Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-02-25
Murder and Suicide.

4 PAUPRR AGED ~ KILLS fELLoN
PAupsR AGED 70. At ooRISTn, VT
room HOUSE,. AND THEN CUTS Ills
OWN THROAT WITH A RAZOR.
On Thursday morning, the lotl
inst, the usually quiet neighborhood
Of Corinth, In Orange county, wa'
startled by tho announcement OF u
terrible tragedy that had taken place
at the town farm, which lies n little
south OF the centre of the lown.-
Just after breakfast, while three aged
paupew aud a little girl were sitting
around stove, one Of them, Aaron
Ferrin, asked where the sharp axe
was. When informed that Il was in
the wooished, he went Tor il and be-
gan sharpening it with MILESTONE
lie was asked what he was going 10
do, and he replied he was going TO
chop some wood, which he sometimes
did. After sharpening tho axe he, by
stealthy movement, advanced upon
William Tcrrill, au old man, aged
about 70 years, who sat looking out
of a window, and dealt him blow in
the neck, which nearly severed the
head from the body.
The other old man, James Litch,
aged 80 years, sprang forward aud
caught his arm as the axe was raised
for second blow, but could not pre-
vent the blow, which cut fearful
cash in the head. Mr.. Craggy, the
lo,... ~ tho tnun fa~n wae in M
adjoining room and rushed in and
assisted in dsarming Ferrin. Litch
then said to him, "Come with me to
your room, and he went. Mr.. Crag-
gy at once started for Overseer Per-
ley Hastings, who lived IN the next
house, near by, and when they re-
turned they found Terrill dead; and
after strengthening him out on the
floor they went to Ferrins room,
where they found him lying on his
bed, his feet toward the head, with
deep cut in one side Of his neck. He
had bled profusely, but was able to
talk. They left him for a few min
utes, and on returning found him dead
with cash in the other side Of his.
neck. which severed the jugular vein,
his razor lying beside him. Terrill
never moved after he fell from the
first blow he simply moaned, "Ob,
DEAR" gasped ouce or twice and was
dead. The blood spurted over the
walls and floor and the whole scene
was a ghastly spectacle. The two
corpses were buried on Friday.
Ferrin was native or Corinth and
came Of good family. His mother
died only two years ago, aged SO
years. He was rather wild as a youth
and grew up rowing character. He
went to sea when young man and
landing at the Sandwich Islands he
married native woman and had two
daughters by her. He finally tired Of
that life and left his family, came
back to the United States, where he
has roved about, at times q drinking
character, till he finally brought up on
the Corinth town farm. 1t is thought
Ferrin was insane, as he left a paper
with Litch saying that Mrs. Craggy |
paid more attention to Terrill than
she did to him. He could not stand
il any longer, as he had got to kill
Terrill he had also to kill himself or
else be hung. He would moi he hung.
He had also been telling frequently
about his dreams, or visions as he
called them, and that some one was
going to die suddenly there soon and
it would probably be him, and some-
times he limited that he was afraid
some one would be murdered there,
but he was not thought to be sufiici-
emily insane to be dangerous. Ter
rill was an Englishman who has no
relatives or friends in this section, so
far as is known. He was a transient
poor person, and happened to drop
down upon the Corinth poor farm
There was great excitement in Cor
NTH and the adjoining towns, and
Hocked to the scene of the
tragedy. |