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A man named Lefort belonging to Caugh nawaga having been missing for (wo or three weeks, circumstances gave rise to a suspicion that he had been foutly murdered by a man named Wilson, his son-in-law, and his body burned in a lime kiln. The circumstances of the case appear to be these. Lefort had a small clearing in Caughnawaga, near the Cha teauguay ting. In this was a miserable to shanty, with no other swelling meiee tine half a cile from it. Besides farming in a small way, Lefort burged lime in 4 sea.l kiln built about 40 yards from the house, and this he was in the habit of attending at night to keep the fire up. Iis daughter, who was married to Wilson, has been for some time separated from her husband, and is now living in Louisville, Kentucky. On the evening of the 31st alt, Lefort came into supper with his two late girls, about ten and eleven years old. Some time after supper, about dusk, he went to the kiln, tak ing with him a buffalo skin on which to sleep. Not long after the children went to bed, and had fallen asleep, they were awakened by some one moving in the house, but at what hour they could not tell. One of the girls asked who was there, and was answered by Wilson, who said he was looking for an axe to chop some wood with, but that he could not find it. Ife then left. Early next morning Wilson was there, and they asked him where their father was. He told them their father had gone to the States to see his son and work there. Se attended to the kiln all day, and kept up the fire steadily.— This he did till Sunday evening. Then he went over for Lefort’s wife—his mother-in law—who was at Sault St. Louis. When he arrived he asked her if she had been her hus band. Somewhat surprised, she asked if he was not with the children.He suggested that her husband might be at his son's seeing him. Being alarmed, Madam Lefort started as early as possible on Monday morning, but could hear nothing of her husband. Wilson then said as he had been in the habit of clear ing out the kiln when the lime was thoroughly burned, that he would draw this one agone as he had removed the ashes. He according ly carried out the ashes, scattering them in different places. The way in which this was done excited suspicion, and the ashes were searched, amoung them being found some bones, which Dr. Laborge, of St. Philomene, whose opinion was asked, believed to be hu man bones. Besides the bones were found United States military buttons, the buckle of belt such as Lefort wore, and the buckle of pair of wrowsers. Of course these buttons, c., are not positive proof of the bones being Lefort’s. £ 8 old U. S. uniform coats are very commonly worn in the neighborhood, being sold at a very cheap rate by pedlara from the other side of the line. They afforded, how ever, effficient ground of suspicion to justify Wilson’s arrest, and, having been taken by some of the neighbors, Mr. Vital Lefebvre brought him to Montreal, and placed him in charge of the authorities.
Newspaper Details
Halifax Citizen
Halifax, Nova Scotia, CA
Sat, Sep 22, 1866
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Ross D.
