Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-10-11
Murder of Prof. Thornton.


Mrs. Media Pratt Thornton, widow
of Harrison H. Thornton, the youni
Virginia philanthropist and teacher
who was murdered last month at Cap
Prince of Wales, Alaska, has arrived a
San Francisco, Cal, and gives the fol
lowing details of the tragedy:
Eve retired on the night of Angus
2Oth,n she said. MY husband wa
asleep before l was. We had beer
slumbering soundly three hours, whel
a loud rap was heard on the outer door
AS nearly as l could judge it was mid
night. l spoke to my husband aud ht
got UP aud felt his way towards the
door. TIE night was very dark, and
as my husband opened the door two
loud reports rang out, and he jumped
back, calling out in strong voice, !
am shot, dear These were the last
words be ever uttered.
II jumped out of bed and tried to
light a lamp. In my nervousness
took a good deal of time. At last the
lamp burned, aid l saw my poor hus.
band on the floor in a pool of blood.
In his chest was large, gaping wound,
and be was breathing slowly aud beavi-
~. dragged him to the bed and put
him on it. In less than an bour be was
dead
II remained with the body until day
light, when | went TO the hut Of an In.
dian whom | knew TO be friendly.
Three native youths were the murder
ers. One Of them, Titak. had been ex-
PEELED from the missionary school that
my husband and Mr.. Leopp conducted,
aud with the other had planned the at
tack. The weapons used were an Old
whale gun and rifle, both CT which
were thrown on the ground outside OF
the door Of our house after the mur-
der was committed.
The three boys ran away and hid
in a couple of canoes on the beach.
The older natives hunted for the MUIR
derers and found them. Two were
shot to death, but Titak, who was the
ringlcadcr, escaped to the mountains,
b IDLY wounded Two parties followed
him up and swore cut vengeance
against him if they found him. The
natives doubtless killed him. The bod
les Of the two boy murderers were
dragged from the beach to the front of
our housr. l had been told that the
bones OF their bodies bad all been brok-
Ell and the flesh mutilated.
Mrs. Thornton feared to remain in
the neighborhood, as relatives of the
murderers threatened vengeance upon
her. She embarked in a large kyak
with nineteen natives, and started for
Port Clarence, fifty miles away. a
high sea was running and progress was
slow. Another Indian in better man
ned canoe came along and took Mrs.
to make the journey.
Professor Harrison L. Thornton was
a native of Prince Edward county, a
son of Col. John T. Thornton, who was
killed at Sharpsburg, and brother to
Professor William NJ Thornton, of the
University of Virginia, and Professor
James Thornton of Hampden Sydney.
Mrs. Thornton is a native of Maine.
She married young Thornton year
aud a-half ago.-ChdriOttcscille Prog
reSs.
Captain Healy, of the Bear, in re-
port to the Treasury Department in
corporates statement from w. +. Lor-
pos to the killing by Indians of f. H..
Thornton, United States government
teacher at Point Prince of Wales.
The natives, as soon as they knew o.
the killing, in whi:h one man and
two boys sixteen years Of age were en-
gagged, sought out the murderers,
caught two and killed them. To show
their detestation for the crime, they
fed the bodies OF the murd 4rers to the
dogs. One boy, who vas 81 nply an ac-
cessor escaped. Mrs. Thornton, the
teachers wife, was shown the greatest
consideration, and was escorted to the
reindeer station, many miles away.
The Thorntons were the only white
people at Point Prince of Wales. The
motive for the murder was robbery, but
after Mr.. Thornton was killed the man
had not the heart to murder Mrs.
Thornton. Thornton, it is said, was at
times very rough in his manner which
made him unpopular Both of the
murderers were well-known thieves.
and had frequently been detected steal
ing from Mr. Thornton and from the
SchOOlhouse.