Terrible Murder

TERRIBLE MURDER. ground again, and then again. It he is supposed that when he did this of From the Sumter co. (Ala.) Whig. she was trying to escape. He said of Mr. Editor becomes my she was crying all the time, and be melancholy duty to record an act pleading with him not to kill her. ed of the most outrageous cruelty a The fourth time he threw her down murder the most diabolical in the he beat her head with a piece of annals of time. Sunday evening, an old stump. She did not speak the 29th of April, between two again after that, but cried very of and three o’clock, a little girl, (14 much. When he got to the place year- age,) the daughter mes where he buried her, she was not ed D. Thornton, a well known citizen quite dead, so he cut a club and 0- of this county, stepped out the struck her on the forehead. He he back door of her father’s house, then got a large stick and put it us and as she walked towards the gate across her throat, and put his knees g. looked back and spoke to her moth- one on each end, and bore down er, who sat in the passage. She upon it until she was entirely dead. is passed through the gate, and walk He then tooka hoe and covered her ed ed on, so all at the time thought, up, throwing some leaves and as to one of the negro cabins that brush on her. He acknowledged, n stood close by. After some time finally, that he did it of his own re elapsed, an hour and a half, per- accord-that no one else know haps, and she did not return, her anything of it, that he had never mother went to the cabin to see thought of doing it till he saw her what detained her. On arriving walk down to the branch. He had there, what was her surprise to not the slightest shadow of a reas- learn that she had not been near on for doing -said he was not the cabin, and none of the servants even mad with her–that she had seemed to know anything of her. not provoked him in the least. He Becoming alarmed, all begun at had belonged to her father ever once to search for her, sending at since she was quite a small child, the same time to the neighbor’s and had always seemed to think a houses to see if she had gone to great deal of her–ever ready to any one of them. That, though, accommodate her in any way. He was hardly probable, as no one is now lodged in prison, where he lived very near, and she was never awaits for trial. He will, without known to leave the place alone and doubt, receive the sentence he just- without first obtaining permission ly deserves-that of death. of her mother. The search con- tinued from about two hours by sun-the time when they first miss- NATURAL HISTORY OF THE her-’till dark, but no traces of LOCUST. her was found. Several of the neighbors then collected, and the The following information con- search became more general. They cerning the habits of the fourteen scoured the fields and woods till year locust given by a writer in nearly day, when all retired to the Boston Advertiser will be found snatch a little repose, preparatory interesting at the present time. In to renewing the search with the calling attention to it, we would return of daylight. With the ear- suggest to students of Natural liest dawn, all were again hunting. History in upper Georgia the pro- At length, between eight and nine priety of making accurate observ- o’clock in the morning, she was ations of these curious insects, du- found-and oh! what a spectacle ring their present appearance in Some incarnato de: had mnrder- that region ed her-thrown her into a ditch The locusts’ favorite is that of a and covered her up! One of her copse of young and rather thin feet was partly uncovered-a part oak wood, where the soil is rather of her head, and a small portion of soft and light. They are first dis- her dress was visible; by these covered in the ground near the things they discovered her. surface, in the form of a large white A jury was immediately called. grub or worm, and a quarter of an and the verdict “a bloody murder, inch in diameter. Where, or in being rendered, they proceeded to what mode they pass through the remove the body. On examination chrysalis state, and become fully it was found that she had been put invested with wings and other to death in the most torturing man- members, I do not know; but they ner. She was bruised all over- are soon found in vast numbers, her right arm and hand was severe- and in a full chorus of sonorous ly bitten, the little finger of her voices, among the branches of the left hand was also nearly bitten off. small trees. They have: distinctly Her head had received several sew marked W found on the back. In vere blows-the skull being frac- this stage of their lives, they do tured. Her reck and face were not seem te feed. On opening one, beaten to a complete jelly-she the body appears to be a mere hol- had received an awful stroke across low shell, without any feeding or her right eye-and her neck was digesting organs. They continue broken in two. The stick with in this state, I believe, about six which that was done was still there weeks or two months. having never been removed. Upon Shortly before their disappear- the whole, she was certainly the ance, many of the small twigs of most mangled object ever seen. It the young oaks appear to be gird now remained to discover the per led and partly cut off, and hang petrator of this foul deed. From suspended from the extremity of several circumstances suspicion the branches. The leaves turn red rested on a servant belonging to as when touched by frost in au- her father boy between nineteen tumn. On examination, these and twenty Accordingly twigs appear to be sawed about he, with several others, was taken two-thirds off and girdled, so that Into custody and severely cross the circulation of sap being cut off. questioned. Davy, the boy whom it soon dies, and probably falls to they suspected, at first strongly de- the ground during the ensuing win- nied knowing any thing of the ter, by the action of wind, rain and matter. After a while, however, snow. he said that he knew all about The general belief is, that by a that he had seen one of the negroes curious and remarkable instinct, -a man by the name of Hardy. the insect is led to deposit its eggs snatch her up as she walked to- in some secure mode upon these wards a branch that was not more small twigs, and then thus partially than a hundred yards from the to severthem from the parent stock house-that he had watched him EO that by their fall the eggs shall he took her off and killed her. He be borne gently and safely to the even went so far as to show how he ground, into whose bosom they are picked her up, and threw his hand in some form received and cher- over her mouth to prevent her ished, to reappear in the form of from screaming. He also stated the -grown locust, after a lapse that he had heard Hardy express of seventeen years. I am not aware his determination, about ten days that the fact of the deposit of eggs previous, to kill her. This tale, upon the falling twig has been ver- nicely gotton up and told with itied by actual observation; it is such an air of truth, came near im- one of the points which require plicating Hardy. He was tifen careful examination. questioned, and, luckily for him, succeeded in proving, beyond a THE KANSAS QUESTION. doubt, that at the time the murder was committed, he was at a neigh- We are glad to find that the boring plantation some six miles Washington Union, in a leading distant. article of the 18th inst, places the Dave on being questioned again, quarrel in Kansas between the acknowledged that he had done the Missourians and abolitionists upon deed, but Hardy hired him to do its true grounds. the it, telling him he would give him latter are responsible for the con- five dollars; if he (Dave) would sequences, because they began the kill her. He then with some gen- difficulty by invading the territory tlemen went and showed them for the express purpose of aboli- where he took her –said she tionizing it. It excuses the Mis- was sitting down playing in the sourians for retaliating and resist- water. He then showed them ing on the ground of the paramount where, in taking her off, he bad interest Missouri, as a slave State, thrown her on the ground, evident- had in the settlement of the territo- ly very bard. A little further on, ry. and he had thrown her on the Weg further and JUSTIFY the TERRIBLE MURDER. ground again, and then again. It he is supposed that when he did this of From the Sumter co. (Ala.) Whig. she was trying to escape. He said of Mr. Editor becomes my she was crying all the time, and be melancholy duty to record an act pleading with him not to kill her. ed of the most outrageous cruelty a The fourth time he threw her down murder the most diabolical in the he beat her head with a piece of annals of time. Sunday evening, an old stump. She did not speak the 29th of April, between two again after that, but cried very of and three o’clock, a little girl, (14 much. When he got to the place year- age,) the daughter mes where he buried her, she was not ed D. Thornton, a well known citizen quite dead, so he cut a club and 0- of this county, stepped out the struck her on the forehead. He he back door of her father’s house, then got a large stick and put it us and as she walked towards the gate across her throat, and put his knees g. looked back and spoke to her moth- one on each end, and bore down er, who sat in the passage. She upon it until she was entirely dead. is passed through the gate, and walk He then tooka hoe and covered her ed ed on, so all at the time thought, up, throwing some leaves and as to one of the negro cabins that brush on her. He acknowledged, n stood close by. After some time finally, that he did it of his own re elapsed, an hour and a half, per- accord-that no one else know haps, and she did not return, her anything of it, that he had never mother went to the cabin to see thought of doing it till he saw her what detained her. On arriving walk down to the branch. He had there, what was her surprise to not the slightest shadow of a reas- learn that she had not been near on for doing -said he was not the cabin, and none of the servants even mad with her–that she had seemed to know anything of her. not provoked him in the least. He Becoming alarmed, all begun at had belonged to her father ever once to search for her, sending at since she was quite a small child, the same time to the neighbor’s and had always seemed to think a houses to see if she had gone to great deal of her–ever ready to any one of them. That, though, accommodate her in any way. He was hardly probable, as no one is now lodged in prison, where he lived very near, and she was never awaits for trial. He will, without known to leave the place alone and doubt, receive the sentence he just- without first obtaining permission ly deserves-that of death. of her mother. The search con- tinued from about two hours by sun-the time when they first miss- NATURAL HISTORY OF THE her-’till dark, but no traces of LOCUST. her was found. Several of the neighbors then collected, and the The following information con- search became more general. They cerning the habits of the fourteen scoured the fields and woods till year locust given by a writer in nearly day, when all retired to the Boston Advertiser will be found snatch a little repose, preparatory interesting at the present time. In to renewing the search with the calling attention to it, we would return of daylight. With the ear- suggest to students of Natural liest dawn, all were again hunting. History in upper Georgia the pro- At length, between eight and nine priety of making accurate observ- o’clock in the morning, she was ations of these curious insects, du- found-and oh! what a spectacle ring their present appearance in Some incarnato de: had mnrder- that region ed her-thrown her into a ditch The locusts’ favorite is that of a and covered her up! One of her copse of young and rather thin feet was partly uncovered-a part oak wood, where the soil is rather of her head, and a small portion of soft and light. They are first dis- her dress was visible; by these covered in the ground near the things they discovered her. surface, in the form of a large white A jury was immediately called. grub or worm, and a quarter of an and the verdict “a bloody murder, inch in diameter. Where, or in being rendered, they proceeded to what mode they pass through the remove the body. On examination chrysalis state, and become fully it was found that she had been put invested with wings and other to death in the most torturing man- members, I do not know; but they ner. She was bruised all over- are soon found in vast numbers, her right arm and hand was severe- and in a full chorus of sonorous ly bitten, the little finger of her voices, among the branches of the left hand was also nearly bitten off. small trees. They have: distinctly Her head had received several sew marked W found on the back. In vere blows-the skull being frac- this stage of their lives, they do tured. Her reck and face were not seem te feed. On opening one, beaten to a complete jelly-she the body appears to be a mere hol- had received an awful stroke across low shell, without any feeding or her right eye-and her neck was digesting organs. They continue broken in two. The stick with in this state, I believe, about six which that was done was still there weeks or two months. having never been removed. Upon Shortly before their disappear- the whole, she was certainly the ance, many of the small twigs of most mangled object ever seen. It the young oaks appear to be gird now remained to discover the per led and partly cut off, and hang petrator of this foul deed. From suspended from the extremity of several circumstances suspicion the branches. The leaves turn red rested on a servant belonging to as when touched by frost in au- her father boy between nineteen tumn. On examination, these and twenty Accordingly twigs appear to be sawed about he, with several others, was taken two-thirds off and girdled, so that Into custody and severely cross the circulation of sap being cut off. questioned. Davy, the boy whom it soon dies, and probably falls to they suspected, at first strongly de- the ground during the ensuing win- nied knowing any thing of the ter, by the action of wind, rain and matter. After a while, however, snow. he said that he knew all about The general belief is, that by a that he had seen one of the negroes curious and remarkable instinct, -a man by the name of Hardy. the insect is led to deposit its eggs snatch her up as she walked to- in some secure mode upon these wards a branch that was not more small twigs, and then thus partially than a hundred yards from the to severthem from the parent stock house-that he had watched him EO that by their fall the eggs shall he took her off and killed her. He be borne gently and safely to the even went so far as to show how he ground, into whose bosom they are picked her up, and threw his hand in some form received and cher- over her mouth to prevent her ished, to reappear in the form of from screaming. He also stated the -grown locust, after a lapse that he had heard Hardy express of seventeen years. I am not aware his determination, about ten days that the fact of the deposit of eggs previous, to kill her. This tale, upon the falling twig has been ver- nicely gotton up and told with itied by actual observation; it is such an air of truth, came near im- one of the points which require plicating Hardy. He was tifen careful examination. questioned, and, luckily for him, succeeded in proving, beyond a THE KANSAS QUESTION. doubt, that at the time the murder was committed, he was at a neigh- We are glad to find that the boring plantation some six miles Washington Union, in a leading distant. article of the 18th inst, places the Dave on being questioned again, quarrel in Kansas between the acknowledged that he had done the Missourians and abolitionists upon deed, but Hardy hired him to do its true grounds. the it, telling him he would give him latter are responsible for the con- five dollars; if he (Dave) would sequences, because they began the kill her. He then with some gen- difficulty by invading the territory tlemen went and showed them for the express purpose of aboli- where he took her –said she tionizing it. It excuses the Mis- was sitting down playing in the sourians for retaliating and resist- water. He then showed them ing on the ground of the paramount where, in taking her off, he bad interest Missouri, as a slave State, thrown her on the ground, evident- had in the settlement of the territo- ly very bard. A little further on, ry. and he had thrown her on the Weg further and JUSTIFY the