Oxford Times, Oxford, NY, July 5, 1876
Marriages
GRANT - LALLY: In New York, June 12th, by Father Upham, Mr. Charles Grant of New York to Miss Mary Lally of Coventry [Chenango Co. NY].
JENKINS - LOCKWOOD: At New Canaan, Conn., June 28th, Mr. James B. Jenkins of Oneida [Oneida Co. NY] to Miss Carrie A. Lockwood, of New Canaan.
Deaths
MEAD: In Oxford [Chenango Co. NY], on 1st inst. Hattie L. [Mead] daughter of W.B. and Adelia Mead, aged 2 years and 6 months.
WEEKS: In Oxford [Chenango Co. NY], on the 4th, Julia A. [Weeks] wife of the late Stephen Weeks, aged 53 years.
COOPER: In Greene [Chenango Co. NY], June 30th, Mr. Darius Cooper, aged 74 years.
HILL: In McDonough [Chenango Co. NY], June 10th, infant daughter [Hill] of James and Ruth Hill
BALCOM: In Sherburne [Chenango Co. NY], on 3d, Mr. Francis Balcom, aged 63 years.
BARBER: In Sherburne [Chenango Co. NY], on the 4th, Mrs. Patience Barber, aged 93 years.
JACKSON: In Sherburne [Chenango Co., NY], on the 4th, Mrs. Matilda Jackson, aged 49 years.
BRADY: Saturday noon, a young girl named Catharine Brady, residing at Binghamton [Broome Co. NY] was fatally injured by her clothes catching fire and died the same evening. The victim with several companions were playing in a yard with a pan of oil, in which they had thrown a lot of potato bugs and set the contents on fire. The little girl's dress caught from the flames as she was passing and her face, body and arms were burned in a shocking manner.
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HOUK: Two weeks ago, we announced the death in Guilford [Chenango Co. NY] of Mr. Gilbert Jewell. Again, we are called upon to chronicle the decease of another aged citizen of that neighborhood, Mr. Josiah Houk, who departed this life on the 29th of June, in the 77th year of his age. Mr. Jewell and Mr. Houk were neighbors for a period of nearly fifty years and, but five days elapsed between their deaths.
Mr. Houk was born upon the place which he occupied in the quiet pursuits of agriculture to the time of his death. He was of a quiet, unassuming disposition, yet was one of the most industrious and energetic men we ever knew; strictly honest in all business transactions and yielding to every man his just due. He always kept himself well informed as to passing events, did kindly to his family was friendly to all and beloved by those who had learned to respect him for his many excellent qualities.
His funeral was attended from his late residence on Sunday afternoon, July 2d, although the day was stormy, an unusually large number of relatives and friends gathered to pay a last tribute to the memory of his worth.
News Items
The Centennial Fourth in Oxford
The Fourth of July celebration in Oxford [Chenango Co. NY] as announced in our last issue, was carried out to the letter, even to the turn out of the firemen and was, we believe, the only celebration in the county that carried out the advertised program.
A salute, martial music and a torchlight procession announced the opening of the day amid the chiming of the bells, Sappho Hose boys illuminated the Engine House front and are credited with the torch light procession. The Calthumpians thumpt as usual and burned their beacon light. In the forenoon Centennial services were held in St. Paul's Chruch, consisting of reading the declaration of independence, patriotic airs on the organ and a historical sermon by the pastor, which was awarded merited praise. the remainder of the day was exceedingly quiet, the citizens left in town keeping out of sight.
In the evening a large crowd assembled on LaFayette Square to witness the fireworks which were very good and a success, the peace entitled "A Yellar Barn" closing the fireworks and Oxford's Centennial celebration.
A Cool Blooded Murder!
William Jones Shot on His Hotel Steps at Earlville
Wednesday evening last, a most cool blooded murder was committed in Earlville [Madison Co. NY], by an Irish tramp, who gives his name as Matthew Brady with residence where night overtakes him.
The Particulars as developed by the Telegraph in an extra, state that at about eleven o'clock that evening, William Jones, proprietor of the Jones House, was standing on the steps of his hotel talking with William Hollman and while thus engaged, a stranger came out of the bar room walked up to Jones placed a pistol to his breast and fired, after which he coolly walked away and disappeared back of the Felt Block. Hollman asked: "Billy are you shot?" Jones answered "No, who is that man?" and at the same time walked from the column he was leaning against, a distance of some ten or fifteen feet and turned to go back, when he reeled against the side of the house and exclaimed "My God! I am shot!" a few steps farther and he fell into the bar room doorway a corpse.
The postmortem examination showed that the ball passed through the left lung and heart and entered the right lung.
Great excitement prevailed that evening and on the next day and immediately after the occurrence, steps were taken to secure the murdered.
The next morning about five o'clock, a man came into Bryant's meat market at Sherburne [Chenango Co. NY] and told Joseph Bryant that he was the man that shot Billy Jones, at the same time giving up a revolver. Bryant hastened after his father, who is a deputy sheriff, and the man was arrested and confined in the lock up. the excitement ran high, and lynching would have followed with the slightest encouragement. Later the murderer was taken to Norwich [Chenango Co. NY] and confined in jail where he now is.
Brady is about 50 years of age, not very prepossessing in looks, has peddled small wares about the country; given different names; is said to have worked on the railroads when built through this section; rambles in his talk and avoids much conversation about the murder, and claims to have been the victim of a conspiracy of enemies who followed him about the country to kill him, and that Jones was one of them. He admits shooting Jones and says he tried to kill him once before. Said that he had a grudge against Jones' father for whom he worked chopping wood twenty years ago, and that he and Billy cause him trouble. The older Jones has come on from Boonville and positively asserts that he never employed Brady in his life and knows nothing about him. Another of Brady's stories is that four or five years ago he arrived in Earlville, put up at the Felt House, N. Brown, proprietor, and that Jones induced him to come over to his hotel. and while there Jones threw water in his face, some boys tossed his carpet bag about, and he was misused and sworn to be avenged. Mr. Brown, though he has no distinct remembrance of the transaction, has an indistinct idea that something of the kind did happen sometime with somebody, though he cannot say who or when. Photographer Wells of Norwich, recognized Brady in jail as a track hand on the Midland three years ago, who boarded at the same place with him in Guilford.
On the night of the murder, Brady arrived in Earlville, stopped at the Felt House, paid for lodging and breakfast in advance, and went over to the Jones House and deliberately murdered the proprietor. The Felt House stands in Madison County and the Jones house in Chenango. It looks as tho' this county would soon witness an execution.
William Jones was a man universally loved and respected and one who had an unusually large circle of friends. He had been proprietor of the hotel for about eight years and formerly assisted Paul Miner in the hotel at Hamilton. He was well known up and down the Valley and his untimely death has caused profound sorrow. He was 33 years of age and leaves a wife and two children The funeral was largely attended on Saturday, being conducted by the Masonic body of which deceased was a worthy member. It is estimated that over four thousand people attended the funeral, including nearly four hundred members of the Masonic order.
Brady since his confinement has said that 12 or 15 years ago, he interfered with two men in a love affair in some part of Canada, which he will not name, that the lady wanted neither and that in revenge for his interference, the disappointed suitors have caused him to be followed in all parts of the country ever since. He claims that the elder Jones sided or assisted them and the son afterward did the same. The affair is either a hallucination or done for effect.
Once he has expressed himself as sorry for the awful deed he has committed. He has eaten scarcely anything, howls and is violent when visitors are present and when alone exhibits considerable cunning. His conversation indicates that he expects to be hung.
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