Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-05-04
From the Cleveland plaindealer, April Q.
A NURDEROUS MANIAC.

HORRIBLE ATTEMPT TO MURDER FAMILY.
A horrible tragedy was enacted at Rootstown,
Ohio, on the 22d ult. Mr.. Horace L.. Ensign
had risen, and, without dressing, was in the act
Of putting stick of wood in the kitchen stove
when he was felled- by blow on his head. Mr.
L. was standing at the time near door that
opened into the wood-shed The door was ajar.
and the blow was given from some person in the
shed. He saw no one, but placing his hands on
each side of his head he hastened through into
his dining room, where his wife was. He ex-
claimed g am killed some one has split my
head open with an axe" He then ran out 40
the door and cried murder. His wife seeing him
bleeding, and q cash on his head just above and
back of the temple, shouted for help. Mean
time the chidrcd were awakened and came rum
ming in; the eldest, a son of sixteen, on coming
down stairs opened the door to the woodshed,
thinking his father was in there. On opening
the door the first object that he saw was man
with an uplifted axe, looking like demon at
him. lie says, 'Caleb, what do you want of
mel" Caleb sprang back and shut the door.
By this time a neighbor came across the street
and went to the woodhouse, when the maniac
addressed him by name: "Donald Deming."
" That is my name," he replied and, continu-
ed he, John Chittenden, what are you doing
with that axel' 81 thirst for blood, and
blood will have" said he. Mr.. Deming tried
to cool him down, and after few minutes sue
ceeding in getting the axe. However, before
he could get it away, Chittenden, who is a
powerful man, sprang for the axe, and Deming
, being much the weaker, Chittenden wrenched it
| from him. Some Of the children had been sent
for help, even in their undress. After losing
his hold upon the axe, Deming retreated to tho
dining room where Horace sat bleeding, and his
family around him, frightened very much. De-
ming held the door from the dining room, and
hoped to keep him from that, but with the axe
he shivered the door at once, when Mr.. Deming
exclaimed, "run for your lives" By this time
another neighbor got there, and on seeing what
was going on, ran for home to get his rifle think
! ing it best to shoot the mailman.
Upon the word being given to run, they all
left, as they thought, and Deming shut the
outer door but Lucinda, their eldest daughter,
(ffteen years old) stopped to save little broth
er, two and half years old who had been
awakened by the breaking in of the door, and
had jumped from his bed on to the floor, and
stood screaming from fright. She caught him
in her arms, and reached the outer door just in
time to get her fingers pinched as Deming shut
the door. She saw the wretch leap through the
door, through where the upper panel had been
broken. She called to have them open the door,
but by this time she received blow from the
head of the axe, which felled her with the little
one still in her arms Meanwhile, Horace had
presentment that some child still remand in
the house, and had gone around to the kitchen
door and entered, passing into the dining room.
There lay Lucinda, weltering in blood, and as
he supposed dead. The utside door had been
opened. Deming had opened it for the child
when she called. Chittenden was in the act Of
splitting open Demings head; Horace sprang
across the dining room seized the axe-handle to
avert the blow from D, Chittenden finding some
one behind him, turned upon him, and in the
scuifie cut to the bone on the back of Horace't
head. Upon that Horace seized him by the
throat, and Deming by his leg, and by hare
struggle they got him down, he still retaining
the axe. and Horace still choking him. B,