--A shocking tragedy was enacted in the town of
Holliston, Middlesex county, a short time since.
It appears that in a part of the town called the ‘"
Log Cabin,"’ an English family of the name of
Reeves, consisting of mother and daughter, have lived for the last twelve years. The house they occupied consisted of three small rooms and a shop where they have, since the death of the husband of
Mrs. Reeves, who was killed on the railroad some four years since, principally maintained themselves with their needles.
The daughter has been twice married, once to a man named
Bates, and at his decease, to a man named
Cahoon, said to be with the army.
From her second husband she has been separated for some time.
Two or three years since a man named
Alvin Finch, a blacksmith by trade, commenced work upon the railroad bridge in that vicinity and boarded with
Mrs. Reeves.
Since last spring he has had no steady work, but nothing unusual was noticed until yesterday morning.
Mrs. Reeves went to a man named
Maguire and asked him to come to the house as
Finch was crazy.
He went and nd
Finch, who had ran out a neighbor's, and attempted to obtain a hatchet, but
Maguire prevented it.
Finch went back to the house, and when
Maguire entered he was attacking the women with a flat-iron in each hand.
He at once turned upon
Maguire, drove him out of the house and for a considerable distance down the road.
He then returned to the house and killed both women with blows from the flat-irons.
By this time a general alarm had been given, and several neighbors hurried to the house.
Finch threatened to kill them, but after a fearful struggle he was seized and retained in custody.--In the meantime the house had been set on fire, either by the act of
Finch or by the overturning of a stove in the struggle, and with the shops, was burnt to the ground.
The clothes upon the body of
Mrs. Reeves caught fire, but were extinguished.
After his capture,
Finch became docile.
His condition of mind when the murders were committed has not been fully ascertained.
At the coroner's inquest, reported in the Morning
Journal, from which we obtain the above facts,
John Maguire, (the man called in by
Mrs. Reeves,) testified that he did not consider
Finch exactly right at the time, but could not tell whether it was from liquor or not; there was liquor in the house.
Finch having a half barrel at one time; as far as he knew
Finch was generally a peaceable man.
