Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-09-05
VOLUME XXxI.--No. SO.
A Horrible Crime.
Correspondence of Detroit Advertiser.
kALAMAZOo, Aug. l3. 1866

: KALAMAZOO, Aug. Ia, 1866.
During the late hours of Sunday evening
and the early hours of Monday morning, a.
Mrs. Reckard, of the town of Oshtemo; in
this county, committed a most horrible ::ur-,
der, and ended the drama by selfdestruction.
She got up in the night, telling her Husband
she was nervous and could not sleep, and
that she would sit up for awhile in an adjoin-
ing room. She proceeded to write some let
ters, and her husband waking up about an
hour afterwards, inquired how soon she was
coming to bed, to which she replied, in q
short time,n and he again went to sleep.g
1t seems soon after she wenttoan adjoining
room, where two of her children were Sleep
ing-Willie assboy of six, and Eta q girl,
eight-and with razor cnt their throats.
With such q horrid desperation was the deed
done, that only tho bone prevented the sew
ering of their heads from their bodies. The
struggles and the hard breathing of the poor
children, unable to make loud noise, awak-
ened brother of fifteen who was sleeping up
stairs, who inquired what was the matter, and
was told by his mother nothing and was
bid togo TO sleep. She seems then to have
gone back and forth between the bedroom
of the children and her sitting room several
dimes, and then cut her own throat. - j.
Her struggles again awakened the lad up
stairs who, becoming alarmed, arousedShis
father, who got up and went into the sitting
room where be found the kerosene lamp
turned down low. Turning itup, tracks and
smea-s of blood were discovered all around.
and suspicion Of the terrible deed flashed
across his mind. Going to the children's
bed room the most ghastly sight met his eyes,
his two children lying side bysside, weltering
in their blood and his wife lying across the
foot of the bed with her throatcut from ear
to ear. The bed was flooded with blood,
and it was running upon the hoorSin, ..
stream. 49,
1t would seem that she did not cut her own
throat at the children's bedside, but after
she had murdered them, walked into bed
room adjoining. After turning down the lamp
in still another room--for tracks of blood were
seen all over the aoor-and taking the razor
which she had used upon ler children, she
drew it heavily across her own throat, laid the
Bloody weapon uponthe pillow, and with q !
coolnes;; deIberation and fortitude which it,
is almost impossible TO comprehend, while
the. blood was rushing in torrents from the
wound, made ner way out Of this room into
that of her children, and laid herself careless
ly down upon>the same CORY bed, as if to
sleep. Both children lay with their faces to
the wall One of them had evidently strus-
gled while the knife was in its vitals, for the
blood was spattered over the clothes, and the
molhers hand and arm were cnsanguined
with the precious life current.
This sad occurrence took place atthe Osh-
temo side track, about six miles west of this
place, on the NJ G. R. R. The unfortunate
woman was the wife of Alexander Reckard,a
well-to do farmer.
A coroner's inquest was held this after
noon, and the verdict given was iu accordance
with the above facts. She was. undoubtedly
insane. She appeared well and cheerful on
Sunday afternoon, and was out walking with
her husband and two children. But, there
is reason to believe that she had meditated
the act for some time. On the evening be-
fore the commission of this terrible deed, she
gave away to different members of her family
cuToas @ @naE sn6HgH, ,SfGes 81 sFeksss .nougl,
The letters found on the stand are-well writ
ten, both as regards penmanship and lan-
guage. She directs how her two eldest chill
dren shall be brought up, coniiding them to
the care of relative. "Etta and Willie"
she says, 81 shall take with me-"