Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-04-19
DAILY EVENING STAR

from the Cleveland Piaindeaier, Apriisr
A MURDERoUs MAE1Ac-ArrEMpr tn
MURDER A FAMILY-A STORY OF
HORROR
A horrible tragedy was enacted at Roots
town, Ohio, on the 22d ult. Mr.. Horace
l.. Ensign had risen, and, without dress
ing, was in the act of putting stick OF
wood in the kitchen stove, when he was
felled by blow on his head. Mr.. +
was standing at the time near a 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 exclaim-
ed, Il am killed; some one has split my
head open with an axe" He then ran
out to the door and cried murder. His
wife seeing him bleeding, and cash on
his head just above and back Of the tenn
pie, shouted for help. Meantime the
children were awakened and came run
ming in: the eldest, son of sixteen, on
coming down stairs opened the door to the
wood-shed, thinking his father was in
there: On opening the door the first OBJ
lect that he saw was a man with an up-
lifted axe, looking like demon at him.
lie says, "Calcb, what do you want of
me!" Caleb sprang back and shut the
door. By this time a neighbor came
across the street and went to the wood
house, when the maniac addressed him
by name: donald Deming." That is
my name, F." he replied; and, continued he
John Chittenden, what are YOU doing
with that axe." Il thirst for blood. and
blood | will have" said he. Mr.. Deming
tried to cool him down, and after a few
minutes succeeded in getting the axe
However, before he could get it away,
Chittenden, who is 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 the dining room, where Horace sat
bleeding, and his family around him.
frightened very much. Deming 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.. De.
ming 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, thinking it best to
shoot the madman.
Upon the word being given to run.
they all left, as they thought, and Dem
ing shut the outer door but Lucinda,
their eldest daughter, Fifteen years old
stopped to save little brother, two and
a 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 wncre the upper panel had been
broken. She called to have them open
the door, but by this time she received
a blow from the head of the axe, which
felled her with the little enc still in her
arms. Meanwhile, Horace had a pre-
sentiment that some child still remained
i'll the house, and had gone around to the
back kitchen door and entered, passing
into the dining-room. There Law Lu-
cinda, weltering in blood, and as he SUD-
dosed. dead. The outside door had been
opened. Deming had opened it for the
child when she called. Chittenden was
in the act of splitting open Deming's
head; Horace sprang across the dining
room and seized the axe-handle to avert
the blow from D. Chittenden findinp
some one behind him, turned upon hin .
and in the suffie, cut to the bone On the
back of Horace's head. Upon that Hor-
ace seized him by the throat, and Dem
ing by his leg, and by hard struggle
they goot him down, he still retaining
the axe, and Horace still choking him.
By this time the woman had called the
man back that had gone for his rife. He
came. and with much difficulty wrenched
the axe from him, (he only held it one
hand); they then got ropes and bound
him. Horace was covered with blood.
and so was the floor.
After the man was secured, a messen
ger was posted to Ravenna for medical
aid. The word flew light lightning, and
a general rush ensued. Horace's head
was trepanned. His brain lay exposed
during his struggle with the man. The
pulsation could be seen, but the MEM
brane was not broken. The irside OF
the bone was one and one-eighth of an
inch long, and three-fourths of an inch
wide. Upon the outside the bone was
more than two inches long, besides two
small pieces that were not measured.
He, to all appearance will survive, but
poor Lucinda is in very critical situa-
ton. The bones were so driven into the
brain that the surgeon thought it not best
to do much for her; but her friends in
sisted upon trying. After five hours they
proceeded to dress her wound. After
pressing the scalp each way, they ex-
tracted six pieces Of bone, some an inch
and over. Several of them were nearly
buried in the brain. DIR. Pratt extracted
them, raising up the skull bone wherever
it was depressed. About two spoonfuls
of the brain escaped. She still lies in
very critical situation, but with small
hope of recovery. This Chittenden be-
longed in Randolph; has had fits from a
child; an ugly tempered man naturally.