Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-09-05
VOLUME XXXI.--N0. sc.
A Horrible Crime.
Correspondence of Detroit Advertiser.

KALAMAZOO, Aug. l3, 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 most horrible z1ur-
der, and ended the drama by selfdestrucion.
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, Gin a
short time," and he again went to sleep.
1t seems soon after she went to an adjoining
room, where two of her children were sleep
ing-Willie a.shoy Of six, and Eta girl
eight--and with razor cut their throats.
With such 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 "nuthing," 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
Zines, and then cut her own throat.
Her struggles again awakened the lad up
stairs who, becoming alarmed, aroused his
father, who got up and went into the sitting
room where be found the kerosene lamp
turned down low. Turning it up, 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 by side, weltering
in their blood and his wife lying across the
foot of the bed with her throat.cut from ear
TO car. The bed was flooded with blood,
and it was running upon the floor in q
stream.
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 iloor-and taking the razor
which she had used upon her children, she
drew it heavily across her own throat, laid the
b!oody weapon upon the pillow, and with
coolnes;; deliberation and lortitude which it,
is almost impossible to comprehend, while
the blood was rushing in torrents from the
wound. made her way out Of this room into
that of her children, and laid herself careless
Iy down upon>the same cory bed, as if to
sleep. Both children lay with their faces to
the wall One CT them had evidently strug-
gled while the knife was in its ritals, for the
blood was spattered over the clothes, and the
mothers hand end arm were ensanguined
with the precious life current.
This sad occurrence took place the Osh-
temo side track, about six miles west of this
place, on the II. 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 we'll and cheerful on
Sunday afternoon, and was out walking with:
her husband and two children. But there
is reason to believe that she had ineditated
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
saTcas sh5agH HHsfa i'll usBes tE9ksts &e though
The letters found on the stand are-well writ
ter, both rs regards penmanship and lam
guage. She directs how her two eldest chill
dren snail be brought up. conliding them to
the care of relative. Eta and Willie"
she says, "I shall take with me-"