Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-09-14
A a1urderer-priess.

The following awful storg IS trags,ated
from the WochenJlatt OF Augu- 5, 1855, pro
isbed in Buenos Ayres:
"In few days mulde: iriai aill 5e be-
gun in La Plata, Buenos Ayres, which will
be of the most sensational character The
perpetrator OF the crime is Pedro Castro
Rodriguez, G priest, and the victims were
his own wife and daughter. Curato Rod
riguez is said to have been born in New
York, though his parents were natives Of
Santiago. born Catholic he became q
priest early in life, but forsook his church in
1870 and tried to enter the Methodist circu!,
of BueDos AyreS But The Methodist bad 10
use for him, and DR.. Real, the presiding
elder, declared hin, an ineligible candidate.
In 1874 Rodriguez married SeBora Ruhna
Padin, the daughter ola colonel IL The Ar
gentine army He soon suspected his wife
of unfaithfulness, wheraupon he left her and
went back to the Catholic Church, his wife
having beer ensconsed in cottage near by
the church he had been placed in charge
OF. The question Of marital iDteicity seem
ed 10 have been disprcved about lhia .irne,
for he again lived with her, srd the next
year she bore iiinl q daughter.
"In 1882 he became pastor. o. curato, OF
Olayarric, and also superin endont ofpub!ic
schools. He than left his family in Buenos
Ayree, visiting them, as be admits, very
regularly for couple OF m0nlhs, ard then
less often, and finally not at all. Ia Hay oi
this year his wife sold eli Of their property,
getting about S21, 900 for it, which sun sac
put in bank, to her husbands order, and
then went with her daughter TO OaVarrio,
where she was received Gt tbe rovera1tial
residence One Of the choir boys named
Perrin, who served supper to Rodriguez end
his family, Thought the:a very inuch depress-
ed that night and ont Of spirits Alter this
meal the curato took ais guests TO sieepiag
apartments, putting his wifein his own room
and the little girl Ola loung9in q perior, he
himself going into an adjoining room. While
the woman and child were :naking their Or.
ransrmenls for the night Rodriguez left the
house for short time. 0p hi4 return his
wife iaushugly said | suppose you have
been out 10 see one pf. youl pnrishioners p
No, ne said, I went alter same pills to
quiet your nerves.
''After she got in bed, according tc Rod.
riguezs confession, ne gave her one of the
pills and . glass of water Shortly after.
ward such violent pains seized her that she
complained OF it,, asking him what he
thought caused it. Without answering her
he got a hammer and pounded her on the
head with it until she Was dead The noise
Of this brought the child into the room,
whereupon Rodriguez Dut one of the
pills int her mouth, forcing her 20 swallow
it.. Then be took her in his arms and car
red her up and down The room for four
hours to prevent her from making az out
cry or giving Oh alarm. Through the last
two hours of this she was dying; but she
didn't die fast enough TO suit her parent,
who, as his statement showe.o wanted The
business over within time for him 10 cele-
brate mass in the morning. He finally
smashed her head with the same hammer
he had used on her mother. When the
daughter was dead he locked ail the doors,
went to his study, where, il disguised
hand, he wrote letter addressed to q mag
istrate, and then said moss.
"This religious duty beiug done, he went
to the Office of DR.. Quilarte for burial per-
NIT, but that gentleman being out tta per-
nit had to be sought from the municipal
authorities, where Rodriguez produced the
letter be had just written, which was to
makeit appear that the permit was for the
oody of dead woman, which would arrive
on the morning train. The permit once safe
in his pocket, he went 10 an undertaker's,
where similar story was told, and where
he ordered an extra large coffin, directing
that it was to be delivered in his church
that same evening The coffin was accord
.ipply taken there and placed next to the
high altar on which the cureto lighted one
of the candles.
s.The pastoral home being joined to the
church by corridor, Rodriguez tried to
carry the dead body Of his wife along this;
but she was too heavy for him, and so he
had to drag her instead, leaving a treil of
blood to mark the course. The dead woman
was unceremoniously flung into the coffin,
face downward, after which her dead deugh-
ter was thrown in on top of her. and the coffin
lid screwed down. The coffin was taken
away the next morning, and as some blood
ran from the awful box the cu:sto cooly re-
marked that he supposed the poor woman
within it must have died of some disease OF
which profuse bleeding ia phenomenon
sAll, likely, would have gone well but for
the inouisitveness of Perrin, the choir boy,
who was very solicitons ABOUT his masters
guests, and expressed great deal of won
derment as to the canse oftheir non-sppear-
suce. Rodriguez informed him that they
had died of heart disease aud had been duly
buried, and he alec admonishet the boy not
to concern himself about them. But the
boy was not so easily assured. and began
looking about. Discovering the blood stains,
which filled him with alarm, he hurried to
La Plato and told Chief of Police Costa what
he had found and what he suspected.
"Rodrigues was at once arrested, and The
Chief of Police soon pressed him into con.
fessiou, though he first offered 10 pay 10000
pesos to have the matter dropped. The
main reason be gives for killing his wife is
because she insisted upon living in the house
he occupied, which, as a priest, be could not
permit. So be felt compelled to rid himself
af her The nnisnn which ha used on his