Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-10-26
sOfnciAl mai critics.
Another Horrible Tragedy in Iowa,

We have received through letter TO thj
city. the following account Of one of til.
most horrible butch.ries We have heard OF
since the days OF Adam Horn. The inform
ati, n is from one whose responsibility can
not be questioned The account comes il
y private letter, and is said to have occur
red on the nth ult
1t appears that man named Adams, wa.
married a short time since to Miss jenkins
who had previously been engaged to anoth
er man 10y the name of Harley. Harley. or
the morning Of the wedding-da thrtnten
| ell Miss Jenkins with revenge, il she presis
ed in marry ing his rival, but She laughed
to scorn his threats. was appointed. bound
in wedlock to Adams On the 10Th of Sen.
tember Harley came to Adams house while
the latter was absent with his wife, and
finding it only occupied by an old negro
woman, knocked her down with an axe.
fracturlng her skull, and then preceded to
demoish all the furniture and disfigure the
premises, knocking down partitions and
breaking the plasi er off the walls Adams
and his wife returned at night, and their
feeling Of preceving the work that had
been wraught. may better be imagined than
described. Medical assistance was obtained
for the old woman, and her few broken.
wandering words, ending, it is sand. almost
in IA shrek at the mention Of the nam. ot
Harley. indicated to Adams the probable
Perr.trator of the outrage Accordlnrlc the
hext morning he armed himself with a rifle
and a knife, and went IL search of Harley.
lie had not tar to 20, Tor about one hun
dred yards from the house. on the road that
passed through a strip of WOODS, he me,
Harley. apparently proceeding TO complete
his work OF destruction a farmers boy
who happened to be a short distance be
hind, was the sole wi hess of the dreadful
scene that cnsuod and which froze his blood
with terror a short but violent converse
ton commenced betw the two. when
Adams discharged his rifle. only wounding
Harley in the arm. llar cy, "a large athletic
man then closed with him. and terrible.
conflict followed Adams at last received
fatal blow from his antagonists knife. and
Harley, though cut almost To pieces, raised
the dead body. if possible more bloody than
his own, with the knife still sticking up
right in his breast, and carried it into the
presence of Mrs. Adams. The boy follow
ed mechanically to see.the denouement. too
frightened to summon assistance, aud too
weak to give it himself Mrs. Adams re-
eeiyed the murderer with dreadful shrek,
and fell fainting upon the corpse Harley,
weak and exhausted, had still strength to
draw the bloody knife and cutting her fea
lures until not lineament was recogniza-
Die. plunged it into his own heart and fell
back. his hand still grasping the long hair
of his victim. The boy ut last sufficiently
recovered himself to run for aid when il
on hot "a 4. 4 l..
insensble, having almost hled to death.
Great excitement prevailed. She was
carefully removed and attended. but cannot
recover Adams had been decently inter
red. but when left proposals had been
made for mailing Harley's body to tree
Adams was universally respected. being the
editor OF the Ware County Sentinel, the
only paper in that section.