Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-01-13
NO. 40.
HORRIBLE MURDER.


four children and a servant, were attacked in
their home near Deerfeld, Warren county, ant
so severely injured that three of them died i'm.
medately, and the others are not expected tC
survive
The house where the bloody deed was com
mitted is situated about mile from the town
of Deerfeld, and half mile from the pike
leading 10 Lebanon. The family retired to
rest about o'clock, the mother, with Frances,
ten years old. and child two years, old, oc-
cupying cne room. Alice, fourteen years old,
and Nette, eight, occupied another room; and
hired man, Jessee Cousins, slept in the kirch
en-. It was perhaps one o'clock when Mrs
Roosa was awakened, and saw man. in his
shirt-sleeves, and stocking feet, with lamp in
one hand and Ratchet in the other, coming
into her roeHs. she did rot recognize him.
but she knew it was not her husband. She
afterwards learned that the hired man, Jessee
Cousins, had before this been assaulted and left
for dead. The fend Immediately struck her
on the head with his hatchet, stunning her al
most to inseusbility, but she sprung out of bed
and fell on the hoor-h he repeating his blows
on her head and breast, until she lay almost
senseless. He then cody slaughtered the help
less children, Frances and Harry, as he sup
posed, but the after only was killed. He then
turned his bloody steps to the room where AL
ice aud Nettie were sleeping. He dragged
Alice out of bed, and teld her to get him all
the money in the house. She went TO her
mothers room, and there witnessed the horri-
BILE spectacle presented by the mother and her
sister and broteer, bathed in their blood. Her
mother told her where the poekei-boolz was,
which she got and took to the man telling him
that was all the money they had and that he
could have everything they had if he would
only spare their lives. He took the pocket
book, which contained only eight or ten dol
lars one dollar and twenty-five cents Of which
he left in it as he threw it aside, cursed her,
and then slew her as be had the others. While
be WAS doing 80, little Nettie came to the door
to see what was going on, when he told her
to 90 back or he would kill her She hurried
away and hid herself in the bed clothes and
was not disturbed. The murderer then went
back to Mrs. Roosa, who meantime was con-
scious enough to keep still, and feigning death
when he looked over her, he left her under
the belief that she had expired. She, bowev-
er, saw him leave the house by g0ing out at
a window, on the sill of which were the bloody
tracks of his feet.
After fearful and horrible suspence Of bal +
an hour, Mrs. Roosa heard the breathing and
moaning of the hired man, and yentured to
call him. He answered that he was dying
and could not come to her relief He lived till
near morning, when he became still in death.
The child Nettie, however, crept from her hid
ing place, and amid the blood. the dead and
the dying, watched until morning, when she
ran to the nearest neighbor 5, Mr.. Scott's, and
told what had happened Mrs. Roosa and
Frances at once received all the attention and
relief that could be given. The man Cousin
was found sitting up, dead, in chair. a
coroDer's inquest was held the same day, which
resulted in nothing so far as the author of the
feudish murder is concerned.
AT first it was supposed that the husband
and father, vino was an inmate Of the South Ohio
Lunatic Asylum. where he was undergoing
treatment for temporary insanity. had escaped
from his confinement and committed the deed
but it subsequently, found that be bad not
at any time, been &bsent from the Asylum
He is now at large, ia perfectly sane state,
assisting the authorities iR tracing out the in
human murderer, for whose arrest aud epnvic-
lion reward OF $4,000 is oferea.
A few days after the event, a man 6y the
name of Keever, who had enlisted in Cincin-
naIi under the name Of Meter, was arrested
at Camp Tod, in Columbus, upon saspieien
of being the guilty party; and, for time. it
seemed that circumstances would connect him
with the deed, but things now look as though
he will be able to prove an abb. Parties at
Hamilton say that he was in that place from
Sunday evening until Wednesday morning.
If this is conclusivey shown of course it will
settle the matter. On the other hand, con-
ductor on the L. NJ. Road says that on Christ
mas night, upon arriving at Loveland, from
Cincinnati, he found Keever riding in front of
the Locomotive, an1 drove him from his seat
The engineer also saw him, and recognized
him. Both parties knew him personally
When passing Deerfeld, the bell rope was
pulled, contrary to custom, and upon the con-
ductor stepping to one of the platforms to see
what was the matter, he here found Keever.
who had returned to the cars at Loveand with
out the conductors knowledge. Thereupon
he sighalled the engineer, and the cars went
forward to Morrow before stopping. Keever
admits having been put off ia the manner in
dicated, but says it was on the previous Sun
day night, but the conductor who put him off
says that he the conductor was not on the
road at that time.
Parties also say that Keever was seen in a
stilI,house ut Deerfeld, on Monday at L o.
clock while parties at Hamilton are equally
confident that he was there on Monday night, |
the night of the murder. How he could
get from Deerfield to Hsmiton and then back |
to Deerfeld, in time to commit the homicides,
is wonderful. 1t could be dene, with great
effort; and if it was done, it proves that his
crime was premedilated, and his plays were
well laid to prove an abb.
Blood marks found upon his clothes, for
which he fails 10 account, and the finding of
handkerchief belonging to him upon the prem
ses where the murders were perpetrated, |
points strongly toward him as the author of
the deed.
At the last accounts, Mrs. RoOsa and child
were still living, with prospect OF ultimate
recovery.
1t is limited that the n. Y, correspondent
If 4ba I ov,lo, v,ill bo rapuirnd IN apf