizable there remained
certain articles of clothing and q ring
which might serve as means of identif-
cation. A jury of inquest met next fore
noon, Justice Walter Goddard acting as
coroner. Bassett was in Jail, not having
served out his full sentence for theft. At
noon the jury adjourned, having heard
no testimony outside of the line of
Identification, except that Weinbecker
was alive on the twelfth day of July
George +. Hummiston testified that
"them shoes are Jacks to DEATH" and
thought q ring taken from the body was
similar to one worn customarily by
Weinbecker. Two witnesses swore posi-
lively that he was alive July A. John
Wyncoop left vessel on which he and
Weinbecker had sailed, on the night of
July 18th, in company with Weinbeck-
er, who had $4 in his pocket which he
had just been paid, and Wyncoop drank
with him. He identified positively a
memorandum book taken from poe k
ct.
This being the closing day of the pre-
sent term of the Superior Court, it was
decided by State Attorney Olmstead to
bring Bassett before the Court to secure
his commitment, so that he might ap-
pear at the opening of the next Criminal
Term. He did not know that the body
had been found until this morning, and
when told accused the woman of the
murder. The indictment presented in
the court this afternoon accused both oI
murder in the first degree in causing
Weinbecker's death by administering
two ounces of chloroform. When the
woman came into Court-she had previ.
ously been to Bassett's house with the
officers and identified the chloroform
bottle, which was found under the floor
she took a seat outside the dock
Bassett looked at her for a minute and
she returned the glance, looking him
steadily in the face, and he then dropped
his eyes and they did not face each other
again. A commitment was granted and
they both went to Jail. The team has
been identified, the place where the
chloroform was purchased found, anC
there is no doubt that the murder occur
ed as narrated above, though there
seems to be equal grounds for supposine
the woman guilty. She concealed hel
knowledge of the crime for over two
months, and it was she who offered thu
body to DIR. Sanford. On examination
of tho oasa Soma o,,riO,7e 70 cts n ro u, ,,,,,