Republican Herald

From the N. Y. Courier & Enquirer, April 11.

Shocking Murder.—The Coroner was called yesterday morning to hold an inquest on the body of Helen Jewett, at the house of Rosanna Townsend, No. 41 Thomas street. The deceased is believed to have been a native of Hallowell, Maine, about twenty-three years of age, and a girl of the town. The verdict of the inquest was 'it is the opinion of this Jury, from the evidence before them, that the said Helen Jewett came to her death by a blow or blows inflicted on the head with a hatchet by the hand of Richard P. Robinson.'

From the evidence given before the Inquest, it appeared that a lamp which had been burning in the unfortunate girl's room, was found by the mistress of the house in which she lived, at about three o'clock in the morning, in one of the rooms down stairs and the back door of the house unbolted, though it had been bolted at midnight.—She was induced by the first mentioned circumstance and by a smell of fire to proceed to the girl's room, which she found full of smoke. On giving the alarm, the watchman came in and discovered the body of the poor creature on the bed with three ghastly wounds on the head. One on each of her temples, which appeared to have been given with the broad part of the head of a small axe and another a gash on her forehead, inflicted with the sharp part of it. Her skull was fractured, the bed partly burnt and the lower part of her body to a crisp, apparently from a light having been held under the bed until it took fire.

The woman who kept the house stated that at about 10 o'clock on Saturday night, a young man with whom the girl had been in the habit of associating, and who passed among them by the name of Frank Rivers, but whose real name is Richard P. Robinson, called there and inquired for the deceased. He retired with her into her room, and at 11 o'clock a bottle of champagne wine being called for, the woman took it there and saw him then lying on the bed reading. A small axe was found near the fence of the yard of the house, and a cloak in the yard adjoining it.

Suspicion naturally fell on the person who had been last in company of the murdered girl. The cloak found was recognised to be that of Robinson, and a small piece of twine attached to the tassel of the cloak, from which it appeared to have been forcibly torn. In consequence, police officer Brink, was despatched to bring Robinson before the inquest—he found him in bed at his lodgings at Mrs. Moulton's, No. 42 Dey-street.—Robinson denied all knowledge of the crime, and when brought to the room where the corpse was lying, remained perfectly unmoved. He was committed to Bridewell, and will be brought up for examination to-morrow morning.

If he be the murderer, the mind naturally reverts to the circumstances which led him to commit the horrid deed. There, however, none of the common incentives to it are to be found. It is true the deceased had told the mistress of the house on Tuesday night 'that Frank Rivers was going to be married, that he had returned to her the letters she had written to him, and wanted her to return to him the letters he had written to her.'

It is also said that he had sometimes expressed dissatisfaction at calling and finding her in the company of other men.—But on the other hand, the deceased was said to be much attached to him and was exhibiting his portrait to some of her companions on the day before that she was murdered. This portrait was found at the prisoner's lodgings, as were also among the clothes of the deceased, the letters he had written to her, with those she had written to him. From these letters, it was ascertained who Frank Rivers really was, they being addressed to Robinson outside, and inside to her 'Dear Frank.'

The murder is supposed to have been committed at about 2 o'clock in the morning, and that the murderer set fire to the bed in the expectation that his victim would be consumed with everything belonging to her. That on making his escape, he was alarmed by the mistress of the house, being called up and coming down stairs in consequence of the ringing of the house bell by a person in the habit of visiting there. That the murderer then precipitately put down the lamp, opened the back door, fled over the fences of the yards adjoining and dropped the axe and his cloak in his flight.

Robinson is a youth of about nineteen, of prepossessing appearance and has hitherto borne an unimpeachable character. He was in the employ of Joseph Hoxie, Esq. as clerk, who speaks of his conduct during the two years he resided with him in most exalted terms. He has no relations in this city, except those bearing the same name. Those he has in Connecticut, his native State, are highly respectable.