The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1884-04-17
M0NRlDLE plupLE MuRpEK.

An Aged Couple Murdered in their bed aud
Then Set Firo 10 in Order to Hide tile
Crimc--The Fire Prematurely Discovered
and the Ghastly Evidence ReveaIed--sus.
picion Points 10 the Hired Man.
MATTooN, ILT., April IL.
On Thursday night double murder
was committed near the village OF Rar.
din. in this county, six miles northeast OF
Charleston, The circumstances attend.
Ing make 1t the most atrocious and mys
terlous homicide ever committed In tho
county. The names Of the murdered pco
pie are A. Nehemiah Fleetwood aud wife
aged slXty-seyen and seventy respective
y, and the man accused of the murder i
james Wlnkleback. The Flcetwoods
lived in two-story house, tile older pco.
pie sleeping down stairs and the hired
man Winkleback sleeping in the room iii.
rcetly above them, while across the hall
upstairs slept the grown daughter Em.
ma.
The family the night before retired
carly About ten O'Clock Emma was par
TALLY aroused aud heard Wnkleback, She
thought, talking with the old folks below
She dropped off to sleep again, and some
time afterwards she heard another noise
below, but was not wide-awake enough
TO know whether il was the sound of Il
revolver or blows with a hammer. Shohad
been loosing good deal of sleep on ac-
count ofattending toa sick child, aud was,
consequently, hard to rouse. Again She
went to sleep, but was soon awakened by
the smell Of smoke She saw that the
house was on fire and called across the
hall to wake Winklebaek. He pretended
to Just wake up, and told her she could
not get down that way--the stairs lead
ing from Wlnkleback's room to the
chamber below where lay the old folks
but she burst through the room and down
the stairs to the old folks chamber.
She with hurried efforts put out the
fire and cried to Winkleback to run for
help 70 the ncighbors. lie brought no
help until he had been sent the second
time. The fire out, the daughter found
the dead bodies of her father and mother
lying on the charied remains Of the bed
stead. Their clothes were burned from
them Stovewood had been carried In
and placed on the bed to feed the fire
Neighbors arrived and found that the ell
der Flcetwoods had been murdered before
the fire was kindlcd The old man had
been dealt crushing blow on his head
and his head was completely severed
from his body. The old lady had been
shot, the ball passing in at the corner of
her eye. Her throat was also cut from
ear TO car.
Evidence points to Winklebaclx as the
murderer, although he denies all
churgcs; yet his actions have been pc
culiar. When 1t was suggested to search
the well for missing axe he protested
1 1uf bn bnH 1aff hn f,t ha
The well was pumped dry, and in the
bottom was found Winkleback's own axe,
covered with blood and gray hairs.
Stains of blood were also found ON his
pants.
This morning he appeared dressed in
clean shirt, aud refused to account for the
dirty one he had discarded.
The C0rOner'S inquest is In session but
no verdict has been arrived at. Winkle-
back has been arrested and brought to
the county seat. mob Of
500 people gathered at the scene OF
the murder, and it meant ven
geance. Nothing will probably be
done until the Coroner's verdict.
The object Of the murder is unknown.
The old folks had no money. IL seems
That Winklcback was In love with Emma,
and had IN vain sought for her parents
hardly give him cause to take their lives.
The two lovers were the only other per-
sons in the house at the time.
CHARLESTON, ILL.,, April II.
Deputy Sheriff Dwyer arrived yesterday
rom Rardin with Winkleback in charge
md lodged him in the County Jail here.
ie had difficulty in getting HIM away
rom the mob. lie took him out through
! side door and was miles away be-
ore the mob knew of his escape.
is now quiet around the jail,
although knots of men are standing
round talking about the murder Fears
nc entertained that the mob from the
country may yet come in and try to break
he jail, which Is rather frail affair.
Ylnkleback was very glad to hear tho
ron doors close on him.