Vital Records, Chenango County, NY (18798)

 Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, February 20, 1879

Marriage

Cards of invitation are issued for the marriage of Jerome D. Rindge of this village [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY] to Miss A. Cora Wheeler of Richfield Springs [Otsego Co. NY].  The pleasing event occurs on Tuesday of next week, at the home of the bride.

News Item

By unanimous consent, Congressman Bundy introduced the following bill in the House, on the 6th inst., which was read twice, referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed. The bill has since passed the House:

A bill for the donation of condemned cannon to the memory of Brevet Brigadier General Elisha B Smith and others, of Chenango County, New York.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the Secretary of War be, and hereby is, authorized and directed to deliver to Surgeon H.H. Beecher, as President of the monumental Association of Chenango County, New York, or to his successor in office, twenty condemned bronze cannon, if the same can be spared without detriment to the service, to be disposed of by him as such president as he may deem proper, for the purpose of aiding in the erection of a monument at Norwich, Chenango County, New York, to the memory of Brevet Brigadier - General Elisha B. Smith and other deceased volunteers in the war of the rebellion, former residents of Chenango County.

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The Oxford Tragedy

We devote much of our space this week to the particulars of the death of Mrs. Sylvia P. Jackson, a colored woman who resided in Oxford [Chenango Co. NY], on Saturday morning last.  Suspicion rested upon her son, Frederick D Jackson, a young man twenty-three years of age, who resided with his mother, and he was arrested. Coroner Avery held an inquest on Saturday, the result of which was the holding of the son to await the action of the Grand Jury, April 14th.  He was brought to this village [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY] on Monday morning, and committed to jail.

Deceased was forty-nine years of age, a daughter of Amos Brushell of this village and half-sister to William Brushell who was sent to Auburn prison for two years for killing John Donovan of this place, in February 1877.  she was a hardworking and very respectable woman and a member of the Methodist church. a resident of Oxford for nearly twenty-five years, she had by her industry helped support herself and family, paid for her little home, and had some money [left] over.

There are various motives assigned for the commission of the deed.  One is that Fred wanted his mother to let him have money to pay a note of ten dollars, which he had given for money obtained under false statements and which he had failed to pay as promised, until a suit was commenced, the summons being made, returnable on the morning when the crime was committed. His mother declined to pay the note or sign one for its payment and it is supposed by many that on the fatal morning high words passed between them, and he killed her in a fit of anger.  Another is that he wished to get married, and his mother opposed the match. Still another, that he disposed of her in order to get possession of her property. On the other hand, there are those who do not believe him guilty, and speak of him as not a quarrelsome or fighting man, and not a drunkard, although he drank at times.

Elisha Henry Odell who has done much to ferret out the mystery of Mrs. Jackson's death, was formerly a resident of Norwich, and is a son of Mrs. Eliza Odell of this place. He now resides at Canastota, where he is Deputy Sheriff and special detective, and was active in working up the case against the fire bugs of that town.  He happened to be visiting in town with his mother, who is a sister of Mrs. Jackson, last week, and when notified by telegraph of the sudden death of his aunt, accompanied his mother to Oxford. He it was who first had suspicions that all was not right, and upon visiting the cellar found the spots of blood upon the floor, stairs and walls, and the club with which the deed was probably committed.

This last is an important link in the chain of evidence. Standing on the cellar stairs, Odell saw on the top of the wall, several sticks covered with dust and cobwebs, which he drew out and examined; but back of these in the dark and close under the floor, was another stick, which he brought out.  It was half a pick handle with not a particle of dust upon it and had evidently been freshly washed, while scattered over the sawed end were stains of blood.  On the knob, or handle, where the grain of the mapie was discovered, there was blood sunk into every fibre of the wood. The club, which is about twenty-six inches long, bore signs of having dealt a frightful blow.  The hard wood was nearly splintered on one side for wight inches, and in the end of this crack nearest the knob congealed blood was lodged full to the surface.

Another important item is the pool of blood found upon the cellar bottom, fifteen feet from the foot of the stairs where it is claimed deceased fell. This pool had been partially covered with dry dirt hastily scraped from around it. Several pounds of this earth, drenched with blood and red as iron ore, were dug up, and it is now in the keeping of the District Attorney. This, with the patches of blood upon a post nearby, the large spatters upon the barrels and wall, indicates that here the unfortunate woman received her death blows form the club, and fell.

On Monday morning, while searching in the cellar for further evidence, Malcus Randall discovered a shovel standing against the outside door, the blade of which is of a round pointed kind, with a handle four feet long. The blade had the appearance of having been used to scrape together the earth to cover the pool of blood mentioned. There was also blood on the blade, and distinct blood marks on the handle. there was also on the blade a long black hair, which corresponds with the hair on Mrs. Jackson's head.

A representative of the Utica Observer, who visited the scene of the tragedy, says of the "woman in the case:" "In Peterboro there lives a young girl named Caroline Munson or "Cal" as she is called.  She is remarkably attractive in appearance, being very light, and having very ladylike manners. Of late she has lived in Norwich, where she has highly respectable relatives.  Well, Fred desired to marry this girl, and she was in every way willing that he should. But Fred had no work and no prospects. at last, he hit upon the plan of having Cal come and live with his mother. So, Cal came and took up her abode with Fred and his mother.  But Cal did not complete her conquest of the Jackson family. The mother did not like her at all, and finally the two women had a quarrel. This reached such a point at last that Mrs. Jackson sent Cal about her business, bag and baggage.  This was done about five weeks ago.  How Fred took this may best be gathered from a remark that the murdered woman made opt his sister, Mrs. Odell, three weeks ago Sunday.  After confiding opt her how sadly Fred had changed for the worse, she added: "I am afraid for my life with him in the house."  Miss Cal went to Oxford Monday and attended the funeral, which was held in the Methodist church at two P.M.  In conversation with some of the colored women of the house, it came out that they regarded her presence there as an affront to the family. Their indignation was so great as to excite the suspicion which, as stated above, was afterwards verified, that there had been grave trouble between Fred and his mother on Cal's account."  The reporter also visited Fred in the jail on Monday evening, when the prisoner expressed a strong desire to see the young woman.

That a most foul murder has been committed, there can be no doubt, and the case as it stands looks bad for young Jackson.  District Attorney Church is busily engaged in working up the case and will do all in his power to bring the guilty party to punishment.