The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-09-14

his corpse, partially clothed, lying across
the foot of the bed with long bladed
knife thrust TO the hilt in his heart. The
scream of agony of the young woman at
tracts d the attention of farm hand, who
fastened TO the room, and after assisting
the unconscious daughter to her own
apartments, made known the CHASTITY dis
covery TO the village authorities.
Special Officer Covent was the first to
arrive and he took charge OF the house
and the remains of the murderer's victim
while the formalities of the law were
quickly gone through with. Every in
mate of the house was closely questioned,
and through investigation made OF
the premises, but there was nothing
in tbs testimoney OF the members
of the large household which could throw
light on the tragedy and nothing about
doors or windows to indicate that an en-
trance had been forced or robbery COM
mittec And the knife, which is of a
peculi pattern and looks as IL il belonged
to some museum collection of weapons,
had never been seen before by any of the
family.
MIR. Agamas family consisted of him.
self, an invalid and widowed sister named
Argdon, his daughter, Ethel, house
Keeper, Mrs. McDee, a kitchen girl, Gwen
dolen Abbot, the hired man, John
kirtle, and young man 30
years old, named David Darxell,
who for the past seven years has served
Mr.. Agama as private secretary in looking
after his various mill interests and rents.
They all testified this forenoon before the
coroner, and their testimony was the
same III the single point that none OF
,s I,.l k.o or,.
story Of MIR. Darxell, which substantially
covers the statements make by the rest,
was that today Miss Agama was to have
been married to Henry Nixard. the young
superintendent of the Agama Cotton
Company, and that last night the
bridal party, consisting of MIR. Nixard
Miss Agama, her father and himself had
been to the village church, where they
were met by the pastor, and rehearsal of
the marriage ceremony was gone through
with, MIR. Agama giving the bride
away just as he had intended to
this forenoon. From the church the
party returned to tho house
for supper and after an hour or so spent
in the customary way in singing, reading
and family prayers the family retired
with the exception OF Mr.. Darxell, who
went to the library where he was engaged
in letter writing until nearly midnight.
Then in going TO his own room he
stopped at MIR. Agama's chamber door
and asked il he wished for anything
MIR. Agama replied that he wished to be
called by o'clock and that was all. The
next step in the story was the one taken
up by the daughter herself when she
found her father dead at o'clock.
The medical examiner who viewed the
remains at o'clock said that the man
had probably been dead seven hours, thus
fixing the hour of the crime sometime
between midnight and o'clock i'm the
morning. There are no trains To leave
the village between O'Clock in the even
ing and in the morning, and no teams
are missing. III the murderer has left
the scene of his brutal crime he must have
walked and this is hardly probable as the
surrounding villages have all been tele-
phoned to and the police everywhere for
miles around are on the lookout.
Ii has been said that no clue was left to
the identity OF the man who committed
the crime or which would give a hint OF
its motive.
But there was slip OF paper pinned TO
the dead mans pillow which may be
taken for what it is worth, and tho au-
thorites don't consider that that is much.
The words written on the paper were,
Old-time tyranny deserves old-time
punishment" The paper was or
dinary commercial note. but without
any watcrmark and the letters were
printed, apparently, with a stub pen, and
the edges OF the paper bad been carefully
charrcd so a. 20 effectually prevent their
matching the piece from which II had
been torn.
The paper was taken charge OF with he
knife by officer Covent The Significance
OF the words Is as much a mystery rs the
crime Itself.
Tymnny was the last thing that MIR.
Agsma could bee accused of. lie was a
most indulgent father md employer, and
every poor lamily in the village counted
him NJ friend.
Every wish OF his daughter Ethel was
law with the old gentleman, and IL was in
compliance with herreuuest and against
his own wishes that seven years ago
..lI a..