Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-12-22
& ESri;tai Murder.

& Esrsitai Murder.
No case il the history Of New YORK Safe
has attracted the same interest rs lQs the
cold bioodel murder Of William Dgnsa 5v
his wife, Roxaana Druse, in Warrcu, Her
kimer County, in December, 1854. Oh ac-
count of the horrible brutality of is details
, The murdered man was What might be
called sh:ftloss, lazy, good for-nothing far
! mer, who was possessed OF some property.
His slayer is & frail little woman Of forty
years, who, from appearance, w3nit not
! hurt dove. Fer companions il The crime
were her daughter Mary, aged nineteen, her
son George, aged ten, and u half.Yitted
nephew, aged thirteen years. The lwo BOYS
turned States evidence. Mary. Oh her own
confession, is confined in the PsaitenIiary
at Syracuse for the term ui heg natural life
and the inh.lnan wife aLd Iaothcc is count
ing the hours vixen The te,npaG rope VIII
encircle her neck, with q iaiat hoUc :l.;
| the Governor may commute her sentence,
and that hope grows DINNER as the DAYS
| pass by. AT the trial g year ago the couu-
! sci for the prisoner bas "a their only hope on
the plea Of self.defence, but owing to the
brutal disposal OF the remains 0t tbs mur
| dered man the jury did not t9r an instant
take it into consideration. The story ot Tic
crime. as proven on tne tgi&l. is that aha
| mother and daughter slept IN the par!o.
and the boys and the victim slept urStsir..
On the morning OF the crime Druse came
| down aud nu!t the iir" &nu went aBUGt GUire.
| the chores a! The barn, while the w0luaii
arose soon after and beEaa p!eP4:in2 break.
fast. The boys uEa the TWO Homeu sat-
| I,rtxr Iata !
had finished their urai Whvu the father
| came in. In the mean IiLla the mother Gaji
told the boys moi 10 20 ar from The house.
| hs she might want them. quarrel aGo.s
| between Druse aud his wits ab0u. some gro.
cerIes that had been purchased at the store
aud had not been paid FOR, aud Mrs Dluse
went into the pantry. Wlen she came cut
soon after she carried Il loaded revolver be-
meath her apron. Nary, her daughter. h.G
| procured rope during The quar:e.. ald at
signal from her mother she time! il ugo,lnd
the body of her father enG, tipping hlu
| backwards in his chair, TIED :i,u 10 I'll haur.
| Mrs. Druse Immediately placed the reyo vti,
close TO his bead and fired Alter The frs,
| shot was fired the hOis came into the roCrl
and Mrs. Drasa directed Frank Gates to
shoot, which he aid twice, .ca slrt taking
effect. Not satisfied with iDis l:.n wife pro
cured an axe ara Hegan cho?p!ns eli her
| husbands head, her husband D!eat!iug for
his life, saying: Don't Roxy, don't" Af;a.
| the husband and father wAs killed The !ao
boys were instructed TO ciose all ibe ear
| tains and blinds and loci; al! tbs aaors. and
| then they were sent upstairs aud lor; .u re-
main quiet. Mira. D:ase and Mai;, With
the help OF q man vino is irsa al this witt
lng proceeded 10 cut up the body, past 0l
wbich was burned in the fire 1ni part
fed TO the pigs. The part put in
the stove was afterwards taken and hid
some il millpond and some iu sapacusa
81 few miles distant. Suspicion 3iG net
become awakened unit! abon, i m0nth after
Druse disappeared, the neighbors supposiug
that be had go&e away, SIS he was !requent-
j. IN tho habit OF doing. Frank CAFES &rss
told what had become Of Drusa while on 4
visit TO his father, who resided few miles
from the Dsuse place. i cornuegs jury Wa
Immediately summoned and the above fact.
| ELECTED, Whereupon the four were arrested
and confined il the Herkimer Jail. The
trial OF Mrs. Druse lasted over two "eeks.
The jury, after being out about two hGurs.
returned with & verdict of guilty. Hcg
counsel Immediately appealed TO the gu,
preme Court and TIE Court OF Appeals, both
of which affirmed the decision of the Over
and Terminer, and the same Judge before
whom she was tried again, Nov. S, this year,
| resentenced her to be hanged Dec. 80. In
an GtcrvieW held with the condemned
woman she reasser.ed the charges of the de
prlva'ion, abuse and beatings by her bus.
band that began shortly after her marriage.
She said she lived between hope and fear,
but had made up her mind not 10 fret.
When asked if others whose names have
not been mentioned were implicated in The
murder, she replied that there were twill
be remembered that at the time Of the mur-
der there was man in the house who help
ed to dispose of the body, and who car-
ried off the head OF Dyuse concealed IN
an old skirt and hid it IN 6 swamp near by.
This person has not yet been arreated, and
there are no indications al the present that
he will be. When asked ii she would make
a confession if the worst comes she replied
that she would She ssid she asked no
sympathy from Gov. Hill, but only we
mans fair share of justice. When asked if
che thought woman was entitled to more
sympathy than a man she replied that she
thought she was, because woman had DO
voice IN the making Of the laws and
unaerstood the consequences Of their disc
osolehce less: At times she appears very
nervous, out her meagre frame is governed
BY powerful nerve and her cout;oi of her
self is wonderful. Occasionally She hraaks
down and weeps, but generally she sits
down in a rocking chair without speakinr .
word for hours, engaged in sewing or the
making of paper flowers, from the sale of
which she has received considerable money
In her sleep she is oppressed by the horror
OF her condition and is very restless, bad
OF perspiration standing out on her :ore-
bead and her hands clutching nervousv
Her latest assertion, and one that the sn.