The Newtown bee., 1888-06-15
The Crime.

A murder of the most brutal character has again startled the community, the worst since Will Warner shot Mrs James Lynch and killed himself in Sugar street, Is months ago. Andrew J. Peck was , shot down in his own doorway, south Of Hattertown, last Friday morning, June &, about o'clock in the morning. The assassin had sccretcd himself behind the stone wall just east of the picket renee that cncloses the house yard, resting his gun upon the wall and aiming beneath the rail that lay on top of 1t. The pow der blackened the rail, grazing two pick cts and the limbs of peach tree i'll line and lodging with fatal effect in the body of Peck, who had just risen and walked to the door to look out, 56 feet from where his murderer hid. The assassin escaped unseen, leaving q bottle of pow der where he crouchcd and dropping paper of tobacco near by. Jennie Alice Lockwood. a mistress Peek had in the house, was the only other person about, ns far as known and Peek, staggering in- to the front room, back of which the Wo- man slept, said, with an oath, "Oh, AL ice. Alice. I'm shot, I'm shot, He also said that it was the work of the old maid and Rudolph, one or both, as statements differ as to whom he did implicate. He told her to run to Mir David Summers, his neighbor quarter of mile east, Tor help, but, not knowing the fam ly, she ran to Albert Platt's, about mile west, where the ''old maid,' as Peck called ms first wife, Mrs F. A. Peek, has made hel home since he kicked her out for the Lockwood woman. The woman return ed to the house to find Peck's body SUI warm, but he was dead, sitting in the door where he had been shot, with on' foot outside on the door stepand the oth CT inside the house, looking so natur;l that any one passing would not have sus pected that he was dead. Word was go as soon as possible to Newtown Street six or seven miles distant and Medica Examiner E. NJ. Smith, Prosecutin Attorney w. J. Beecher, Deputy Sheri Glover, Selectman Sanford, Constable I. Cavanaugh and otbers hastened to til spot. Deputy Sheriff Glover, attende by Messrs Sanford, Cavanagh and osci Pitzschler, arrested Rudolph Staufiel his home. where he was found in bed, | 3pm, grimy with charcoal dust. De uty Coroner Tallmadge drove fro Rridger ort to look into the case, Frida night. Saturday, Medical ENamin smith, assisted by Dr F. B. Downes
 Bridgeport, (State Attorney Fessend' also sent Dr G. l.. Porter of Bridgepo to assst), held an autopsy on Pecl body, which was literally pcppered wi shot. There were 31 shot in his bod principally on the left side; l2 inthe l' hand and arm: six in the right hand a arm. Three shot, which was of large si
 probably single B, had penetrated sack of the heart, which was full
 blood. This wound was the immedi; cause of death, but there were wounds the stomach and intestines which mig soon have proved fatal. Rudolph V brought before Justice Dayton, Sat day and his case continued to Tuest at 1pm. Sunday, Peck was buried, | DaNIu OSDOIht VI oDSPhSf
 the funeral Sunday, too, Deputy Si
 iff Glover found gun at Albert Plat which bore marks of having been reee Iy fired. It was an old flint lock, wh had been altered into shot gun. 5 day night, Rudolph, who lay in the lc up, made n desperate attempt to esca He had previously been searched, while Deputy Sheriff Glover was abs Sunday, his wife was allowed to see
 and probably supplied him with matc
 He had previously concealed in his
 the stone which the town of Newtt had provided for keeping the stove 2
 in place and, with this, he ripped up
 inside siding of the cell on the no
 rcnding the boards to pieces and k
 ling fire which he expected would
 through the outside siding and let
 out. He had been telling his stor.
 the officials, that night, so that it wa
 ter midnight before he was left al
 As it was, only the arrival fday de
 ed Rudolph's scheme; an hour or
 more and he would have been off
 away. He prctended that his
 stump kindled the fire and that he ]