The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-10-17
A MICHIGAN MYSTERY.

The Murder Of the Conquest Family.
Detroit Oct 49, The Conquest tragedy is still
the subject of general conversation. Conquest
had been resident of the community, Vienna
township, Gennesee county, nearly quarter Of a
century, six years ago he married a woman
named Scott, her maiden name Mary e. Barclay.
She had married Chandler Scott, laborer, who
had left her several years ago and gone West.
Scott was known to have been III Chicago at the
time of the great fire, and word came back that
he was burned to death at that time After wait
ing a reasonable time Mrs. Scott married John
Conquest
The house in which Conquest lived though on
the main road, was isolated, with woods north
and east Of 1t, Thursday morning the house was
discovered 10 have been burned, and the bodies
Of Conquest, his wife and child were found in the
ruins. But for the grain which fell from the
chamber and covered the bodies from the fire, all
traces Of the crime would have been destroyed.
The bodies of Mr.. and Mrs. Conquest were found
lying both upon their faces side by side on the
floor and in opposite directions from where the
head Of the bed had Stood The right hand Of
Mrs. Conquest rested against the side of her head
which was filed with clotted blood. The hands
Of Mr.. Conquest crossed each other near the
lower part of The abdomen. The back part of his
skull was crushed in, and the brain mashed and
partially cooked, The skull of the woman bore
evidence Of having been struck twice with an
axe, one place showing plainly the impression Of
the axe; the other fracturng the frontal bone and
running down to the nasal bone, fully three
inches IN length. An axe was found not far from
where the todies laid, the head of which fitted in
the wound in the skull of the woman. There
were also two knife wounds In the neck of the
woman, evidently made by pocket knife, and
nine small shot were found in her neck. Con.
quests throat was cut on the left slde cutting off
the external carotid artery and external jugular
vein. The body Of the child was found with It's
throat cut In another part Of the house.
The cause Of the tragedy remains mystery
Some time after the marriage of Mr.. and Mrs
Conquest Chandler Scott, whom she had suppos.
ed dead, put in an appearance, and has been In
the vicinity ever since; and Conquest is reported
TO have been jealous Of him. 1t is also reported
that Scott made demands upon Conquest for
money. threatening, In case his demands were
not compiled with, to bring an action for adult
cry. Certain 1t is the relation which the parties
sustained was source Of more or less trouble,
and the week previous to the murder an open
rupture ensued, Mrs. Conquest leaving home and
going to Clio, where she did some trading on &C.
count of her husband, and then went to the resi-.
dence of her father, Joseph Barclay Conquest
went after her and induced her to return. prom
ising that he would go to Flint and make appli.
cation for bill to divorce her from Scott, to
which she assented. They went home together
Wednesday night about O'clock, which was the
last time they were ever seen alive
Among the theories advanced is one that Con.
quest killed his wife, and then setting tre to the
house, committed suicide; but this Is exploded
by medical experts, who claim that the nature of
his wounds preclude the possibility of his having
committed suicide. Conquest was known to have
but a small amount Of money, and no motive for
robbery is known. Scott, the former husband OF
the murdered woman, and her brother, William
Barclay, have both been arrested.