Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-09-24
The Terrible Tragedy Near Columbus.

The Ohio Statesman OF the 23l gives the fol
lowing particulars of the murder of four chill
dren by their mother, and her own suicide by
drowning in 4 well, at Grove City, a village
about nine miles from Columbus. So terrible
4 record the press is very seldom called on tC
make:
a woman by the name of Christiana Schil-
ling, residing with her husband about a half a
mile from the village Of Grove City, Jackson
township, in this county, yesterday morning.
| about one or two o'clock, during the absence of
her husband, murdered her four children, three
| girls and boy, bv throwing them into a well,
and afterwards jumping in herself From the
evidence elected BY the Coroner and the state
ments made to our reporter BY the neighbors, it
/ appears that Frederick Schilling, the husband,
was attending a wedding party near Grove
| City when the deed was committed, AMI that
/ the wife, Christina Sehilling, conveyed the
children from their beds to the WELL dis
| tanee of one hundred yards, while thev were
aleep, and then pitched them into It, aud alter
wards flung herself IN. No possible m0tire can
be assigned for the deed, and 1t is the general
impression among the neighbors that Mrs
| SeEilling was insane. Neighbors passing the
house, which is a miserable log cabin, standing
about quarter Of mile from the main road,
say that they heard the mother aud her chill
dren singing hymn about ten o'clock at night
The husband and father, it seems, did not re-
turn from the wedding party until daylight, and
before that time neighbOr having occasion to
draw water from the well, had discovered the
bodies of Mrs. Schilling and the four children
floating on the surface She Immediately gave
the alarm, and several gentlemen came To the
spot and raised the mother and her four children
from the well. The family consisted Of a boy
named Valentine, ten years Of age, Christiana,
i IL
Augusta, three years of age Mrs Schilling
was about thirty-six years Of age, and was, to
all appearances, an intelligent healthy, and
handsome woman. Wnen our reporter visited
the house, the dead bodies of the 1--WE unfOrtu-
nate beings were laid upon two beds in the only
sleeping apartment in the cabin, and q more |
melancholy spectacle 1t has never been our mis-
fortune to behold. The children all looked /
healthy, robust and beautiful, and with the ex-
ceptiOn Of 4 slight scar on the forehead Of the |
boy, marks of violence were visible. A /
crowd of people of b tn sexes were in the room,
all awe stricken by the horrible catastrophe.
No evidence elected by the Jury Of inquest /
goes to show that any other person than the
mother could have committed the deed. Il is
generally believed that she was labOring under
a f. of insanity, it was stated that she had,
about year ago, attempted to commit suicide
during fit of Phrenzy to which she was sub
Ject- This Is the only probable and humane
view that San be taken of the matter and it is
best that tins mantle Of charity should be
thrown over the deed. No relatives of the un-
family reside in this country, but those
acquainted with Mrs. SchilliHg say
that she was an eccentric and superstitious be-
ING, and that she frequently said that she wa 5
. bewitehsd;' and the neighbors say that she
had occasion to be jealous Of her husband, that
-hn rr--e III Fa~l A IL / ]
iIfirreDt reasons are assigned for the deed, bot
he true motive IS covered with vail of impen- ,
,trable mystery No spOnsibity has vet been ,
aid to the husblnd Of the deiuded woman, and
10 doubt whatever can be entertained that he }
vas entirely innocent of the deed. A most I
horrible and mysterious calamity has desc
ated his home, the true history of which
an only be unraveled By Wisdom higher
han earth. c
The lady who first discovered the boeies in
he well, says that she intended to get some t
water from the same, but found it impossible r
o sink the bucket, and upon looking down she o
Ould see the clothes of the woman and child e
en- floating on the surface. She was at loss 4
0 imsgine what It was that obstructed the 1
'uekei, and was horrifed when she found it
7as the bodies of the family and her neigh Il
Ors- The well Is thiriy-five feet deep and o.
Ontalns about five feet of wa-er Tne windlass
nd bucket were in their proper places when L
rst discovered, and no signs whatever were f
lsible, in the darkness Of the morning, of the a.
,rrible deed
The ver,iiet of the Jury in the case Of the
hilIren was that they came to their death by a
le hands Of their mother, by whom they were s.
lroWn in the well and drowned 81
FoRT0SE BY the death of Mr. Hobson, of A
aleuita, youth now in the employ of a prin- e1