St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-28
AMurder Among Them Which
Occurred Nearly Twenty
Years Ago.
The Second Adventist Preach
err Who Foully Murdered
His Own Niece.
Thrilling Story Of a Butchery
Which Took Place Eight
cen Years Ago.
A Description Of a Visit to
the Scene Of the Awful
Crime.

Brooklyn Citizen.
! About eighteen years ago I went into
New Hampshire to write up murder
for morning newspaper. stopped at
the Kimball house at Dover, hotel
more like cosy home than an inn, and
got there good many facts that helped
me along. The victim was fourteen
year-old girl, and the doer of the
foul deed was her uncle, preacher
among the Second Adventists. They
belonged to class of people called
there New Hampshire Gypsies, residing
in the neighborhood of Bow Pond, a
large sheet of water, sixteen or eighteen
miles beyond Dover. The uncle led his
niece away into the woods for vile
purpose and then murdered her, mutt
lating the body and hiding part OF it
IN one palace and part in another. :.
Early on Sunday morning started
in buggy for Bow Pond, taking along
a driver who was supposed to know the
road. Four or five miles out large
barn was passed. The doors were open
and two men were at work threShing
with fails. Sklrting one end OF the
pond the sheriff's house was reached
anu L vas lVCOltCu ny uAou OluSVA OOuA U
eously and treated to good dinner.
Then the sheriff and deputy, each
taking revolver, led the way along the
side of the pond to the scene of the
murder. The house, if such it could be
called, where the murdered girl
had lived, was at the far
end of the pond. 1t was low,
misunderstanding place, built of stone,
mud and poles. Men, women and chill
dren to the number of fifty or perhaps
more were either squatted on the
ground, sitting Oh rails or leaning
against anything that would serve as
prop. The men, mostly young, were
swarthy and dark haired. They were
dressed in all sorts of garbs, but the
SLOUGH hat was always there, and
Haunting colored necktie generally en-
circled the throat. The women wore
gaudy prints, with fiaring ribbons in
their hair. They had flashing dark
eyes and the same Swarthy compilations
as the men. The children looked like
veritable Gypsies.
On entering the house a strange scene
was presented. The room was compar-
atively large, and fully thirty women
were seated around, all dressed In
gaudy colors. They kept their eyes
never spoke. They were not prepos-
sessing. They looked as though they
could bite and scratch in an emergency.
The room was pierced with six or eight
holes for windows. No sooner did we
enter than the men outside moved to-
ward the house. and, while some placed
themselves at the windows, others stood
by the door, all watching with lowering
cOuntenanceS the mOVementS'Of the in
truderS.
sect away from the windows and
DOORS" the sheriff cried, in stern tone:
s'do you want to shut out all the air and
smother uS?,
f The men moved away, but not far.
They sauntered this way and that. peer
ing in at window and door. | must adj
NIT that didn't like the CLEAN that was
in their eyes.
They're hard-looking lot" SAID
to the sheriff.
YES he replied. "Now, you will
perhaps understand why didn't want
you to come here alone. 1t mightn't be
safe for even me and my friend here, it
they didn't know we always went
armed"
The sheriff on entering the house had
inquired for some one by name, and
from small side room that she would
send for the person wanted. Presently
man came in at the door in a hurry.
He was about forty years old, of me-
dunn height and very powerfully made.
His black hair hung in elf-lOcks around
his head, and he had eyes like all the
rest-dark and piercing. He saluted
the sheriff courteously, and when he
was told that l desired to see the spot
where the girl was murdered and the
places where her remains were found
he babe us follow.
Leading the way, he conducted US by
q narrow path to the highway leading.
/ think. to Darlington. Twenty or
thirty or the young fellows followed US.
Crossing the road, we climbed stone
wall, and. picking our way through
bog, came to wood. The trees grew
among rough rocks and powders, and
every here and there was pieces of
Doggy land murky stream running
from it. The young fellows sprang on
ahead, bounding from bOwlder to bowl
der, leaping across the patches OF bog,
and finally reaching a spot where big
tree stood. Here they paused and stood
looking. Their figures and attitudes
were certainly picturesque. / could
dts.
In due time the sheriff, his deputy
and myself reached the tree. The group
silent and motionlesS. looking
first at one of ther visitors, then at an
other.
Here's where the body, as we may
say, was found" said the sheriff, point
ing toward the root of the tree. It grew
close to bOWlder, and the upper part
of the thick gnarly roots were exposed.
Around them and under the trunk of
the tree was pool of red, OOZy water.
There the body was found, thrust in
under the trunk and mutilated.
81 found it," said the guide. HE
the word and giving the
head jerk to one side In the direction,
as I supposed, of Exeter, where the
murderer lay in jaiD pretended he had
a dream which showed him how the
girl was missing. brought him along"
The group stood looking on. Never a
word did one of them speak. AS our
guide moved away, followed by US, the
young fellows passed to the right and
left of US and returned to the road,
leaping, as before, from rock to rock
bound. Reaching the turnpike, they
turned up it, and in that direction also
went our guide and we. Three hun
dred yards up the young Gypsies had
come to stand. and were squatting,
leaning or sitting, forming. as they al
ways seem to do, complete picture.
Our guide went up to the wall and re-
moved large stone. A hole between
other stones was disclosed. "Here we
found the rest Of the body" said the
guide.
We got into our vehicle and drove
b ack to the sheriff's house. am con-
strained to say that I was not sorry to
get away from the Gypsy settlement,
and told the sheriff SC.
"They are hard lot, there's no doubt
about it's said he. "How do they live?
Make baskets, brooms. anything that
doesn't cost them nch trouble. Real
Gypsies? Well, yes; we think so. Don't
thew look like it?" One of them lives
at harrington, and is as good a
man as ever breathed. He is a
rich merchant. He has done all he can
TO induce his people to become industris
BUS. He offered to buy all the baskets
they would make. They brought 100 of
tham and he hada them mt them in