The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1860-08-30
An Awful Tragedy.

Several murders have been committed
quite recently in this part of the State. but
none exhibit the fixed spirit SO emphatcal
y as these related below.
"Our country has been the scene of one
of the most hcart-rending outrages it has
ever been our painful duly to record
The facts, as we gather them from diSn-
terested parties who were early at the
scene of sanguinary conflict, are these
Robert Mummery sen, and his sonJohn
owned adjacent farms. The division fence
between the two had been placed for some
cause, we did not learn W hat, over the line
on the land of John. enclosing in the land
of the fathers and narrow strip of the
sons land, which field was Hsed as pas
ture. On the 18th John had been stacking
grain. with the assistance of neighboring
German and his team of oxen. After
completing the days work, at about Z o.
clock, the German by Johns orders, had
turned out his oxsn in the pasture, which
was claimed bv The old man as wholly his.
while John also claimed a right 10 turn in.
This soon brought out the father who or
dered ine German to lake out his oxen,
which he proceeded TO do This proceed
ing of turning the oxen in TIE pasture snd
of the old man in ordering them OUT,
brought 10 the scene of acting Stephen
Mummery and Robert Mummery, ir.,
sons of Robert Mummerv SEN. AZ hackers
Of their father: also Thomas Marches. a
son-in-law of Robert Mummery, SEN. as
a hacker for John Mummery. Robert
Mummery. SEN, Stephen and Rrober,
Mummery, jr.. were armed, the former
with double barreled pistol and the two
latter each with double -barreled fowling
pieces. A quarrel was soon gotten up
between Robert Mummery. SEN. and
Marches, during which the old man Mum
merry fred bis pis ol at Marches. taking
effect in one of his ears. At this Wa CHI
es and John Mummery both attempted 10
rnn toward the opposite party, and while
in the act John was shot dead hy dis
charge from one of Stephens barrels
loaded with buck shot. Stephen immedi-
ately brought The other one similarly load
ed, to bear on Marches, woundiag him
MORALLY so that he died at two o'clock the
next day. Robert Mummety jr, also dis
charged one or more shots al Marches -
From the close proximity of the parties
when the firing took place, being about
fifteen feet apart, and The wide range the
shot took on John. it is believed that he
received the shot from one barrel of Rob
bert jun.'s piece also. Marches said in
his dying testimony before the Coroner,
that Robert Mummery, jr., shot at him,
bur he could not say whether he hit him
or not He had before received Stephen s
shot.
The above, we understand, are suostan-
tiallv the facts as elcted before the Coro-
ner's jury.
shot both John and Marches. killing the
former and mortaly wouuding the latter:
while Mrs. Marches, who was the only
person present at The time, except those
engaged in the deadly conflict, testified
before the Coroner that the shots of Steph
en- killed John and was the cause OF
Marches death.
All the parties implicated in the mur>
ders have been arrested and were brought
to town on Tuesday evening by Sheriff
Fowler and Messrs. Bowers and Banks of
Hobart, and were committed to Jail to await
their examination, which takes place to-
day Wednesday before Esquire Fry.
We forbear comments, not wishing to
pre- Judge the case or forestall the public
mind on subject Of SO grave character
to the good order aud tranquility of 'he
community.
1t appears from information that there
had bad state Of feeling existed between
the parties for some time; so much SO that
they had been in The habit of going armed
when about their usual avocations, fear
ing or medi' i'alinS an attack.
LATER.
On the case being called for examina-