Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-05-11
Attempt Of a Maniac to Murder Fa-
milY---A Story Of Horror.


a horrible tragedy was enacted at Rootstown,
Ohio on the 22nd ult. Notice of it has already
been given in the city papers. private letter
from witness of the scene furnishes the follow
ing details:
1t seems that Mr.. Horace l.. Ensign of Roots
town, had risen on the morning of the 22nd, and
without dressing, was in the act Of putting a
stick of wood into the kitchen stove where he
was feiled by blow his head. MFR. f. vas
standing at the time near a door that opened into
the wood-shed The door was jar, and the
blow was given from some person in the shed.
The correspondent says q Mr.. Ensign saw
no one, but placing his hands on each side of his
head, he FASTENED through into his dining room
where his wife was; he exclaimed, am killed; 4;
some one has split my head open with ALI axe"
He then ran out to the door aud cried murder
His wife seeing him bleeding, and cash on his
head Just above and also back of the temple,
shouted for help Meanwhile the children were
awakened and came running in the eldest, a
son of sixteen, coming down stairs opened
the door to the wrod shed thinking his father was
in there On opening the door the first thing
he saw was with an uptlifted axe looking
like demon at him. By this time a neighbor
came across the street and went to the wood
house, when the maniac addressed him by name.
Mr.. Dening tried to cool him down, and after
a few minutes succeeded in getting the axe
However, before he could get it away Chitten-
den, who is powerful man, sprang for the axe,
and Dening being much the weaker, Chittendcn
wrenched it from him. After losing his hold
upon the axe, Dcuing retrcatcd to the dining
room, where Horace sat bleeding. Dening held
the door from the dining room and hoped to keep
him from that, but with the axe he shivcred the
door at once, when Mr.. Dening eXclam, d. run
for your liyce.'' Upon the word being given to
run they all left, as they thought, and Dening
shut the outer door but Lucinda, their eldest
daughter, Is years old, stopped to save little
brother 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 as
Dening shut it.
She then called to have them open the door,
but by this time she received a blow from the
head of the axe which fellcd her with the little
one still in her arms. Meanwhile, Horace had
presentimcnt that some child still remained IN
The house, and had gone around to the back
kitchen door and entered, passing into the din
ing room. There lay Lucinda weltering in blood
and as he supposed dead. The outside door had
been opened. Dcning had opened it for the child,
when she called; Chittenden was in the act Of
splitting open Dning's head; Horace Sprang
across the dining room and seized the aXe-handle
te avert the blow from ID. Chittenden finding
some one was behind him, turned upon him and
in the scuffe cut to the bone on the back of Hor-
aces head. Upon that Horace seized him by the
throat, and Dening by his leg, and by hard
struggle they got him down and with much DIFF
ficulty renched the axe from him. they then
got ropes and bound him.
After the man was secured, messenger was
posted to Ravcnna for medical aid. Horace S
head was trepannCd. His brain lay exposed
during his struggle with the man. The pulsa-
ton could be seen but the mem brane was not
broken He to all appearances will survive, but
poor Lucinda is in a very critical situation. The
bones were so driven into the brain that the sur
geon thought it not best to do much for her, but
her friends insissed upon trying. After five hours
he proceeded to dress her wound. After pressr
ing he-scalp each way, they extracted SIX pieces
of bone some an inch and over. Several Oft them
were nearly buried in the brain, She still lies IN
very critical situation, but with a small hope
of recovery. This Chittenden, belonged in Ran
dolph, the town south Of this, and had fits from
child; an ugly tempered man naturally u
late his friends have thought him deranged at
times.