Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-08-08
} From The Cincinnati Enquirer Of Supday1
Horrible Murder i'm Butler Coun--
{ ty--A Son Kills His Father and

From The Cincinnati Enquirer Of SupdayJ
Horrible Murder i'm Butler Coun-,
ty--A Son Kills His Father and
Mother. ts. ag... f..,ti.s .,t
BY note from the Office of the. Ameri-
can Express Company, In Hamilton, we
learn the particulars Of dreadful murder,
which occurred yesterday in Darrtown,
nine miles from Hamilton, In Butler cOun-
ty. The circumstances of this terrible and
melancholy affair are as follows: At dinner
time the father, mother and son were seat
ed at the table, discussing, at length, family
affairs, when the conversation became fear
fully exciting, and harsh and violent Lam
guage was INDUCED In. Finally the moth
err Mrs. Irwin, rose from her seat, and, with
the carving knife In her right hand, rushed
toward her son, who, rising from his
chair, fell back from the table, aud draw
ing revolver warned her not TO make
another step toward him, else he would
shoot her. AT this juncture, the father,
enraged and excited, rose and took the part
of his wife, and seizing the hatchet, rushed
toward the young man, who Immediately
fired at his father, and then turning toward
the mother, also shot her, both parents fall
ing lifeess at his feet. The young man, Ir-
win, who Is unmarried, and aged about
thirty years, then informed the neighbors
what he had done, and hunting up tho Con-
stable OF Darrtown, gave himself up for
trial, declaring that he committed the deed
in self-defense. The prisoner was then
brought to Hamilton and lodged in the
county jail. The occurrence has caused
considerable excitement In Darrtown.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE DARRTowN MUIR
DER. .
Since writing the above, we have receiv-
ed from j. j. Longfellow, Justice Of the
Peace in Hamilton, statement that Syl-
vester Irwin is the name of the son who
killed his father, John Irwin, and his step
mother, Jane Irwin. Constable VIM. How
ard arrested Irwin as he was making for
the train. He had OH his person revolver
and seventy dollars In money. During the
preliminary examination before Magistrate
Longfelow, there was intense excitement
among the citizens of Hamilton, who knew
John Irwin and highly respected him. The
excited crowd were loud in their denuncia-
ton of Sylvester Irwin, the murderer, and
cried out TO hang him. The prisoner was
conveyed out through the back door, and
safely secured in the county jail. There are
different versions as to the origin of this
truly terrible affair. One account differ
ing slightly from the one given above, Is
that Sylvester returned to the house from
plowing, when some girls, from an upper
story window OF his fathers house, spit
| down on him.
This act of indignity excited the ire Of
| Sylvester, and he demanded of his father at
the barn, whether or not he countenanced
such actions. Hard words followed, when
the step-mother, Jane Irwin, ran out of her
house, down to the barn, with a carving
knife, and rushed towards Sylvester, who
drew a pistol. The father, John Irwin,
seized hatchet, and stepped in between
his wife and son, evidently to protect each
other, being proverbial for his peaceable dis
position. The son then fired at the father,
the ball entering the forehead, causing in
slant death. He then fired at Mrs. Irwin,
the ball entering the right breast. Sylvester
then noticing that his last shot had not per-
formed its mission of instant death, seized
knife and cut her throat from ear to ear,
and with club beat her head. She only
lived twenty minutes. Sylvester tlen fled,
and was arrested in Hamilton, as already
stated. His trial has been set down for
Tuesday morning, the Sth, at 9o'clock. The
Coroner Of Butler county was engaged last
evening in holding an inquest upon the
dead bodies of Mr.. and Mrs. Irwin.