Year: 1877

A TERRIBLE DISCOVERY.


Butler returned about ten o'clock, put his
horse in the barn and went Into the house
he approached he noticed that the house
was dark. Opening the door he advanced
few steps, when his foot hit against some
thing lying on the floor, and by the din
light he saw that it resembled a human be-
ing. Supposing it to be Tatro who had
gone to sleep there waiting for him, he
called him by name. Getting no response
he stepped to the box and struck match
1t flickered and went out, but by the flash
of light he saw blood on the floor and fear
full heap of something lying there. The
next match burned and revealed the horFi
BILE picture of his wife lying on the fleor in
a pool of blood, her clothing nearly all tori
off, stark and dead.


Almost paralyzed at the spectacle, he
obeyed his first impulse, and rusnipg to thu
barn mounted his horse to ride TO the
neighbors for assistance. AS he reached
the gate, on horseback, he heard sount
ofconfused voices, and met group of hor
ror-stricken men hurrying to the house, lee
by Tatro who had nothing on but the tat
tered remnant of q shirt, and was crying
and bowling like mailman.


EXAMINATION OF THE PREMISES.


The party proceeded to the house ant
made al investigation. The murdered wo
man lay upon the floor near the back o
shed door, her head literally crushed in ant
the brain protruding through CHASTITY crev
ices in the skull. Close by her on the foo
Law two sticks of stovewood, more or les
blood stained. and an old musket which us
ually stood in the stairway. Leaning
against sink close by, was an axe, on
side of which was deeply stained with blood
and on the floor near the stove the pant
Tatro had worn through the day, upol
which were no stains of blood.


The arrangement of the house is sucl
that entering by the kitchen door from tn
north side, you pass through the kitchen
to enter the dining room. From this din
ing room the stairs lead up, turning at th
top, into quite large room, unoccupie
save as q sort of store room. From thi
room and near the head of the stairs open
"a sleeping room which was occupied b,
Tatro. A few steps farther along in tn
door of the usual sleeping room OF Butle
and his wife, the two rooms being side b
side, with only an ordinary partition be
tween. just opposite the partition, in th
unoccupied room is stove pipe whic
passes up through to the chimney, an
which was knocked down in the struggle.


THE SLEEPING ROOM.


An examination Of the Buffers s.eepin
room showed that some one had evidentl
been lying, not undressed, upon the outs d
of the bed. Upon the bed was found th
overskirt of Mrs. Buffers dress, which sh
had on when last seen alive. There wer
no blood stains, or perceptible evidences @
a struggle in this room. In Tatros ROOF
the bed showed no signs OF having been OF
cupied, but the bed clothes were turne
down ready to receive the occupant. N
blood stains or evidences of struggle weI
found here. In the hall or room outsid
were all the indications of q terrible strul
gle for life. The floor was deeply stalne,
and the walls spatterei with blood. Upo
the floor were found stick Of stovewoot
blood-stained, and stool, or old woode
chair without back, which had stood b
the head of the Buffers bed. This wa
broken to pieces, evidently by terribl
blows. The floor was deeply dented in se'
eral places, as by blows from this chair, an
one of it's legs appeared to have been in
bedded by the brutal murderer In his vi,
Tins head, to depth OF nearly three incl
cs. Down the staircase were blood stain
and on the walls were prints OF thre
bloodo fingers apparently dragged along i
seeming TO indicate that the struggle bs
tween the murderer and his victim ws
continued on the stairs, and one of the
pressed hand against the wall for SUI
port Along through the dining room WI
a trail of blood, but In the kitchen, whel
the final blows were dealt, the floor ws
drenched with blood, aud the walls spatte
ed, near where the body was found, to
considerable hight.


THE SUPPOSED MURDERER.


The boy Tatro was examined, and h
shirt found covered with blood, his hant