Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-12-30

HCFELDAG AEHtE-DDuDtu rs AC inc mElEa
derer-Tae insane Husband and Fa-
ther aeaFt-reBLIng De.
tails.
From the Cincinnati Commercial Of Dec. Goth.
He who would pen reflections upon the
calamities which befall Us would not fail
to notice the remsr ksble fatality in se-
quenee with which they visit US. The
misfortuDes resulting from purely accident
al csuses OF from mans wickedness might
be classified, and in the comparison it
would be found that in singular regulsri-
" of order they tread rapidly upJn each
others heels. But two days since we re-
corded the simultaneous desth by drown
ing Of three broshsrs-half the children of
family Of this city, and to day We write
of the brutal murder Of three persons, and
the terrible wounding of three others, all
of one fsmily-sn affair of horror which
has terribly startled the usually quiet
little community in which it occurred
Deerfeld, s little town of two or three
hundred inhabitants, On the Little Miami
Railroad, about thirty miles northeast Of
this city, WSs the scene Of this heart-rend-
ing affair. To the north of the village, q
dfsrHuCs Of EbOut q mite and standing on
by-rosd quarter Of mile from the
Lebanon Pike, Is s nest, comfortable farm
house-a frame building Of good size, in
which, on Monday night last, the murder
Gus scene occurred. The family of John
NJ. Rooss occupied this house, together
with an aged hired man, Jesse Cousins, IA
milisrly known as "Old Jesse" The
Roosa family was composed of the follow
ing persons: John NJ. Rooss and Sarah
Roosa, his wife, formerly Miss Brandt
daughter of Esq. Brandt), and their four
children, Alice, aged fourteen; Frances,
aged ten. Nettie, aged eight, and Har-
~, aged two years On the night
of Monday last. the whole family
with the exception Of the father, retired at
about o'clock, as usual, and were soon
sleeping, dreamless Of the horrible fate i'm
pending. Mrs. Roosa occupied bed with
Frances and Harry in one ROOM Nettie
and Alice slept together IN an adjoining
chamber, while N the kitchen, on pallet,
slept the old man Cousins. These rooms
mentioned are all on the ground floor Of the
house, and IN the rear Of two large front
rooms. The mother had slept soundly for
some time, when she was suddenly awaken
ed by blows upon her head, at the hands of
man who, as she looked at him through
the blood which blinded her as it gushed
from her ghsstly wounds, struck her again
and again, fourteen times, upon the head,
face and body, and reaching over, dealt
numerically, similar blows upon the sleep
ing innocents at her side. Weakly strug-
Cling, the poor woman fell forward upon
the floor; and then came q conflict
and death in the adjoining kitchen
and hall leading thereto, as Cousins, aroused
to the terrible danger, encountered the
murderer in hls hslf-somnolent condition,
and received blow upon blow Of the death
dealing hatchet upon his face and head.
His blood bespattered the walls Of the
little hall and trickled down upon the floor
as he staggered back to the kitchen, and
sinking into 8 chair, he died sitting there,
erect in death!
The infant boy, Harry was dead the
girl, Frances, was mortally wounded, and,
l bed beside her dead brother. In the IA
Joining room the child, Nettie, lay trem-
l bling but unharmed. Her sister had left
her side to wander into the kitchen and die
there, near Cousins, beneath the murder
el' hatchet. Returning from his fendish
work in the hall and kitchen, the monster
in mans form and dress again sought
the mothers chamber and closely scrutin-
lied the mangled forms upon the bed and
floor. Despite her agony, the woman
feigned death, and watched the murderer
as he passed into the next room, sprang
through the window dropping the hatehet
as he did SOL and made his escape. She
then called upon Cousins and Alice.
Death did not permit 8 reply. Nettie
came, however, with trembling step, and,
to obey her mother, sought her shoes in
the kitchen, that shs might go TO alarm
the neighbors. Her shoes were soaked in
bloodI
Fearful of the darkness without, and Of
the man who had sought its protection, the
child waited and watched there, surround.
ed by the dead, and the wretched living
until the first gray light OF morning came
She then ran down to Mr.. Scots house, OF
the main rUad, and tho horrifiad naighbOry
returned With her. They found the corpse
of Cousins erect in the chair. On tht
floor, near by, lay the dead body Of Alice
with one of the limbs burned black, from
contact with the stove, in which FIRE still
remained In Mrs. Rocsss room was the
scene already noted. OF surmisss and re-
ports as to who was the author of thi
diabolicsl affair, and what was his object
there are scores.
The husband, John NJ Rooss, had been
steady farmer, in very comfortable cir.
cumstances. But he was frequently sub
jected to short fits Of insanity, during tht
continuance Of which he was considered {
dangerous man, and about three weeks
since he was taken 10 the Insane Asylum
near Dayton. Suspicion immediately fel
upon him, but both mother and chilC
l (Nettie) say that it was not him; that
was 3 slim man, with dark hair and sandy
whiskers, while Roosa wears no whiskers
A dispatch sent to Dayton was answered
with word that Rooss was safe in the Asy
lum the day after the tragedy. Early yes
terdsy morning two strangers, discharges
gunboat men, were arrested at Spring Val
ley, eighteen miles from Deerfeld. The,
were taken before msgistrateat Lebanon
the county-seat Of Warren county, IN whicl
, Desrheld is situated, where they imme
diately stated that If Mr. Asa Coleman
who resides at Shakes Villaga, aiaht mile
from Deerfeld, were brought he Woul
Immediately identity them as two men v b
had slept at his house the night Of D
murders. There seems scarcely IA
: ground for suspicion against them. It
9 stated thst at midnight, Monday night,
: down passenger train for this city Y .
|. tagged at the station Of Deerfeld, VIII q
/. is about mile from the town, and stC 3
!, ped, but mono pretended to say as to WI
3 boarded it. In this connection, we give
9 Just as we hear them, few of the thou
n sand vague reports on. That Mrs. Roos
, heard the man demand money of Alice
and that the child gave him i've dollars
Il that he asked for more, and falling TO ge
! it killed her That an examination oft
, body of the child Alice, by physicians
revealed the fact that she had been Yiols