Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-05
MAN AND WIFE IN IRONS
The Grays Must Answer For
 Murder Done Years Ago.
TRACED FROM CANADA TO FLORIDA

They Are Accused of Killing Old David
 His Property to Them, but Who Refused
 to Die-Burned the House and Fled.
 NEW YORK, July 4.-On board the Clyde line steamship Algonquin, which arrived here from Charleston, there were two prisoners who have figured in one of tho most sensational murder cases that have occurred in recent years.
 The prisoners are Thomas Gray and his wife, Hctty Gray. Both are Canadians, and, as the murder for which they are to be tried was committed in Canada, they are in charge of q Canadian policeman.
 J. w. Murray, the chief of the provin- cial detective force, is the man who traced the fugitives to Florida, and who told the story of the crime and the arrest to re- porter.
 David ScOllic, the murdered man, he said, lived in the little hamlet of Peter borough, in the province of Ontario. He was a bachelor, well advanced in years, owning a large farm and very well to do. Near him resided the Gray family, Thom- as, wife and six children. They rented a small farm and had d hard struggle to get along.
 One day, it seems, Mrs. Gray persuaded
 
 proposition. It was that he give to the Grays the use of the farm which he owned, they in return to care for him during he rest of his natural life.
 Dceded Them All His Property.
 The lonesome old bachelor readily as scntcd. The willingness with which he accepted the proposal made Mrs. Gray vcxCd with herself because shc had not had lf,r. nd I induced him to see Scolic again and ask that dc9d of gift of all his property be drafted, transferring the farm and it's be- longings to the Grays at the time of death.
 Singularly enough, Scollic acccdcd to that also. The deed was duly drawn and registered, and Scollic came to live with the Grays.
 That was four years ago. Several months after his arrival Mrs. Gray became impa- tient for the possession and control of the property and openly expressed a wish that the bcncfactor of the family would hurry up and die. He did not die, however, and, moreover, showed no signs that he would do so for many years.
 Mrs Gray is then alleged to have said to her sister, Mrs McGrcgor, who lived near by, that she believed it would be no harm to kill the man. Mrs. McGrcgor was shocked, and told her sister that she must not talk like that, and told her that the law would surely bring her to an ac- count. It is said that Mrs. Gray replied, Suppose I kill him and then burn the housewife will know anything about it2' Tried to Hide the Head. About a year after the alleged cOnver- sation the McGrcgors were aroused at , o'clock in the morning by one of the Gray | children knocking at the door. The child T bod H., | the house was Oh fire.
 Mir. McGrcgor hurried to the blazing building and met Mrs. Gray on the road. l Shc had bundle under her arm and tried | to persuade McGrcgor not to venture into | the burning house. He did however, and, l aided by neighbors, found the body of Scollie. Flames had not reached it, but the head had been severed and was miss ing. It is now believed that it was in the | bundle which the woman had under her | arm.
 It appears that none of the suspicious | circumstances which led to the death of Scollic came out until the insurance pco- | pie began to ask questions. They found | that the house had been insured for five l times its actual value, but they did not discover that until the GrayS had collect | cd the insurance, disposed of the farm and disappeared.
 Detective Murray was placed on the case, and for nearly Il year ho was endeav. bring to find the fli,.itves. He at last To catcd them in Florida, and found them in hiding near Cca n. Acquisition papers were secured, and tho man and wife were | arrested.
 Tho detective to''k his prisoners to Can ada by an early train today. They spent tho night on board the Algonquin.
 Gray and his wifo have been indicted for arson and lnurder in the first degree.