The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-27
A Brandy Distillery in the Last
Stages of Decay.
AN ANTE-BELlUM TRAGEDY
A Bloody Double Murder Committed by
a Jealous Husband-He Killed His
Own Wife and His Out
lawed Protege.
Corr. Of the Chicago Chronicle.

I
ated on the waters OF historic Mill
creek. five miles east of this place, Is
an object of interest, not only on ac-
count of its great age and picturesque
location, but for the horrible story con-
nected with it. This ancient distiilery
is the Oldest structure of the kind south
of the Ohio river. 1t was constructed
Immediately after the close of the rev.
dictionary war. as records in the county
clerks office wip show, oy one Silas
Marsden. a native of Virginia, who had
served with distinction as a soldier IN
the American army.
MOI far from the old distillery, on a
sloping hillside. is the crumbling
foundation of Marsden's residence. A
little further away in a dense growth or
cedar and underbrush. are the remains
of an old family burying Srodnd.
Three rude slabs of limestone rock,
standing in a row, with Utmost unde-.
cipherable inscriptions, mark the last
resting places of Silas Marsden. the
original distiller; his wife Ruth and
their adopted son.. Henry Winthrop.
For a number of years the old dis
tillery did a large bu siness md Marsden
was rapidly becoming a wealthy mar.
But one day the demon of jealousy
entered his heart, and the distillery be-
came the witness of one of the most ter
rible tragedies ever enacted in this
state. Just beyond the threshold of the
distillery is a towering oak tree. over
shadowing a broad, almost smooth.
stone of vast proportions. This stone
bears upon its surface many dark dis
colorations, which after heavy rains
grow to a bright crimson. These dis
celebrations may be The result of atmos-
pheric conditions, but II Is proverbial
among the people who live in the sur
rounding neighborhood hat they are
blood stains. Be that as it may. II is
very clearly established even at this late
day that a bloody murder was commit
ted beneath the oak tree, the victims
falling and dying upon the rock
A faded portrait in the possession or
Colonel william Clayton, one of the old
est and most prominent citizens in the
county, shows Mrs Marsden to have
been a remarkably beautiful woman,
and, ii is said, she possessed many FIX
emplary traits of character. Her hus-
band was devoted TO her, and was uni
formly kind and gracious to her upon
all occasions.
living with the Marsdens wasa young
man, Henry Winthrop, whom they had
adopted when a small child. The boy
grew up to be dissipated and reckless,
and gave his adopted parents much
trouble. Mrs Marsden loved the boy
dearly, and for her sake Marsden was
very lenient with the erring youth, who
was scarcely out of his teens. at all
times assisting him out of difficulties
and endeavoring i'm every way to re-
claim him. Notwithstanding the efforts
of his guardians to reform him, the
young man went from bad to worse.
He was finally arrested, charged with
forgery, and upon trial was sentenced
to serve a term i'm prison. However,
through the efforts of his adopted
father. the boy was granted a pardon
$500, condition thot ha Ntv,alI loo va tho
country. Marsden furnished him a sum
of money and Winthrop disappeared.
Some months after this old Pompey,
one of Marsdens trusted s~lavees, i'm
formed his master that he mad witnessed
a meeting between Mrs Marsden and a
young man near the old distillery dur
ing her husbands absence in Bards-
town the night before. Marsden was of
a naturally suspicious, jealous nature.
This information nearly craZed him,
and he determined to keep a close watch
upon his wife.
BY some strange fatality that very
day he found in a grape arbor in his
garden a note. in which the writer inn
plored Mrs. Marsden to meet him that
night near the old distillery. "Har-
old was the name signed to the mis-
sive. After Marsden had. in a meas
ure, recovered from the shock given
him upon reading the note. he formu-
> ldltd IL pau VA ~ 'hh ms
young wife. he told her he had been
summoned away on urgent business, to
be gone indefinitely, and hastily took
) his departure.
, That night the half-crazed man sta
toned himself near the distillery and
impatiently awaited developments. The
minutes sped by and he was about tc
cease his vigil. when a man and woman
5 came out of the and paused
upon the massive rock. BY the pale
y light Of the new moon Marsden recog-
nized the woman as his wife. but the
face of her companion vas in the
shadow and could not be distinguished
The couple was conversing IN low tones
. and IL seemed lovingly. For a few mo
I ments they fingered, when the mar
stretched out his arms and drew tbs
woman to him n imprinted a kis:
upon her lips.
I At this juncture Marsden, with a CRY
= of mingled rage and despair, leapeC
/. from his concealment and fired severa
? shots in succession at the couple. Boil
fell upon the rock dying. No soonel
were the shots fired and the man sav
. his dreadful work than remorse seize'
upon him and ne FASTENED to the side o
. the PROSTATE woman and lifted he
: head from the ground.
Looking at him with r~eproachfu
. ewes, she murmured the one wor'
e Henry and died in his arms. A ter
ribIe light dawned upon the unhapp,
: murderer. and. with a hoarse cry O
h agony, he rushed To the dead man. an
bending low. looked closely at the up
turned. rigid face.
n MY God" he said. lit is Henry Win
n throp. my outlawsd protege. l though
o ~ was far away. Oh, why was / 5
a blind?" With this he arose to his fee
and fed. like a hunted animal, into tn
depths of the forest.
: Several years went by. and. all trace
!, of Marsden being lost. the old d~istiller
. passed into other hands. Despite II
- gloomy history II continued to do a re
! m%unerative business. One morning TN
" distiller, on going to his work. discov
n cred upon the rock where Mrs. Marsde
d and Henry Winthrop met their deaths
the body of a man. investigate