Putnam patriot., 1913-08-22
Jonas Lawson BrutaIIy Murdered
East Woodstock Farmer Killed in Cellar
Body Dragged to Barn

last Thursday night when Jonas Law son, aged 90 years, was killed in the cellar under the ell of his. home. His body was found in horse stall of the barn by John May, neighbor. The skull was crushed in, one eye battered into his head, his teeth knocked out, jaw broken, aud six holes were found about the head. It was at first be- lieved that his death was due to kick from his horse but later blood stains leading to the cellar were found and the leg of a washing machine covered with blood and hair was pick ed up, denoting that he had been clubbed to death.
 There seems little doubt that Law son met his death either at the top or the foot of flight of stairs leading from the front cellar under the ell of the house to the room above. There are nine stairs in the flight and all are more or less sprinkled with blood stains. There are but few drops upon the top step but 1t increases toward the bottom and at the foot of this stair way are blood stains everywhere. Law son may have heard noise in the eel lar and gone down to investigate and the assassin may have awaited him al the foot of the stairway, where he could have concealed himself behind a large brick chimney and struck the first blow when Lawson appeared. Or, which seems more probable, the mur- derer met Lawson at the head of the stairs as he was coming up and struck the fatal blow while standing in the room above, which would account for the blood stain on the top stair.
 It would seem that the murder must have been committed some time before the body was found as there was an endeavor made to cover up the tracks. Several places in the cellar have been washed or wiped oil, es- pecially where there are finger prints, and other places have been sprinkled with ashes. These ashes were taken from barrel at the foot of the cellar stairs where finger marks were found where hand had been used to take the ashes out. But the attempt was futile as there are blood stains every where around the cellar stairs. At the foot of the stairway Is an old piano
 
 box the end of which Is covered with blood stain as though the body in it's fall had lodged against 1t. Under the stairs, which are open ones, are several boxes containing flower pots. These look as if they had been showered with blood. Three boards under the stairs revealed blood stains on the un- der side evidencing that the murderer had turned them over to hide the stains. The washing, the sprinkling with ashes, the turning of the boards and dragging the body to the barn must all have consumed some time.
 The daughter is said to have reached home between eleven and half past eleven o'clock. She found light burning in the kitchen but saw no one about. She is said to have stated that her mother opened the bedroom door and asked her if her father was down stairs and she told her no. It seems improbable that between the time she entered the house and midnight, not over three-quartefs of an hour, that the murder could have been accom- plished in the manner it was without her hearing something, so that evil dence points to the crime having been committed earlier in the evening. The son was out camping and knew noth- ing of his fathers death until someone went for him about o'clock in the morning. He had his dog with him. No one was on the place so far as is known but Mrs. Lawson and her hus- band. Mrs. Lawson has said that she went to bed early and that later she called her husband and he did not an- swer and she put some of her clothes on over her nightdress and went out and over to the May house for MT May. She has also stated, 1t is said, that she heard noise in the barn and heard MT. Lawson go out. She was completely overcome and the medical examiner prescribed for her.
 From the cellar the trail to the barn is plainly marked with blood stains. At the cellar door the sill and sides of the door are spattered. From there in a direct line to the horsebarn the weeds, leaves, small stones and chips all bear the marks of human blood where the murderer dragged or carried the body. The entrance to the barn which the body was taken is an ordinary-sized door on the side Of the barn opening directly back of the horse stalls. The door sill is about two feet above the ground and 1t is evil dent that here the murderer encounter ed difficulty in getting the body up and through the door as everything about Is smeared with blood stains. ust inside of the door Is the evidence of another pool of blood where the body was probably laid down while the murderer rested. Just at the edge of the first horse stall is evidence of still another poo! of blood which shows that the body was probably 1 again laid down with the head just over the edge of the stall while the murderer went in, united and backed the horse out before dragging the body l