Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1875 — A Terrible Crime at Pembroke, N. H. [ARTICLE]

A Terrible Crime at Pembroke, N. H.

Concord, N. H., Oct. 5. The terrible outrage at Pembaoke, reported late last evening, has aroused intense excitement all over the State, and hundreds are thronging the trains in their eager curiosity to visit the scene. The discoveries of to-day have, however, been few. Miss Josie Longmaid, eighteen years old, daughter of James T. Longmaid, who resides a mile and a half from the Pembroke Academy, left home for the academy at eight o’clock yesterday morning. The road is a lonely one, and in that distance there are but six houses. She was seen to pass the house of Mr. Amos Hoyt, a fourth of a mile from her home, but after that was not seen alive, nor did she reach the academy. She was not missed till evening, for her younger brother supposed that she had remained at home. Her father at once aroused the neighbors, and a systematic search was begun on both sides of the road. Shortly after eight o’clock Mr. Cope, one of the party, came upon her headless body in a dense undergrowth of birch, about three rods from the road, a mile from home. The father was the third or fourth man to see it, and as his eyes fell upon the sickening sight he exclaimed : “ Oh, my God!” and threw himself beside the bloody corpse, alternately kneeling beside it and embracing it. The ground and leaves for quite a space were completely saturated with blood, as was the butt of the tree. The clothing of the girl was torn into shreds and her underclothing torn and saturated with bloodHer dress and chemise were stripped to her breast,and three bones of the right hand were broken, as if the hand had been struck when vainly attempting to ward off a blow. The head was cut off cleanly, as if cut by a large, sharp knife. The spinal column was severed between the first and second vertebra. It was the unanimous opinion of the physicians that decapitation was performed or begun before the girl was dead, because of the evidence of her having bled freely. The body was otherwise horribly mutilated. Two rings, one of plain gold and one rubber, and a gold-enameled breast-pin and ear-rings were not to be found on the body. The body was taken home, placed in the same position as when found, the right leg doubled under the left, the right arm laid across the breast and left one under the back. At dawn search was made by a large party for the missing head, books and water-proof cloak. About eight o’clock Horace Ayer found the head partly rolled up in the water-proof about seventyfive rods northwest of where the body was found, in the same piece of woods. It was partially uncovered, resting on the water-proof, which was carefully thrown over it, but not quite concealing it. There was a wound on each side some inches long, and a cut on the top. On the right cheek there was a well-defined imprint of a boot-heel, medium size. There was also a cut on her cheek, just front of the left ear, that was probably made by some sharp instrument. A few minutes later the books were found, and near by a heavy oak stick considerably stained with blood. At about ten o’clock Deputy-Sheriff Hildreth took one William Drew, of Pembroke, into custody on suspicion. * Drew is a young man, twenty-two years of age, of dissolute habits, and lives about a half mile back of the woods where the murder was committed. He is married to a woman fully as dissolute. It was thought advisable to lock him up. Though there is as yet no direct proof pointing to him as the assassin, Officer Hildreth was obliged to draw his pistol on the crowd when he locked Drew up at Suncook. A negro named Charles Woods has also been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the crime. —Success is oneof the few things which the world never laughs at.