Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-10
THE ROCKPORT MURDER.
Fuller Details than before Given
A NIGHT OF BLOOD.
AN OLD NAN MURDERS HIS WIFE
Mangles her Body with an Axe.
His Midnight Flight and Suicide.
Double Burial and Impressive Funeral
Fuller Details than before Given
AN OLD NAN MURDERS HIS WIFE
MangIes her Body with an Axe,
His Midnight Flight and Suicide.
Double Burial and Impressive Funeral


ton occurred, show it to be one of the most
unprovoked and brutal murders ever re-
corded evincing a degree of depravity
that one is reluctant to aseribe 10 poor
human nature. An old man, for no cause
whatever, butchers his old wife in the dead
of night, while she sleeps peacefully in her
bed, within hearing of their children's
breathing, and then completes the sicken-
ing tragedy by committing suicide under cir
cumstsnces that lend additional horror, if
possible, to the affair.
The FIRST intimation that reached The pub
lie of the preparation of this murder was
on Thursday afternoon last. A report, un-
traceable TO any credible source, vaguely
stated the facts; but as no information had
been received at police headquarters in this
city, the rumor was set down as unreliable.
Later in the evening, however, the story
was repeated with more clearness, and soon
ali doubts were dispelled by a summons for
the Coroner and the announcement of the
suicide by drowning and the recovery Of
the body of the murderer.
This atroeious crime was committed in a
log house, on what is known as the Barker
road, near the old Sandusky railroad, in the
township of Rockport, some six or seven
miles west of Cleveland. The locality is
perhaps better known as the Upper German
Settlement-the inhabitants being almost
exclusively of that nationality. The hut,
which will hereafter be pointed out and
mentioned in connection with this midnight
murder, stands on the roadside, and is the
poorest of log cabins, with one low room and
a garnet. Within the circle of less than q
quarter of a mile there are at least half 2
dozen other houses, the country around be-
ing cut up into small farms. In this cabin
lived the murderer and his family-Peter
Odon, Katharine his wife, and three child
reu; two girls and a boy, the girls Is and 20
and the boy IA years Of age. Peter Odon
was born in Luthweiler, Preussen, Ger
many, and was So years old. They had been
married about thirty-three years, and had
seven children; five girls and two boys, one
of the former married. The old folks came
to this country about twenty-five years ago,
and have lived in Roekport twelve or fifteen
years.
The murder was committed last Wednes-
day night. That evening the old man
performed his chores as usual and came
into the house for supper. The whole fam
lily retired early-at seven o'clock-a Gus
5om the stinginess of oion compelled them
70 observe, in order to save the expense of
lights; the children sleeping in the g" loft"
and the old folks in the only bed in-the one
room below. What followed afterwards, in
the dead Of night, in that little lark room,
mortal eyes, save those of the murderer and
ais victim, saw not; but a deed of cruelty
vas then and there perpetrated the bare
thoughts of which curdle the blood. From o
sound sleep the occupants Of the garnet were
awakened at midnight by a noise below as
Of some one pounding. No groan, or gurgle
or cry of human agony broke forth only
the sound of pounding. One Of the girls
at once started to go down stairs, and hear
ing then, for the first time, some Il walk
ing on the floor, called out Father, what
IS the matter ?" To this her father made q
'eply, but she did not catch the words, and
as she was in the act of returning for a light,
the door opened and her father passed out
in his stocking feet and bareheaded. The
light was struck, and she descended the
strairs. The spectacle that met her eyes in
that lower room, was enough to petrify one
with horror. Stretched on the floor near
he bed from which she had fallen or been
ragged, lay her mother, butchered with an
axe, her gray hair dabbled with blood from
a cash in the temple, and her body literally
Eeltering in the blood that had poured from
numerous wounds, almost any one of which
would nave been mortal. Her upper lip
vas chopped off, one of her arms broken,
aer lower limbs mangled, and her body
backed beyond the power of Ian
guage to describe in decent terms.
The daughter alarmed the rest of the fam
iy by her shrieks, and in turn the nearest
neighbors were apPrised Of the murder and
came into the house, when a closer examina-
lion was made. The bed was not disor-
dered, although showing signs of having
been occupied. On the sides of a cupboard
standing near were indentations and marks
made by the but of the axe as the murderer
swung it back and forth while infieting the
blows. Blood was smeared on the floor as if
a brute had been butchered there.
From this sight, attention was directed to
the person who could do Sc foul a thing,snd
search was instituted to discover him but
as it was plain he had escaped in the dark
ness, the neighbors waited till daylight, in
The meantime spreading the news over the
settlement and gathering g crowd TO assist
in the pursuit. This terminated at nine
o'clock the next forenoon, in the discovery
Of the body of the murderer Peter 0don,
who had committed suicide by drowning in
a fish pond on the premises of Mr. John w.
West, near the Lorain street plank road.
The body was taken back to the house,
where laythat other CHASTITY object, beaten by
his hands out of all semblance to the human
form. The pursuit was guided by the tracks
ne left in the snow of his shoeless feet, more
plainly defined toward the close by stains
Of blood caused by the cuts he had received
in his wild race to find a place where
he could fling away a life whose
remnant was made more than odious.
Near his house there are several small
ponds; to one Of these, it appears, be went
first, carrying with him the axe he had used
to kill his wife, and with it cut a hole in the
ice, but finding the water too shallow to
drown in, he fed over fields and through
woods, clambering fences and rushing down
steep embankments, which his followers had
to go around, until he came to the pond in
Mr.. Vests yard. There he cut two holes.
one Of them not in deep water, the other
one about in the centre of the pond. Into
this he plunged and forced himself along
under the ice until death fastened him
there. The was found on the bank
where he left it.
An inquest was held on her body Thurs
day, and yesterday both were buried in
separate collins in one grave, in a corner
of the Rockport grave yard. A larger funer-
al party probably never assembled there
than on that occasion composed of country
men of the deceased. A brief discourse
was delivered in German by the pastor of
the Lutheran Reformed church. Rev. Mr..
stempel. There is a burying ground in the
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