Year: 1871




BosTON, Nov. lS.-One of the mos,
brutal and inhuman tragedies which eve,
horri6ed any community was enacted al
Linn last night, and is to-day the leading
topic of conversation in that city. The
actors were man named John G. Gin.
ton. bout forty three years of age, a
barber by trade, and his wife, who was
made the victim of treatment that could
only be expected from fiend, she hav-
ing been shockingly beaten and then lit.
orally roasted to death.


The scene of the affair was on How
ard street, in one of the small wooden
houses which are set back from the
street, and accessible by means of mar
row alley-ways from the street. The
! parties live in the rear of No. 80. the
family consisting of Clinton. his wife
and four boys. ranging in age from three
to seventeen years. About half past
eight clock last evening two women,
named Margaret Brown and Charlotte
Moody, who lived almost directly in
front of Clinton's house, had by their
attention called to the latter by the
sound of heavy blows, screaming aud
groaning which proceeded from it.
AS the sounds increased the Two wo,
men went out and listened beneath the
windows. but the sounds suddenly ceas-
ed aud all was quiet. They then return
ed to their houses, but in about fifteen
minutes were again disturbed by the same
noises, which they again sought to trace
out as before, but the sounds ceased as
they had previously done. After this
every thing remained quiet until about
ten minutes pas, nine clock, when the
same women discovered that the house
was on fire inside. An alarm was at
once raised. and three men, named David
Lee, Frelinghnysen Moody and Fredrick
Walton, rushed into the house with
buckets.


On entering they found that there was
fire on fable in the front room, also in
an entry way which led up stairs, and a
pile in the middle of the floor, consisting
of what appeared to be a bundle of cloth
ing, was also burning. On examining
the latter it was found to be the body of
Mrs. Clinton, horrible bruised and burned
in most sickening manner. The cloth,
ing was almost entirely burned from the
body, which was scorched and roasted.
The flames were put out with some diff
Guilty. One report is that while the
men were endeavoring to extinguish the
fire the poor victim threw up one Of her
arms and breathed perceptibly, but an
other, and probably the correct story, is
that life had left the body when it was
discovered


About three feet from the head of the
victim lay the fragments of kerosene
lamp, which had been borrowed from a
neighbor on that night, anc traces Of the


were also seen On different parts Of the
floor. City Marshal Barrett and two
officers went at once to the place. Clin-
ton was standing over the body of his
wife, doing nothing, but appearing con-
sidcrably affected. He was arrested, ia
ken to the station house and locked up.


One of the sons, named Frank, lad
ten years of age, who was first to enter
the house says that he had been attend
ing an evening school that night, and
had returned home just as the fire was
discovered. He went into the house and
saw his mother burning on the floor
Recollecting that his little brother was
probably upstairs abed he rushed up and
met his father coming down. He found
his brother, took him down stairs into
neighboring house.


As soon as the flames had been extin-
guished Coroner j. G. Pinkham was
called in, and he ordered the body of the
woman to be carried to the police sta.
ton, which was Immediately done


The coroner then summoned jury,
who viewed the body and then adjourned.


The corpse presented sickening
sight. There were marks of violence on
the head, consisting of two or three cuts,
looking as though they had been made
with some dull instrument. On the
breast we're also wounds which appeared
to have been caused by something be-
side the flames. The features were rem
dered nnrecognizable, and the hair was
burned close to the head, leaving the
skull bare and horribly crisped and
black. the flesh dropping from the hands,
arms anu pouy, IchuefihS IL rtSut
which could not be beheld without shud-
der at the awful atrocity of the crime
and the blackness of the soul that could
execute it. --


The husband and prisoner has said
very littly, but told brief story. 1t is
that he was in bed up stairs about nine
O'Clock, all being quiet, when his little
boy came rushing up and told him tn e
house was on FIRE. He went down and
found his wife lying on the floor in the
condition in which che was found by the