The New York herald., 1879-07-14
SUSPICION OF WIFE MURDER.
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF THE WOMAN
VAGUE HINTS WHICH LED TO THE HUSBANDS S
ARREsr-sTATEMENT OF THE ELDEST CHILD
VAIN SEARCH FOE THE BoDY-sToRY OF THE
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.

ACCUSED
BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
PIrrsFIELD. Mass. July l3. 1879.
Another tragedy is believed to have taken place in
this vicinity which appears quite rs horrible US
those which have given the southern portion OF
Berkshire county a bloody reputation. In the
second week of May last Mrs. John Shufelt.
the wife Of North Egremont laborer. sud
denly disappeared. There have been suspicious
of foul play. and her husband has been arrested and
taken to the Pittsfed Jail charged with numbering
her. Shufelt who is thrty-two years old. of Ameri
parentage. resided q mile and half west of
North Egremont the Hillsdale and
married ten years ago to Esther
Fields. then sixteen years OF age. Her
parents still reside at Mount Washington. Four
children had been born to them. the eldest being
now over nine years old. When Mrs. shufelt mys
teriousy disappeared in May the affair created no
little gossip among the neighbors But Shufelt
spent much time travelling about for her In sew
erai towns adjoining that, but for some remarks
lately made by him. the affair might have gone out
of mind without further thought.
SUSPICIOUS INQUIRIES.
He has recently inquired of parties how long it
would take for rope to rot off under water IL hold
ing something down. and he told some boys who
going fishing in Of the lakes i'll the vicinity
''that they might bring up something which tney
wouldn't wish to see." The oldest boy now says that
his father and mother, just before the latter went
away, had QUARREL that his father threw a stick OF
wood and hit her on the head that she never spoke
after that and that his father put her on the bed
went out and harnessed HORSE came in aud took
her clothes and carried both them and his mother
away. These ana some other circumstances war
ranted Shufet's arrest. and Sheriff Langdon, of
Great Darlington, took him to Jail Thursday to await
an examination at that town next Friday.
SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE.
large party went out from Great harrington
Friday night to drag Prospect Lake, in hopes of
finding the body. which the boys story and Shu-
felts hints led them think might be buried there
Rain prevented their doing anything but the officers
visited North Egremont Saturday to search the
Shufelt house. They found blood on the wall VAIN
scoting and ceiling. thus corroborating the boys
story that Shuelt knocked his wife down and dragged
her to the other room. BLOOD marks were aiso
to Great Darlington by Sherffs Norton and Langdon
Shuielt's boat found the lake nearly full OF
the boy thinks his mother lies buried, and the lake
will have to be dragged. The party Friday night
had locomotive head light reflected into the water
but nothing could be seen.
STATEMENT OF THE ACCUSED.
Shufet repeated his version of the affair when ar
rested which with that told all along since his
wifes disappearance. He says that after his mar
riage he found that his wife had borne bad at
least doubtful character, but her promise to lead
better life he promised to live with her. They
lived together for five years without trouble but at
the end Of that time he began to suspect her OF
the resort of young in the vicinity against his
will. Among them was one Henry Barton Church.
u
his wife to be on terms of criminal intimacy. Mat
ters went till finally, about the 9th of May, he
had a slight quarrel with his wife about Church's
visits On the next day Church WAS known to be
making preparations to leave the place. and on the
night OF the following day Shufelt claims that his wife
left him for he knew not where. On the night in
question he says he awakened by his children
crying for water, and getting up he found for the
first time that his wife gone. He went ut once
to fathers where trace of her could be found,
and his fathern-aw advised him to return and try
to get along somehow. He is confident that where
Church has gone his wife is gone and he thinks they
have both gone to New York State.