Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1854-04-22
ATTEMPT OF A MANIAC To MURDER A
FAMILY,

A
already been given in the city papers.
private letter flom witness Of the scene, iuT-
nishes the following details
1t seems thai Mr.. Horace L. Ensign, OF
Rootstown, had risen on the moInas OF 22d,
and without dressing, was in the act OF put
ting stick of wood in The kitchen stove,
when he was feed by blow on his head
Mr.. E. was standing at the time near a door
that opened into The woodshed. The door
was ajar, and the blow was given from some
person in the shed
The correspondent says: Mr.. Ensign saw |
no one, bul placing his hands on each side oil
his head, he FASTENED through into his din I
! ing-room, where his wife was he exclaimed, !
Il am killed some one has split my head |
open with an axe.' He then ran out 10 the !
door and cried mnrder. His wife seeing him |
bleeding, and qash on his head, just above
and also back Of the temple, shouted for help. |
| Meantime The chiltlreR were awakened and |
came running in the eldest a son OF sixteen, |
on coming down stairs, opened The door lead
ing to the woodshed, thinking his father was
ii there. On opening ihe door, the first OBJ
jec, that he saw was man with an uplifled
axe, looking like demon a, him. He says:
| Caleb, what do you want of met Caleb
sprnng back and shut the door.-By this time
neighbor came across The street, and went
to the woodhouse, when the maniac address
sed him BY name, Donald Deming THAT
is my name, he replied, and continued he,
John Chitcnden, wha! you doing with
that axeP q thirst for blood, and blood |
will have said he. MIR. Deming tried to
cool him down, and after a few minutes sue.
ceeded in getting the axe. However, before
he could get it away, Chirenden wrenched
it from him.-TSome of the children had been
sent for help, even in their undressl After
: loosug his hold npon the axe, Deming retreat
, ed 10 the dining-room where Horace sat
: bleeding, and his family around him freight
ened very much. Demins held the door
from the dinng-room, and hoped TO keep him
from that, but with the axe he shiveTed The
door al once, when Mr.. Demiug exclaimed,
, run for your livesu
! By this time, onoiher neiehbtv go, there,
and on seeing what was going on, ian home
$ 10 ge, his rifle, thinking it bes, TO shoot the
$ madman. Upon word being given 10 run,
> they all left as they thought, and Deming
+. shut The outer door but Lucinda, their eld-
. est daughter, Is years old, stopped TO save n
little brother, two and a-half years old, who
q had been awakened by the breaking in ofthe
: door, and had jumped from his bed on the
; floor, and stood screaming from freight. She
7 cough, him in time to get her fingers pinched
I as Deming shut the door, She saw the
: wretch leap through the door, through where
:. the upper panel had been broken She cal
IS led 10 them 10 have them open the door, but
II by this lime she received blow from the
head Of The axe, which feed her with the
= little one still in her arms. Meanwhile, Hor
q ace had presentiment that some child still
q remained in the house, aud had gone around
u v 10 the back kitchen door and entered, passing
= into The dinne-room. There lay Lucinda
welteriug in her blood, and, as he supposed
y dead. The outside door had been opened
/. Deming had opened i, for the child when she
,i called; Chilienden was in the act OF splitting
r. open Demiue's head Horace sprang acros.
II the dining. groom, and seized the axe handle
e to avert the blow from d. Cht,enden, find
e ing some one was behind him turned upor
'e him, and in the scuAle cut 10 the bone or
:. the back Of Harace's head. Upon that, Hor
- ace seized him By The ihroa, and Deming b,
L his leg, and by hard struggle they got hin
n down, he still retaining the axe, and Horace
I'd still choking him By this time the woman
had called the man back that had gone 70
y his rife. lie came, and with much dliIicul
is ty wrenched the axe from him the onl!
4 held il by one hand; they then got ropes an'
" bound him. Horace was covered with blood
- aud so was The loor.
" After be was secured, a messenger wa
posted 10 Ravenna Tor medical aid. Th
~ word flew like lightning, aud general rus
, ensned. Horace's head was irepanned. Hi
brain lay exposed during his struggle wit
lr. The man. Tho pulsaiion could be seen, bu
] the memblene was not broken The insid
w Of The bone that was taken oil was u Of a
ly inch long and Of an uch wide. Upon IN
rd on,side the bone was mole Than Two inehe
- long, besides two small pieces that were NJ
GU measured lie 10 all appearances will su
vive, bu, poor Lpeiada is in n very critics
,nl situation, The bones were so driven inl
,m the brain, that The surgeon though, Il be
he not 10 30 much for her, bat her friends insi
rer led npon tying After tive hours they pr
NV eeeded 20 dIess her wound. After pTessir
llh the scalp each way, they sKlfaeled six pise'
he Of bOEe, same an Inch and oyer Several
M. Them were neatly buried In the brain. D
.nd P,an extracted them, raising up The seal
hie bone wherever il was depIrssrd About IN
,h, .pa0nluls Of the hraia escaped. She slll N
of Ia very oIhieal situation, Siih bot sms
"A. hups Of resossiy. This Chinsndsn bsloag'
ru. ia Raadolph, the loan south Of this has b.
,sll lils ilom a child Aa vgly ismPeiei maa o
M luIally Ol late his iIisnds have Ihoushl hl
.ny isisngsd sl times. The nishl pIs1lens
,,s this aliaek, hs had three ksspss. Ne q
ts, tempted "a xiii his blolhsr His wife vi
sn. objected 10 80 aboal hall mils 90 . nss
~ bsf's 10 slay, ~ hss hany, Ia lssPlng
M. lyass, shs sp'alaed hsg aaois. oi ees'ss 4
,m elaslsd ea hes hands snd kasss, aas b,
isins, she Fisbstly escaped death, i''