Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-02
The Avon Double Murder.

Pursuing the Enquiries-Coroner's In-
 quest Adjourned for One Week-The
 Mystery-No Clue Yet-The Possible
 Motive.
 The jury in the Avon murder case ad- iourned for one week to await developments. As already stated, the victims,v Mrs. Maria Avant, aged 75, and Mrs. Emily Chidsey, aged 68, were last seen alive Sunday morning at about o'clock. boy who was driving a COW met Mrs. Chidsey and spoke with her for moment or two; neighbors passing also saw them that morning. They were accus- toned to go abroad but little, living very quiet. secluded lives. Mrs. Luther Reed, the neighbor who called to see them Monday and found Mrs. Avant weltering in her blood, ran to the mill near by and summoned her hus- band and another man there, the mill owner. The two men went directly to the house and found the corpse lying on the floor. Spread over the body was piece of old carpeting. A search was then made for Mrs. Chidsey, and she was found in the attic on bed, Bible and her spectacIes by her side, and a ghastly wound in her forehead inflicted by tailors goose, which was lying on chest close by. Over her face piece of newspaper had been placed. Leaning against the wall in the sit
 
 which Mrs. Avant had been brained. The village was soon aroused, and the double murder is the all-engrossing topic of conver- sation Drs. R. o. Alcott and George l.. Lewis were summoned soon after the dead bodies were discovered, and at once made an examination. On Mrs. Avant's head a great fracture of the skull had been inflicted with the broad side of the axe, and death must have been instantaneous. Mrs Chidsey was killed by ghastly blow on the left ear, in f1icted by the tailor's goose, which weighs nearly ten pounds The ear was split entirely across, and the temporal and cheek bones were fractured. From the surroundings it ing on her bed and had fallen asleep before the murder.
 The Times of Hartford says of the nlys- terry: ''The motives for such crimes usually are robbery or outrage. In this case there was no robbery and no signs of indecent sault. Possible motives are revenge and a probability of interested parties being bene- fted by the death of the victim. Again, in this instance, there is evidence pointing to revengeful feeling on the part of at least one individual, and a chance for several to profit by the deaths of these two ladies.
 Mrs. Chidsey owned about all the home stead and some land in addition, while Mrs. Avant had snug sum in a Hartford savings bank and also some in the Pennington sav- ings bank
 1t appears to be the opinion of the best in- formed people of Avon that the motive which prompted the murder was the gain to be de- rived by the relatives Of course, if this is the correct theory, suspicion would rest on the black sheep so to speak, of the family relatives. The first question would be, is there relative of bad character? The answer here would be, 'Yes.' Who is it :? A Mrs. Florence Ridgeway, a niece to the murdered ladies'
 It appears that Mrs Ridgeway had lived l when a child, with her aunt, Mrs. Avant. When she grew up it is said she became bad character. Sometime in her evil career she claims to have been married to one Ridgeway, name she now carries, though such was her character few were found to believe the story of her marriage. It is believed that | her connection with Ridgeway was founded l on free love basis and that they were not legally married.
 | Such is the character in brief of the per son suspected of being privy to the crime. 1 Now, if the old ladies died without making 1 wills, Mrs. Ridgeway would come in for her share of the property. If wills were made, | and it came to the knowledge of the pro spective heirs, motive for crime arises. MT. Phineas Gabriel, neighbor, states l that in March last Mrs. Chidsey made a will giving her sister, Mrs Avant, the homestead and lands during her life, and then to be di- 1 vided among certain other persons named.
  way should be given a home at the old home | stead when she needed it.
 | The other sister, Mrs. Avant, who was un- 1 friendly to Florence, objected to this provi- i sion and it was believed to have been subse- | quently erased
 | Mrs. Avant next made her will and gave | her property to Mrs. Chidsey during her life | time, and after her death it was to go to cer- I tain persons named. Ipthis will Mrs. Ridge | way got $20O, but afterwards even this small
 sum was stricken from the paper and Flor ! ence got nothing.
 Mrs. Ridgeway was at the house of her | aunts in April-some weeks after the wills l were made. Was this woman of doubtful
 reputation of prying disposition? Did she | suspect that the wills had been made If so, would she hesitate, when her aged relatives
 were sleeping, to commence a midnight
 search for the-to her-all important papers Did she do it? Where are the wills2 They l are missing. The detectives are in pursuit l of the suspected woman-Mrs Florence RidoeUav