Wood staled to Mayor RoacId Mr. Bartou1 TRAGICAL EVENT_EIOPKMENTAND . MURDER!

' that about Lu minutes before firing the pistol A deed of the most shocking nd deplorable he had taken three glasses ofbrady,thathe had character was committed yesterday in this City. thengone into the room where his daughter was Before we relate the tragical resirtt, we'propose sitting on a chair in the corner; that he had to give a full, yet concise history of all the cir- placed the pistol immediately to her head and cumstances which led to the commission of the fired. Three pistols were found in the room bloody act. Mr. James Wood, a native of En., with the body,the one which he had just disgland, has resided in this city for a number of charged and two others, which were unloaded. years, during which time he has sustained a When removed to Moyamensing, Wood, was most unblemished reputation, and acquired (by considerably intoxicated ; although the impres. pursuing with great industry the business of a sion is that he had been several days, or since confectioner,) a tolerable fortune. His esta- the discovery of his daughter's marriage, of onblishment was in one of the most public loca. sound mind. Mrs. Peake was in her 23d year tions, immediately opposite the State-House, in Further Particulars.When Miss Wood esChesnut street. His daughter, who was accus- caped out of her father's houe on Friday, the tomed to attend in the store, attracted conside- 27th inst., twelve days after her private mar rable attention by her beauty, which was of the risge with Peake, she met P. at his boarding highest order. We may easily conceive that a house, having left her father's dwelling through father's hopes were fastened On this child, and the trap door, as above stated, she descended we may in some measure sympathisp with a through the house of Mr. Kerr. On the 15th father's feelings, when this daughter, so lovely instant, the day of the marriage, it is reported t Peake called very early at Wood's, before and accomplished, left her home and united herself to a man who was considered by the family was up, and that Miss W. then ac. father to be every way unworthy such -an npanied him to the place appointed, where a marriage ceremony was performed by the alliance. This man was Edward Peake, who formerly kept a shoestore in Sixth street, Jev. John B. Clemson. Peake first became acabove Chesnut, but who is now said to be a quainted with Miss W. when her father kept a foreman in the employment of some other small confectionery shop in the Arcade, several person. The unhappy young lady seems to have years ago. Miss SaralA Agn Wood was the on. has three other been under the influence of some fatal enchant. ly daughter ot her meat; such was her infatuation that she made children, all sm wD.. her escape from a trap-door in the roof of her 'oon, about father's house and passed over the roofs of two o'clock, a color er light corn. adjoinings buildings of great height, entering plezionwhile, a in the washing another trap-door, and so descending to join two fish on the slil .eet wharf, fell her husband, who was waiting for her at some overboard and was drowned. He was not see,, distance. This occurred at 4 o'clock, P.M., on after he fell into *the Water, and although diii. the 27th inst. They had been privately mar. gent search was immediately made, no trace of his body could he found. He had on a light ned twelve days previous, Mr. Peaks never paid his addresses to Miss colored, overcoat, was stout made and good Wood with the consent of her parents, and it looking; his hat, which was left upon the slip is extremely doubtful whether for some length or plank, was a low crowned one, and covered of time they ever suspected him of having such with yellow oil cloth. It is supposed he lived a design. The manner in which he became t or near Cemden, (N. J.) But a few mo acquainted with her was by visiting thestore, ments before he was talking with a man on the where he was accustomed to make small pur. wharf, and appeared to be perfectly sober. chases of confectionery. P. S. Since the above was in type we have From the moment the elopement became learned the following particulars: The body known to Mr. Wood, he was a raving maniac, was found about 21 hours after the accident or. His chief cause of grief, as it appeared from curred, by a colored man named Stepljen Den. his wild exclamations, was the suspicion that nis. Deceased's name was Edward Mitchell, Mr. Peake was addicted to habits of dissipa. and lived in or near Camden, (N. J.) The tion. Whether this suspicion was correct or Coroner held an inquest on the body about half otherwise we are not prepared to say; certain past 6 last evening, and after the examination it is, however, that some time previous to the .. elopement, when Mr. Wood became acquainted with the intimacy between Peake and his dugh. ter, the careful father thought it advisable to caution Mr: P. against visiting his house. The elopement of Peaks and Miss Wood was related some time ago in the papers, they were married on the 15th instant, but this was not known to Mr. Wood until Friday last, since ,which time he has been evidently deranged. Several persons who reside in the neighborhood and whose veracity may be relied on, concur in saying that the bereaved father exhibited every appearance of insanity from the time the marriage became known to him until the period of the fatal catastrophe. Yesterday morning Mr. Peake went to the residence of Mr. Wood, as it is said, for the purpose of effecting a reconciliation. Mr. Peaks had gone thither on the preceding Saturday. Mr. Wood had closed the doors of his establish. meat as soon as the news of the wedding reached him, autthe house continued t2 be shut up until the occurrence of the fatal event we are about to relate. It seems no visiters were admitted during the intervening time, and the occurrences immediately preceding the murder are involved in some mystery. We are tld, however, that Wood called his daughter up stairs, having (according to one account) pro. vided himself with a pair, of pistols. But for aught we know to the contrary, the pistols were in the room before. A circumstance of this kind, which may be important in the evidence, should not be asserted rashly. At about ten o'clock, yesterday, the report of a pistol was heard proceeding from one of the upper rooms in Mr. Wood's confectionery ew tablishment,a crowd of several hundred peo. pie was speedily attracted to the spot, and it was soon ascertained that the daughter of Mr. Wood, previously referred to, Mrs. Sarah Ann Peake, had been shot by her father through the head Joseph Seymour, a colored man belonging to the establishment of Mr. Wood, subsequently testified, upon examination before the Mayor and Mr. Barton, the Attorney General, that he was in the kitchen, in the lower or basement story, when he heard the report of the pistol that he immediately hastened to the third story and that there, in the back room, he dis. covcred Mrs. Peake lying on her face on the floorher head covered with blooda pair of pistols lying near her feet and Mr. Wood standing a few feet off, looking at her ;that Wood immediately declared to him that it was he who fired the pistol. Similar declarations were made by Mr. Wood to Mr. Ba,ton and the sber. liPs officers. He also avowed that the deed was perfectly justifidble, and begged that lie might be placed in the same coffin with his daughter. He was removed to an adjoining room and detained there by direction of the Attorney General, until such time as the ]physician could be of opinion tilat it would be pro. per to remove him, he being in a state of api parent phrenzy, and the impression Feing first entertained that he had taken poison. During his phrenzied state, he poured forth many imprecations on the head of Peake, who, he declared, had stolen his daughter and driven him to distraction. Peake, meantime, was in the room with his dying wife, and remained there until he finally yielded to the persuasions ofMr. Barton to retire. Mrs. Peake died at 10 minutes before 11 o'clock. Drs. James Rush and G. Emerson examined her head and found that the ball had entered immediately beneath the right eye and had passed entirely through the head, carrying with it a portion of the skull and brains. It was not-thought proper at the time to convey Wood to the Mayor's office for examination, in consequence of the immense assemblage that thronged the street in front, as well as in rear of the house. An examination was ac cordingly held in the house, which resulted in Wood's being committed by Mayor Roath to Moyameasing, for a further hearing at some future time.
U,

'.....