Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-04-12
INVOKED A MEDIUM.
'PlRiTUALlSM'S AID SOUGHT TO
SOLVE A DOUBLE TRAGEDY.

In the lonclicst part of the township OF
East Thompson, in Windham county, east
IN Connecticut, stands gray and sham
bling old farmhouse, associated with which
$ Il murder mystery that seemingly is in
crutablc. Indeed it is a problem in crime
hat is worthy Of the singular analytical
detective powers of a Sherlock Holmes.
The crime was committed some three
months ago, and only brief paragraphs
nave been published about it.
At the time of the tragedy the old house
vas inhabited by n strange Russian Pole,
kigie StorzkinZie, "a years old, and his
wife, Rosa, about %; his 7-ycar-old step
on, Volgi, and two other children, boys
,ne years old, the other months
Mrs. StOr2kin2ie and her stcpSon, Volgi,
disappeared suddenly early last January,
md since then country shcrifrs and city
detectives have discovered not a clew in re-
pcct of the way in which they were re
moved, except that the walls Of several
looms in Stor2kin2iC's abode are splushed
Ind bcsputtcrcd with blood, as if from
Dutchcring. The shcrif's of Windham
bounty aver that, in their belief, on sun
ay Jan. 10, Storzlinzic after II quarrel
With his wife killed her with revolver
WHICH llt luJlIuIllF CtIIltN III MS mp
pocket.
Going on with their supposittious story
f the murder, these officers declare that he
rcd all the bullets in his weapon into the
Tomans body and she fell to the floor
But no one of the wounds inflicted by the
istol was II fatal one.
Thcrcupon the savage Pole Infatuated
BY the sight of blood, lcapcd upon her pros
Il ,,.;t b hn Int e l.;
Oliver finished the work.
1.-The stepson, Nolgi, was especially hat
d by his stcpfathcr, declares Sheriff
Bates, "and he unqucstionably witnessed
he murder of his mother and StorzlinHic
ad no sooner beaten the life out of his
wife than he sprang upon the young and
vrctched little waif. Selling the first
Weapon ready to his hand, u heavy flatiron,
&c crushed in the little fellows skull"
Such is Sheriff Bates story, crazy
patchwork of IL hypothetical case the out
ONE of observation and deduction on the
art of a shrcwd official, who has patiently
nd painstakingly followed the slender and
dubious clcws, vague as cobwCb threads.
"The two other children in the house."
ontinucd the sheriff no less positively, che
pared. They had not been witnesses of
hey could ever become informcrs against
i'm. They were too young. Therefore he
imply locked the doors of the blood be-
prinklcd living room and retained his
Joys in another part of the old house.
Every foot of earth for miles about the
old ,Joslyn place. the local name of the
omcstcad, we have searched half Il score
II times" said the sheriff "Somctimcs
Of f., a.
ounds, have hunted the ground over
nd yet no one has come upon trace indi-
ating that the ground had been broken
Or the burial of a body.
eve have not drcdgcd for the missing
odies in the waters of Long pond, IL small
beet of water mile away, nor have we
satisfactorily sounded the swamps that
but upon one shore of the lake. That
art of our investigating work we shall
inter upon, however, as soon as the snow
nd leo have been thawCd in the great
wamp.
zone thing is certain, continued the
heritr I'VE have to deal with Il criminal
L extraordinary sagacity, self composrre
Oolncss and criminal craftiness.
"In fact, so craftily did the Pole con-
uct himself after the crime had been
prtnight later that he was arrested In
he meantime he had worked steadily to
biterate all discriminating evidence. A
eighbor saw Mrs. Storzkinzio in the
Drenoon of Jan. 10, but none saw her aft
that fatcful Sunday.
First the nCighbors noted how strangely
lent the house was, and how rarely
torzkinzic came forth from his dwelling,
,,1 yI,nt ttyill nd
lien he had whenever he did appear.
hey recall, however, that for several
lights after Jan ID great fires blazed
lightly in the otherwise unlighted 'Joslyn
lace, so that it seemed at times as if the
hterior of its blackened shell was great,
leaning, ruddy furnace"
Acting on a formal complaint by a neigh
Or, the sheriff of the county arrested the
ole on Wednesday, Jan. 30
The arrest was made in q curious way.
Everybody in East Thompson, even the
Ulcers of the law, had long been afraid
him because every one knew that he
Fas always armed and believed that he
Fould not hesitate to use his weapon
gainst any one. So the sheriff resorted |
a ruse 1t was 10 o'clock on Wednesday |
lorning when Sheriff Bates, in company
ANAi MI i@iA't"n Doolg llOlS5llIJplS uIONb
hto Storzkinzie's farmhouse yard, and |
oslyn, who had previously talked with
be Pole about buying the latter's COW, |
ipped on the weather beaten panel of |
torzkinZies door.
The sheriff had been warned earlier by |
be Polish priest of the town that Storz-
inzie was "a dangerous man, who carried |
wicked looking pistol and big knife.
oslyn hatted with Storzkinzie. Then |
be sheriff got out of his wagon and saun-
red forward to the Poles doorstep 81 |
as thinking about that COW of yours for |
yself," put in Sheriff Bates. Then he |
oked up at the caves Of the huge house |
casual way. Then he made sud
en, darting movement, and there was a |
harp metallic click.
OF sudden the Pole, glancing down |
his hands, noted that his wrists were
lcased in pair of the sheriff's strong,
listening handouts
"You will have to come with me-" re-
arked the officer coolly. "You are ac-
lsed of numbering your wife and stepson,
olgi. It's best to come along without
aking any trouble"
The imperturbable Pole looked the sher-
straight in the eye, smiled and signifed
S willingness.
Storzkinzie was committed for trial be-
re the superior court of Windham county |
the next criminal term.