Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-08-08

without great trouble. BY directions,
Mrs. Henson went to the lower door,. and
was met there by the girl. AS Mrs.
Henson approached, Mona was weeping
and wringing her hands in bitter despair.
Mrs. Henson did not wish to enter I'M
der such circumstances, but requested the
girl to accompany her to her own house
ings and partially dragging Mona along,
she succeeded in getting her to 60 with her.
When within, Mona was in so excited a
state that nothing coherent could be
cleaned from her, and it was found neces-
Sary to call in DIR. HenfOrd and other phys
icians to restore her. Then the story of an
awful tragedy within the mysterious house
was drawn from the afflicted woman by
degrees.
Mrs. Henson alarmed the neighbors, the
house was entered, and the two sisters,
Elizabeth and Anna, were found dead,
hanging at the ends of ropes suspended
over the parlor DOORS 1t was not until
near midnight that the bystanders gather
ed the courage to cut down down the bod
les. This they did after mature delibera-
ton, and then only in the easiest way pos
slble. The bodies were laid side by side
upon the floor in the back parlor, and all
the surroundings were left precisely as
found.
Elizabeth, woman of 43 years, and ap-
pearing much older on account OF her grey
hairs, was hanging to the folding doors
between the front and back parlors. She
had mounted a chair upon which she had
first piled some books from the library,
and then, after placing small silk hand
kerchief about her neck, had adjusted the
fatal moose, which in both instances was
made of hempen cord about One-forth OF
an inch in thickness. In making the sui
cldal leap from this eminence she had
failed to tip over the chair. The books
alone fell, and when found her toes were
barely touching the edge of the chair.
Anna. aged 40 years, had taken her life
in precisely a similar manner at the door
leading from the parlor to the hallway,
and within full view of her sister. She
had capsized the chair and ottoman upon
| which she had mounted, and appeared to
have struggled less than her sister. The
neck was badly abraded by the rope, as
| she had not taken the same precautlon as
her sister. Both were clad in neat after
noon dress, and in life must have been
| comely enough in appearance.
| The two sisters died in full view OF
large crayon portrait of their mother
which was placed on the centre table.
In Nona's room upstairs was found
bread knife, sharpened to a razor's keen.
ness, which she does not at all account
for, and upon dressing case in the front
| parlor was note, reading: "We must
| lock the Window Beside this lay dish
with nails and screws and hammer, and
all the windows and doors were doubly
nailed.
The father was completely overcome by
the news, and is not likely to survive. Ht
has already had one paraly tic stroke, ane
physician present saw signs OF another
at any moment. Weeping and moaning
he tottered up and down. leaning upon the
arm of companion and cane, murmur
ing to himself over and over, "This is
dreadful; this is dreadful" In an inter
val of calmness he said that he had un
kind feelings against his daughters, ant
no unpleasantness either, except tina
coming from their own imagination.