The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-23

members to the house and apart from
these and the officials and physicians
who were called in the case, none knew
of the murder. From an early hour this
morning criminal officers and news
paper men came into town by train and
over the road and every corner of the
town was secured in search of evidence
that would lead to fixing the crime upon
the guilty person. The robber- assassin
left little behind him that could be con-
sidered clue to his identity, but the
officers learned sufficient in their inves-
tg1tlon to warrant at least an inquiry
into the whereabouts and actions of
William Bennett. relative of the muir
dred man, Thursday night.
AS TO WILLIAM BENNETT.
William Bennett is the son of the
murdered mans cousin and has never
borne good reputation among the peo-
pie of this town and Princeton where
he has lived. He is about 40 years old
and has been known in Hubbardston
almost since his birth, but received lit
tie favor at the hands of the people of
the, town. and found it convenient to
live much of his time in Princeton. He
/ is considered a worthless fellow, and
has never borne a reputation of thrift
mess. He is married, but his wife long
ago found she could live much better
apart from him than with him and
since the separation. Bennett lived most
of the time in Princeton, occasionally
driving to Hubbardston and passing his
day about the town, a source of annoy
ance to the people who knew him and
his relatives.
The Spy man in his Investigations and
the officers learned that Bennett was in
town Thursday night, and they were
informed that he was seen driving from
the town at a very early hour this
morning, going in the direction of
Princeton or Worcester. State Detective
Peleg F. Murray and Deputy Sheriff A.
A. Turner of Gardner, who were work.
ing on the case since early This morn
ing, asked the police of Worcester,
Gardner, and the towns lying between
Hubbardston and those places to be on
the lookout for Bennett.
ACQUAINTED WITH PREMISES.
Every evidence about the house tends
to the belief that the crime was COM
mitted by one who knew Mr.. Bennett
and his habits well and was thoroughly
acquainted with the premises. This is
strengthened by the frightful appear
ance of the murdered mans head. The
whole upper left side of Mr.. Benefits
head was pounded to jelly. From
point just below the left cheek bone. Mr..
Benefits face, between the nose and
the ear, was battered and hammered
until it lost all semblance to human
visage.
The cheek bone was smashed in by
the heavy blows and the skull and tenn
pie were mashed into pulp and the left
eye was pounded from its socket, max
ing an opening in the skull into which
mans hand could be easily placed.
All this tends to show that Mr.. Ben
nett recognized his wou1d-be robber and
the latter, fearing detection, rained
blow after blow upon the aged man UNI
til his body sank lifeless on the kitchen
floor and the robber, turned murderer,
was free for time: All these circum-
stances add color to the suspicion di-
rected toward Mr.. Benefits relative,
and every effort was put forth to appre-
bend him.
Mrs. Bennett, the aged wife of the
murdered man, was seen by The Spy
man at the Bennett home this morn
ing, and she related the events which
lead up to the discovery of the crime.
AS stated in yesterdays Spy, she said
she left the house about 7.30 O'Clock, to
attend services in the Congregational
church. which is about 100 feet from
the house diagonally across the road.
The church is at the junction of the
Petersham road and the Templeton,
Athol, Winchendon road, upon which
the Bennett house is situated.
Mrs Bennett said that during the
evening she was seated in her sitting
room, and Mr.. Bennett was lying on
the comfortable sofa, with his head to-
ward the table, and was reading the
newspaper, as was his wont after sup
per-. AS time for services in the
church drew near, Mrs. Bennett pre-
pared to attend them, and when she
was ready to leave the house, her hus-
band asked her if she wouldn't require
a lantern to light her down the short
flight of steps from the house TO the
driveway and across to the church.
She got the lantern, and as she was
leaving the house, Mr.. Bennett asked
her whether she was going out the door
from the kitchen or the sitting room,
and being informed that she would go
by the kitchen door, he held the lamp
at the uncurtained window until she
had passed down the steps. That was
| the last time she saw her husband
alive.
SAT AT A WINDOW
She went across to the church, and
it is believed that Immediately after
she left. Mr.. Bennett prepared to look
over some of his business papers. He
always made a practice of doing his
writing and examination of business
papers in the kitchen. at a table just
inside the door leading to the sitting
room. and between it and the kitchen
stove. He usually sat there with two
! lamps of kerosene for light. His po-
sitioE was directly in front of the only
window in the Kitchen, looking on to
the driveway This window was never
curtained, and this circumstance
simplified the operations of any per-
son bent on robbery at the house.
Mrs. Bennett said that services at
the church closedThursday night about
$50 O'clock. She stopped at the church
to speak to several of.her friends, and
| listened to the choir rehearsal. About
S45 o'clock she thinks, she left the
church and started for her home, light
ing her way by the lantern she had
carried at her husbands suggestion.
AS she approached the kitchen door
she remarked the absence of light in
the sitting room, and thought that Mr..
Bennett had fallen asleep on the sofa.
GRUEsoME DISCOVERY.
No light shone in the kitchen, and
Mrs, Bennett. when she tried to push
in the kitchen door from the dooryard,
was able to move it but few feet
She noted the disordered condition of
things about the kitchen and called to
her husband. receiving no answer. She
again called, and becoming fearful that